Imagine having a successful career knowing the ins and outs of it for many years. Then when you least expect it, the advancement of technology changes how your job works. Some can adapt to the changes very well while others can’t bring themselves to do so. These conflicting emotions took place when the film industry transitioned from silent films to sound films a.k.a “talkies.” In honor of National Silent Movie Day, here is a media education lesson for you on how the transition from silent to sound films changed the acting industry forever.
When you think about it, silent film collections were never 100% silent. Musical accompaniment allowed audiences to feel the emotions running through the characters and situations. At the time, the only way to bring recorded sound to an index of movies was through cylinders or discs of recordings. However, these devices could only hold four minutes of sound, were hard to amplify for the entire audience, and struggled to sync with the action on screen.
After a ton of experimental attempts, 1927’s The Jazz Singer changed everything by having a movie recorded in a Vitaphone—a sound-on disc that involves the process of recording all of the audio on a phonograph record and then syncing it in real-time with the projector. Actors actually heard Al Jolson speak lines for the first time that were spontaneous and natural considering they were ad-libbed. Then in 1928, the first “100%” talkie came about with Lights of New York, and sound films were born.
With sound being incorporated into films, this changed the Hollywood definition of performance. According to Backstage, there were a lot of actors who succeeded in “talkies.” Swedish actress Greta Garbo was one of the biggest box office performers of the silent era. Then when sound came to film, her thick Swedish accent did not turn audiences or filmmakers away as her low, husky voice fit in with the mysterious characters she played. Her first sound film Anna Christie was actually marketed as “Garbo speaks!” being the biggest box office hit of 1930 and earned her an Oscar nomination.
Another star that transitioned to sound that you can add to your movie library was John Barrymore whose stage talents in comedy and Shakespeare helped him fit in very well with sound films. His thundering stage-trained voice had him star in huge hits like Grand Hotel. Carole Lombard started in silent slapstick comedies of the 1920s with her energetic performances being brought onto classics like My Man Godfrey. This film earned her an Oscar nomination and “talkies” helped critics put her on their top comedian's list.
Boris Karloff would be typecast as Indian or Arabic villains for silent films despite being British. When he transitioned to sound films, his most famous role came in 1931’s Frankenstein. While playing this classic monster was still silent, his subtle yet powerful performance wowed audiences which launched his classic horror film career. And if you want to hear his voice in full, just listen to him narrate the animated classic Christmas film How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Some stars may have succeeded with this transition, but sound movies ruined the careers of a lot of stars. According to Daily Telegraph, flapper sex symbol Clara Bow, known for her silent pantomime-style acting, said she “hated talkies” calling them “stiff and limiting.” After all, hidden microphones restricted movements. Silent actors were used to directors screaming out directions while the cameras rolled as well as using exaggerated facial expressions and movements to convey emotion.
Actors like Douglas Fairbanks retired from acting when he was almost 50 after four “talkies” as he felt technical restrictions ruined it for him. Mary Pickford won Best Actress for her role in Coquette, but she didn’t enjoy the new changes to film either and retired in 1933 only returning to film with silent film star Charlie Chaplin in the mid-1950s.
Vilma Banky’s popularity as a silent All-American character hit a decline when she revealed her Hungarian accent while playing a cook in This is Heaven. Charlie Chaplin resisted talking in movies because he also felt “talkies” were a limited field. But, he was still willing to lend his voice when it counted, like when he delivered one of the best speeches you’ll ever hear in a movie in The Great Dictator.
Silent films and sound films clearly hit different nerves with different actors. Some actors used “talkies” as an opportunity to show off their powerful voices and were seen in a new light and sound. Others felt more comfortable acting using movements and animated facial expressions. It’s unfortunate that the challenging transition to sound led to early retirement for other actors, but they will always live on in the silent era film archive of cinema history.