Silent Films, artistically entertaining, or just plain boring?

Question

Does any one really watch silent films today?

Answer 1

Chaplin and Buster Keaton are hilarious, but you have to keep watching. Griffith was a bloody genius, even if he was a racist *******, his films were great.
The trouble with silent films is, you have to concentrate on them. I mean, you can play Tetris and watch the Die Hard movies, without missing much. The dialog and music cue you to the action shots. But with silents, you have to do the popcorn and dimly lit room thing. They are harder to watch.

Also, some of them seem corny, but like the Marx Brothers, it wasn't corny then because it was the first time some of these things had been tried.

Last; just like today, 80% of the films are crap, anyway. The fun part is finding the few gems in the pile. (sorry for that analogy)

Answer 2

There are some really interesting silent films, from either recent times or from the silent film era. The Georges Melies films of the 20's are vastly entertaining, his 'A Trip to the Moon' from the Jules Verne story is what inspired the Smashing Pumpkins's "Tonight, Tonight" music video, and is so creative on its own.

The best and most influential horror films are from the silent period as well, Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari come to mind. Nosferatu worked superbly well without sound, because the film is such a fright to watch that it forces you to become aware of your surroundings, and your breathing, which enriches the experience. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is similar in this way. The absence of sound was necessary to really anchor the surrealness of the set design; if there had been sound, I think it would have diluted the creativity of the film.

Fritz Lang is also a superb director from the silent era, one of my favorites ever.

Answer 3

artistic

The silent films that are made in a time where sound is possible are definitely artistic. Avant garde film makers like Stan Brackage did not want music or sound to detract from his images. Other Avant Garde film makers like Kenneth Anger, completely disagree which is quite evident with Scorpio rising.

Now silent films from when sound could not be linked up to the image - well I don't really watch them unless I am studying something I have to.

But yes I think people do watch silent films today - but they are not mainstream films and you likely won't see them in a cinema unless arthouse and a festival, but a silet film can be interesting if you are looking at a film for artistic purposes.

Avant garde films today still receive a large following and many circulate in museums, etc

Answer 4

I'm a huge Buster Keaton fan and I regularly watch his movies. The General is a classic and would be ruined by sound. What they could do without CGI and blue screen is incredible. You know how some stills look better in black and white? The better silent films look like that. Also Chaplin, Lloyd, Eisenstein: they're all very enjoyable and compare very favourably with anything done today.

Answer 5

Artistically entertaining, it's interesting to see how they used lighting, facial expressions and make up to convey the story/mood along with the written script and music.
I still love watching the old Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin movies from time to time.

Answer 6

Yeah people still watch silent films.But those of us who do know what we're getting into. We aren't expecting to be on the edge of our seats. I personally really love Metropolis.The way Fritz Lang creates scenes is amazing!

Answer 7

to me they are kinda boring.