Silent Films Unit Note Sheet

Name:______Date:______

Silent Films Unit Note Sheet

Film List:

Lumiere Brother’s First Films (1895)

• The Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, were born in 1862 (Auguste) and 1864 (Louis) in Besancon, France.
• The brothers are credited with inventing the cinematograph, reported to be the world's first camera/projector.
• Before the brothers got their start in film, Louis Lumière worked in still photography and invented the “dry plate” process. The brothers, along with their father Antoine, sold about 15 million plates a year before they got involved in motion pictures.
• Antoine Lumière came up with the idea to create motion pictures after seeing a demonstration of Thomas Edison's kinetoscope in Paris in 1894.
• The Lumières used a film speed of 16 f/s, compared to Edison's 48 f/s, which meant that less film was used, and the clatter and grinding associated with Edison's kinetoscope was reduced.
• The brothers held the world's first public film screening on Dec. 28, 1895, at the Grand Café on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris.
• Their first film was “La Sortie des Usines Lumière,” which features workers leaving a factory.
• In 1900, the brothers unveiled a 360-degree panoramic projector that used 70 mm film at the Paris International Exhibition.
• Louis Lumière once said, “The cinema is an invention without a future,” predicting that people would bore of images that they could just as easily see by walking out into the street.
• The Lumière brothers have been credited with more than 1,425 different short films.

A Trip to the Moon (1902)

French: Le Voyage dans la lune) is a 1902 Frenchblack-and-whitesilentscience fiction film. It is based loosely on two popular novels of the time: Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon and H. G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon.

The film was written and directed by Georges Méliès, assisted by his brother Gaston. The film runs 14 minutes if projected at 16 frames per second, which was the standard frame rate at the time the film was produced. It was extremely popular at the time of its release, and is the best-known of the hundreds of fantasy films made by Méliès. A Trip to the Moon is the first science fiction film, and uses innovative animation and special effects, including the well-known image of the spaceship landing in the Moon's eye.

Plot:

At a meeting of astronomers, their president proposes a trip to the Moon. After addressing some dissent, six brave astronomers agree to the plan. They build a space capsule in the shape of a bullet, and a huge cannon to shoot it into space. The astronomers embark and their capsule is fired from the cannon with the help of "marines", most of whom are portrayed as a bevy of beautiful women in sailors' outfits, while the rest are men. The Man in the Moon watches the capsule as it approaches, and it hits him in the eye.

The Great Train Robbery (1903)

A 1903 Western film written, produced, and directed by Edwin S. Porter. Twelve minutes long, it is considered a milestone in film making, expanding on Porter's previous work. The film used a number of innovative techniques including cross cutting, double exposure composite editing, camera movement and on location shooting. Cross-cuts were a new, sophisticated editing technique. Some prints were also hand colored in certain scenes. None of the techniques were original to The Great Train Robbery, and it is now considered that it was heavily influenced by an earlier British film.

The film was directed and photographed by Edwin S. Porter, a former Edison Studios cameraman. Though a Western, it was filmed in Milltown, New Jersey.

The Golden Beetle (1907)

Segundo de Chomon is a little known but major film pioneer sometimes referred to as “the Spanish Melies.” Chomon got his start as a color tinting specialist for the French studio Pathé in 1901 and directed his first film for them the following year. Like his mentor Georges Melies, Chomon was known primarily for trick cinematography and optical effects. In addition to directing, he is credited with creating the special effects for films. The Golden Beetle makes clear, as a director Chomon was also a cinematic poet whose movies invite sustained reflection and analysis.

In less than three minutes The Golden Beetle impresses as a kind of prototypical feminist allegory as well as a very beautiful example of an early color-tinted film. Because it was tinted entirely by hand, it must have been an extremely painstaking process for Chomon to create his elaborate psychedelic fountain, which sprays red, purple, pink and yellow colors to all corners of the frame.

The Dog & His Merits (1908)

(one of the many historical documentaries / actualities seen in class)

We see a working dog, a beggar's dog, a shepherd's dog, and a milkman's dog. The working dog is locked inside a large wire wheel; the dog runs inside the wheel, turning it to run a machine. The beggar's dog pulls its legless master, who's sitting on a low cart, down the street. The shepherd's dog keeps a flock of at least 20 sheep in a tight circle. The milkman's dog pulls a cart on which is mounted a large cylinder of milk. A boy leads the dog to a house with a Dutch door; the top half of the door opens, and the lady of the house hands out a pitcher that the boy fills as the dog waits.

