"Silent pictures were the purest form of cinema.”
– Alfred Hitchcock
National Silent Movie Day is an annual celebration on September 29th of the ingenuity and historical significance of silent cinema. As well as celebrating the earliest examples of the cinematic art form, this day aims to bring awareness to the preservation and worldwide accessibility of silent cinema with the goal of keeping such a culturally significant form alive.
By now there are many resources that espouse the most well-known or subjectively “best” silent movies," but what about those that don’t receive the same limelight? What about those (almost) forgotten in the retelling of film history? Video Librarian is sharing some lesser-known gems of silent cinema that show the diversity of talent working on movies at the time. Perhaps you’ll discover your new favorite and diversify your collection to continue the profound education silent movies have to offer.
The Curse of Quon Gwon (1916)
This story follows a young Chinese-American woman (played by Violet Wong, sister of director Marion Wong) who clashes with her new husband’s family and their traditional ways. Long thought lost, this silent family melodrama is the earliest surviving Chinese-American feature film and the only known work of the director, writer, and actress Marion Wong. Handed down to Wong’s descendants, parts of it were taken to the Academy Film Archive for restoration by filmmaker Arthur Dong in 2005 during his research for his documentary Hollywood Chinese. It is believed only two out of seven or eight reels survived (without intertitles), rendering the film incomplete (Wikipedia). Despite this, it remains of huge cultural and historical importance and is one of the earliest films directed by a woman. Unfortunately, the film failed to secure distribution at the time, leading to Wong deciding to leave the movies to become a restaurateur. Although impossible to discuss the intricacies of the plot, the East versus West dichotomy permeating the reels is fascinating and the visual appeal cements Wong as one of the pioneering directors of the time.
The Flying Ace (1926)
A drama film directed by Richard E. Norman, The Flying Ace is the only one of the Norman Studios' "race movies" that is known to have survived. Sporting an all-African-American cast, the story revolves around a war hero who returns to his job as a railroad company detective and is tasked with retrieving $25,000 of stolen money from a gang of thieves. Norman´s films were solely exhibited to black audiences at the time but his choice to direct such films was not entirely business oriented. His primary focus was to make a positive impact in a world where race relations were tumultuous at best (Wikipedia). Deserving more recognition, this film is not only a crucial contribution to Afro-American history but the history of cinema itself.
Falling Leaves (1912)
This short film was directed by the French powerhouse and pioneering director Alice Guy-Blaché. Guy-Blaché was present when the Lumiere Brothers held their first screening in Paris in March 1895 (The Guardian). She saw the potential of the medium to tell stories, rather than just holding a fascination with the technological capabilities. She is widely considered one of the first directors of narrative fiction film and experimented with many now-standard cinematic techniques such as sync sound, editing, hand-tinted color, and primitive special effects. Falling Leaves is a remarkably moving short about the naiveté of a child who wants to save her sister from tuberculosis. When a doctor says her older sister will die by the time the last leaf falls, the young girl takes his words literally and tries to save her by tying fallen leaves back onto trees with string. The film's domesticated setting, told through the eyes of the women and child, indicates Guy-Blaché´s unique perspective and one which differentiated her from other (mostly male) filmmakers of the time.
Asphalt (1929)
Noted as one of the last German silent movies, Asphalt tells the story of Else, a young Berlin trickster who is driven into poverty and steals a valuable piece of jewelry. She is caught by police officer Albert and attempts to seduce him in order to escape. They quickly fall in love for real as Else attempts to abandon her criminal life and redeem herself. Not nearly as well-known as Lang or Murnau, Joe May was a prolific director and well-versed in the German expressionist tradition. This film shows the roots of a much later cinematic trend, film noir. The German expressionist roots of film noir are well documented but as a term, it is not often attributed to silent movies. The alluring femme fatale, the misguided hero, money, deception, and murder are all examples of noir narrative flourishes, and coupled with the distinctive visual expressionism it certainly makes for an interesting watch – especially for those film noir enthusiasts!
Read our review of Asphalt
Chicago (1927)
Before the 2002 film, the 1975 stage play, and the 1942 talkie, was the 1927 silent film Chicago, produced by Cecile B. DeMille, that was the first adaptation of the original 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins. The story follows a fame-obsessed housewife Roxie (played by the sensational Phyllis Haver) who kills her jilting lover. She tries to coerce her husband into taking the blame and is subsequently put on trial for murder, becoming a media sensation. Although Frank Urson is credited with directing Chicago, DeMille actually directed the majority of the shoot. Due to the release of King of Kings (1927) around the same time, DeMille took his name off Chicago´s billing as there were concerns audiences wouldn´t want to see a scandalous crime drama with an adulterous heroine so soon after seeing an epic about the life of Christ (Movies Silently). With the whip-smart script and stellar cast, Chicago is saucy, witty, and deliciously satirical, commenting on celebrity, societal double standards, and the hedonistic lifestyles abundant in the 1920s.
Read our review of Chicago