Have you ever watched a silent film?

[GirlNextDoor15]

Yeah, I watched it at my high school. What is it about? I don't really remember but it's like a pantomime.

[Neversoft]

Yeah, I've seen Metropolis, some Chaplin films and a couple of others. I could never get into them a great deal though, I love proper dialogue and sound too much.

[Jazz]

i saw one in high school but got bored and left. I'm used to normal films, I just don't get them

[beth]

yes we watched a lot in acting college because the actors used to have so much more facial and physical emotion. words can be a stumbling block for an actor and they can be a comfort blanket, so the actors of the silent movies are much more disciplined and forced to use everything they can to convey their messages.

i find them really interesting, though a lot of the time i'm not actually paying any attention to the storyline or plot, i'm watching an actors performance and taking hints hahha.

[Inseriousity.]

Yeah, I've seen Metropolis, some Chaplin films and a couple of others. I could never get into them a great deal though, I love proper dialogue and sound too much.

Yeah I've seen metropolis, it's the only one so perhaps I shouldn't generalise but I just couldn't get into it. I think you have to overact to get messages across that just makes it unintentionally comical. Also, don't think the story made much sense (they'd still be in that cathedral if it werent for the robot maria even though the whole point of making robot maria was to keep them from revolting... yeah idgi). Witty dialogue is what can make or break a film for me so having none was weird.

[Misawa]

METROPOLIS is a masterpiece.

I've seen and own to many silent films than I can count. I pity anyone who isn't able to "get into them".

[FlyingJesus]

Genuinely don't see the appeal tbh. I'm a linguist and a writer so for me words mean a hell of a lot, and the "art" of silent films seems entirely contrived and false to me. It doesn't imitate life and doesn't carry nearly as much emotion as is available to us through vocal or written communication, and title cards just aren't enough to make up for that

[dirrty]

i've only seen a couple of scenes from metropolis and battleship potemkin.

[peteyt]

I think I've seen some. Sometimes it's okay, but I was having a debate about this the other day as quite a few people seem to think a load of people seem to like this to just be pretentious. I'm not too sure - if the film is good then yeah, but don't just make a silent film to be cool.

[Misawa]

You don't need to hear words to feel emotion. Watch Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS up to its final scene and tell me otherwise.

[beth]

You don't need to hear words to feel emotion. Watch Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS up to its final scene and tell me otherwise.

oh my god i'm about to agree with misawa... but i find many silent films far more emotionally interesting than "talking pictures". like i mentioned before as a student of acting and theatre and performance you begin to understand how the spoken word can hinder an actors true ability, and also how it can aid a shoddy actor.

the actors in silent movies have to physically be so much more and it fascinates me completely. but, perhaps that is because both misawa and i have an interest in acting/performance (though from completely opposite ends).

[wiktoria]

never actually saw one but in drama we saw a trailer for The Artist. I think it came out in 2011. It looked alright.

[Hollie]

i've never seen one, just never really been interested in them tbh

[Seikou]

never seen one because i really think it would bore me..

[MizzBex]

I've never seen a silent film, but in french last year we watched a french film without subtitles, so it might aswell have been silent :/ people seemed to like the artist, but i'm not sure i would've enjoyed it. Might have to watch it one day :P