Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on September 4, 2013

This month is all about the top female stars of the silent era. These are the ladies who made it into the history books and are remembered to this day as the most popular actresses of their time. While I am preparing my new reviews for publication, here are some...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on September 3, 2013

(click to enlarge) Whew! Finished reimagining the Nolan Batman trilogy as silent films. Here is the movie that started it all. John Gilbert is Batman, of course, and the director for all three films will be Paul Leni. Leni had a flair for dark material but he also knew how...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on September 1, 2013

Elliott Dexter’s character in A Romance of the Redwoods is not a good man or a good bad man. He is a bad bad man. You know the type. Burns people with his cigar, tries to chop off their finger, the whole enchilada. That being said, this is exactly my...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 31, 2013

And it’s directed by Alice Guy, pioneering filmmaker and all-around fascinating person! She was 23 when she made The Cabbage Fairy. The title may seem strange to modern audiences. You see, some countries have storks but others have cabbage patches. The first narrative fiction film? Maybe. Bu   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 30, 2013

This is everything I love about John Barrymore in one convenient GIF. Here is the formula: 1 part Don Juan 1/2 part Mr. Hyde 1 part Hamlet 2 parts Daffy Duck The GIF is from Tempest, one of my favorite Barrymore vehicles. (You can read my review here) While not...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 30, 2013

Prudence, the Pirate (1916) Status: Unknown Gladys Hulette gets another adorable vehicle in the form of Prudence, the Pirate. The plot involves a pirate-obsessed young lady who gets out of an arranged marriage by hiring a ship (complete with crew) and proclaiming herself a pirate captain. She then   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 29, 2013

William S. Hart hangs up his cowboy hat in this cops-and-robbers tale of post-War San Francisco. Hart is a veteran and ex-crook who comes back from his doughboy stint a changed man. The robber is now a cop and he is forced to investigate his old friends and his own...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 28, 2013

Teddy Roosevelt’s White House menagerie is one of the most famous aspects of his personal life. Here he is, three years after leaving office and quite a bit of the menagerie remains, it seems. TR rides and fusses over his horse and then visits with his pack of dogs. Aww!...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 28, 2013

Come on, who wouldn’t trust these guys? Me, that’s who! I wouldn’t trust them. They couldn’t look less trustworthy if they were selling used cars! These scheming gentlemen are from The Doll and they are indeed up to no good. In fact, they are conspiring to steal the hero&#8   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 27, 2013

You asked for it and here it is! My idea of what The Dark Knight Rises would have been like if it had been released in 1927. (You can see my poster for The Dark Knight here) John Gilbert returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman, of course but there is a whole...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 27, 2013

Me? Go over there with you? No, thank you! Poor Leatrice Joy’s attempts to be a player are met with utter failure in Eve’s Leaves. The object of her affections (William Boyd) considers her pesky and would rather risk piratical attack than spend one more minute with her. I would...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 26, 2013

Valentino, the Great Slavic Lover! Valentino’s career was revitalized by going… Russian? Yep, this Robin Hood tale turned out to be an ideal vehicle for him. Valentino is heroic, romantic and surprisingly funny (he had an underused gift for comedy). Essentially a dress rehearsal for Son   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 25, 2013

Bebe Daniels stars as a hypochondriac heiress who is threatened with a move to a ranch in Texas. She flees to what she thinks is a convalescent home but finds herself trapped on an island with a gang of rum runners– led by a pre-fame William Powell. Bebe doesn’t realize...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 25, 2013

More Bolshevik trash talk from the one and only William Boyd, aka Hopalong Cassidy. In case you didn’t already notice, I find this casting to be infinitely amusing. The setup is as follows: Aristocrat Elinor Fair thinks William Boyd’s muscly peasant is pretty easy on the eyes. Her fian   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 24, 2013

I was reading through 1927 issues of Photoplay magazine (as one does) and I came across a capsule review for the Marion Davies vehicle The Red Mill. Here is the interesting part of the review: Here is a fairly amusing comedy with the star giving a cheery performance of the...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 24, 2013

A director must be able to coax just the right performance out of actors and actresses. During the silent era, directors were even able to coach their cast while the cameras were rolling. In fact, the loss of this reassuring voice in the talkies is often cited by silent-era actors...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 23, 2013

Rudolph Valentino’s early death at the height of his career was a tragedy. It also opened up a floodgate of what-if’s. Would he have survived the transition to sound? Would his career have fizzled even before that? Me? I think he would have survived. Mr. Valentino had a talent for...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 23, 2013

Welcome to a new series! As you know, I have joined several blogging organizations in the past few months and have become acquainted with many fellow movie fans. I thought it would be fun to profile some of them. I am starting with the Classic Movie Blog Association but will...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 22, 2013

I am in a bit of a quandary and was hoping that my readers would be able to help me out. I belong to the Classic Movie Blog Association and every year, they have the CiMBA awards to honor members. This is my very first year of membership so I...   read more

Movies Silently Posted by Movies, Silently on August 22, 2013

(via gocomics.com) (via gocomics.com) I’m back with more search engine queries! This time, I am going to be answering questions related to silent films themselves. Who are the people in silent film? Number of silent movies presumed lost? Exaggerated silent film acting? How to get into silent   read more