As films grew more sophisticated and film-makers learned to tell stories, actualities like this eventually fell out of favor. While this film does contain images that are a little unusual - such as a tramp on a board being towed by his dog - most of the film is of interest for its historical value.

The Birth of a Nation (1915)

Originally called The Clansman this 1915 silentdrama film was directed by D. W. Griffith. The film was originally presented in two parts, separated by an intermission.

The film chronicles the relationship of two families in Civil War and Reconstruction-era America: the pro-UnionNorthern Stonemans and the pro-ConfederacySouthern Camerons over the course of several years. The assassination of PresidentAbraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth is dramatized.

The film was a major commercial success, but was highly controversial owing to its portrayal of African American men (played by white actors in blackface) as unintelligent and sexually aggressive towards white women, and the portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan (whose original founding is dramatized) as a heroic force. There were widespread protests against The Birth of a Nation, and it was banned in several cities. The outcry of racism was so great that Griffith was inspired to produce Intolerance the following year.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

A 1920 horrorsilent film, based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and starring actor John Barrymore. The film is now in the Public Domain.

This story of split personality has Dr. Jekyll a kind and charitable man who believes that everyone has two sides, one good and one evil. Using a potion, his personalities are split, creating havoc.

The early part of Jekyll's initial transformation into Hyde was achieved with no makeup, instead relying solely on Barrymore's ability to contort his face.

In one scene, as Jekyll becomes Hyde, one of Hyde's prosthetic fingers can be seen to fly across the screen, having been shaken loose by Barrymore's convulsions.

Nosferatu (1922)

A classic 1922 German Expressionisthorror film, directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Max Schreck as the vampireCount Orlok. The film was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

This was the first Prana Film; the company declared bankruptcy after Bram Stoker's estate, acting for his widow, Florence Stoker, sued for copyright infringement and won. The court ordered all existing prints of Nosferatue burned, but one purported copy of the film had already been distributed around the world. These prints were duplicated over the years.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) w/3D pictures

The film is most notable for the grand sets that recall 15th century Paris as well as Lon Chaney's performance and spectacular make-up as the tortured bell-ringer of Notre Dame. The film elevated Chaney, already a well-known character actor, to full star status in Hollywood. It also helped set a standard for many later horror films, including Chaney's The Phantom of the Opera in 1925. In 1951, the film entered the public domain (in the USA) due to the claimants failure to renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication.

The story is set in Paris ten years before Columbus discovered America.

Quasimodo is a deformed (deaf and half-blind) bell-ringer of the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. His master, Jehan Frollo, the evil brother of the saintly archdeacon Claude Frollo, prevails upon the hunchback to kidnap the fair Esmeralda, the adopted daughter of Clopin, who is the king of the oppressed beggars of Paris' underworld. The dashing Captain Phoebus rescues her from Quasimodo, while Jehan escapes and leaves him. Phoebus is entranced by Esmeralda, and takes her under his wing. Quasimodo is sentenced to be lashed in the public square. As he suffers under the sting of the whip, Esmeralda pities him, and brings him water.

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

A 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein, it presents a dramatized version of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against their officers of the Tsarist regime. Battleship Potemkin has been called one of the most influential propaganda films of all time.

Eisenstein wrote the film as a revolutionary propaganda film, but also used it to test his theories of "montage". The revolutionary Soviet filmmakers of the Kuleshov school of filmmaking were experimenting with the effect of film editing on audiences, and Eisenstein attempted to edit the film in such a way as to produce the greatest emotional response, so that the viewer would feel sympathy for the rebellious sailors of the Battleship Potemkin and hatred for their cruel overlords. In the manner of most propaganda, the characterization is simple, so that the audience could clearly see with whom they should sympathize.

The most celebrated scene in the film is the massacre of civilians on the Odessa Steps (also known as the Primorsky or Potemkin Stairs). In this scene, the Tsar's soldiers in their white summer tunics march down a seemingly endless flight of steps in a rhythmic, machine-like fashion, firing volleys into a crowd. A separate detachment of mounted Cossacks charges the crowd at the bottom of the stairs. The victims include an older woman wearing Pince-nez, a young boy with his mother, a student in uniform and a teenage schoolgirl. A mother pushing an infant in a baby carriage falls to the ground dying and the carriage rolls down the steps amidst the fleeing crowd.

The massacre on the steps, which never took place, was presumably inserted by Eisenstein for dramatic effect and to demonize the Imperial regime.

Metropolis (1927)

A German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and owners inherent in capitalism, as expressed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The film cost approximately 4 million dollars to produce.

