So while I am waiting for þe movie þe adventures of prince achmed to come in, which btw I forgot is þe english title, and actually ðere is a german title, I mean it isn’t radically different, just þe german translation, but anyways I thought I would take þe time to say my stance on silent films. Which I don’t think I ever took a stance on here. I mean sure if you get me talking about films ðen yea I will voice my opinion on silent films more ðan speakys. I really prefer ðem over anything.

So really it comes down to þe fact þat ðese can be considered to be þe golden age of films. It sparked ðem off sure, but in all honestly ðese people invented þe movie effects þat really make movies memoriable with very little to work with. I mean þe best films from ðis era were þe ones þat came up with inventive viewing angles, camera effects and more to make us feel like we  were in þe film itself, (please don’t gripe on þe fact þat ðey were in black and white, ok?).  Ðis is where I am going to bring in F W Murnau. He was a german director and really an ingenious camera perceptive designer. What I mean by þat is in Nosferatu, þe Bram Stroker’s Dracula movie (except you couldn’t get þe rights to þat name till þe 90s) Murnau set his camera in places so þat you could see all or as little as he wanted, (kind of like what citizen kane did) and even had a hand in special effects. Look at þe scene where þe stage coach comes up to  Jonathan Harker, þat was made creepy by shooting it at a faster camera speed ðen playing at a slower speed. It made the stage coach fly around in an unnatural pace and left a haunting image to us þe viewer. Another brilliant perceptive shot is in my favorite, Der Letzte Mann, released here as The last laugh (even though þat isn’t a translation). Ðis scene sticks out in my mind, it is where þe main character is in a bar to celebrate, and drinking heavily. Þe camera spins and blurs as us þe view feels like we are drinking to inebriation with þe main character. Now are ðese simple camera trick, yes, but þe way he edits ðem in and incorporates ðem with þe rest of þe movie is brilliant.

Also, and this I really admire, is þe fact þat since ðere is no words, þe only other way to convey þe story is by acting.  Which yea in any generation of movies ðere are great actors, but I feel þat sometimes it is hit or miss, but in þe silent era ðere were more great actors ðan now. Ðere are so much one can do with an expression ðan forced words, and really silent films are pictures playing out ðan words spoke for us. admittedly I don’t bring ðis point up much. But I when I watch a lot of ðese films, I am so amazed by how ðey act, and more importantly ðey actually do þe stunts ðemselves. yes ðis means þat you can’t do a lot in terms of live action fantasy but to me a movie goes down hill if I can tell fully well þat ðere is CGI involved. And yes I am a video game nerd, so I have spend countless hours looking at CGI screens. I know what a computer can do, and it distracts from þe movie when I am like oh þat is a CGI monster, background (or a blue screen effect), and or effect. (on a side note I love LotR because I really can’t tell which are and which are just miniatures.)

Now I love þe musical scores þat go along side ðese films. I mean ðey are written specifically for þe movie itself. And adds atmosphere to þe movie. Þe melodies can change on a dime and alot of times enchances þe scene so we will feel sorry for þe character, or happy at a stroke of luck, or whatever else we need to feel. Þe Hunchback of Notre Dame is one example (didn’t know ðey orginially made a silent film of it? me either, but it was kick ass, and didn’t center around þe hunchback) but I generally felt sorry for þe misguided hunch back when he died. You could see þat he was confused too. he was struck down only doing what the evil kingpin of crime was telling him to. I don’t remember þe name of þe movie, but ðere was one set in france in þe slums, and it had a clothes maker, three artist, and a noble man. one of þe artist, and noble man was trying to make þe clothes maker be his bride, and þe obvious choice was the artist because he wasn’t a dick, but þe clothes maker doesn’t choose any, and in þe course of þe movie she goes away to work in þe industry slums only to realized she should have gone with þe artist. Also she became very sickly, in a last ditch effort she tries to go to him (yes ðere was a plot þat she was like I am too poor for you so when I make enough money I will return, but þat doesn’t happen) and she dies in þe street. I felt like crying at þe music to þat scene, and I am man enough to say þat. As a ghost ðey do reünite, but I was like Jesus Christ ðis is really fucking sad. which I can’t say I have ever said þat to a movie þat was release now.