Metropolis was cut substantially after its German premiere, and much footage was lost over the passage of successive decades. There have been several efforts to restore it, as well as discoveries of previously lost footage. In 2008, a copy of the film 30 minutes longer than any other known surviving copy was located in Argentina. After a long period of restoration in Germany, the restored film was shown publicly for the first time simultaneously at Berlin and Frankfurt on 12 February 2010. Metropolis is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, and Lang's finest achievement as a director.

In the futuristic mega-city Metropolis, the "managers" live in luxurious skyscrapers while the workers live and toil underground. One day, Freder, the son of Metropolis founder Joh Fredersen, sees a beautiful girl and follows her down to the workers' underworld. There, he sees the horrors of the workers' lives. He is appalled. Freder persuades his father’s former clerk, Josaphat, to help with his quest to help the workers. But, Freder is unaware that his father has ordered a spy (credited as the "Thin Man") to tail his son.

The effects expert, Eugen Schüfftan, created innovative visual displays widely acclaimed in following years. Among the effects used are miniatures of the city, a camera on a swing, and most notably, the Schüfftan process, in which mirrors are used to "place" actors inside miniature sets.

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

A silent film produced in France in 1928. It is based on the record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti. It is widely regarded as a landmark of cinema, especially for its production, its direction and Falconetti's performance, which has been described as being among the finest in cinema history.

The film summarizes the time that Joan of Arc was a captive of the English.[2] It depicts her trial, imprisonment, torture, and execution.

Joan is brought to trial. Her judges try to make her say something that will discredit her claim or shake her belief that she has been given a mission by God to drive the English from France, but she remains steadfast. One or two of them, believing that she is indeed a saint, support her. The authorities then resort to deception. A priest reads to the illiterate prisoner a false letter supposedly from her king, telling her to trust in the bearer. When that too fails, Joan is taken to view the torture chamber, but the sight, though it causes her to faint, does not intimidate her. When she is threatened with burning at the stake, she finally breaks and allows a priest to guide her hand in signing a confession. However, she soon recants and is publicly executed.

The original version of the film was lost for decades after a fire destroyed the master negative. Dreyer himself attempted to reassemble a version from outtakes and surviving prints, but he died believing his original cut was lost forever. In one of the most important discoveries in cinema history, a virtually complete print of Dreyer's original version was found in 1981 in a janitor's closet of an Oslo mental institution. This version is now available on DVD.

Un Chien Andalou (1929)

A silentsurrealistshort film by the Spanish director Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dalí. The film has no plot in the conventional sense of the word. The chronology of the film is disjointed, jumping from the initial "once upon a time" to "eight years later" without the events or characters changing very much. It uses dream logic in narrative flow that can be described in terms of then-popular Freudianfree association, presenting a series of tenuously related scenes.

The film opens with a title card reading "Once upon a time". A middle-aged man sharpens his razor at his balcony door and tests the razor on his thumb. He then opens the door, and idly fingers the razor while gazing at the moon, about to be engulfed by a thin cloud, from his balcony. There is a cut to a close-up of a young woman being held by the man as she calmly stares straight ahead. Another cut occurs to the moon being overcome by the cloud as the man slits the woman's eye with the razor, and the vitreous humor spills out from it.

For many years, reports have circulated that Buñuel had used a dead pig’s eye, or that of a dead sheep, or of a dead donkey, or other animal, in the notorious eyeball-slicing scene. However, in an interview in 1975, Buñuel claimed that he had used a dead calf’s eye. Through the use of intense lighting, Buñuel attempted to make the furred face of the animal appear as human skin.

In spite of varying interpretations made since the film originated, Buñuel made clear throughout his writings that, between Dalí and himself, the only rule for the writing of the script was that "no idea or image that might lend itself to a rational explanation of any kind would be accepted." Moreover, he stated that, "Nothing, in the film, symbolizes anything. The only method of investigation of the symbols would be, perhaps, psychoanalysis."

City Lights (1929)

An American silent film and romantic comedy-drama written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. Although "talking" pictures were on the rise since 1928, City Lights was immediately popular. Today, it is thought of as one of the highest accomplishments of Chaplin's prolific career. Although classified as a comedy, City Lights has an ending widely regarded as one of the most moving in cinema history.

As in other Chaplin movies, each scene has an element of slapstick in it, using the comic scenes in a symbolic way. The opening scene uses funny sounds to depict the important mayor and his wife who are smiling and talking emphatically before the crowd. The revelation of the monument before the acting crowd, is actually the revelation of the tramp, the well-known Charlie Chaplin, before the movie-going crowd.