A Little Tour For New Readers

Hello all! As Silent-ology continues to try and spread the joy of silent cinema to anyone who happens to stumble by, I’m considering writing brief “welcome” posts like this every once in awhile. I know what it’s like to visit a new blog and feel like someone who just popped into a trendy new cafe and is trying to figure out the complicated chalk-written menu.

“The menu includes ‘add ons’ AND ‘extras.’ Aren’t they the same thing?!?”

Of course, the “About” page of a blog always helps, but it’s nice to know you’re in the writer’s thoughts right here, right now.

So here’s the most basic tour: I’m interested in pretty much every detail of the entire silent era, so if there’s a topic you’re interested in, there’s a good chance I’ve got it covered–and if not, it’ll likely be written about in the future! Take a look at the My Articles page, or simply use the Search box. I gravitate toward silent comedy a bit more than drama, so searching for “comedians” or “silent comedy” should bring up a lot of results. (There’s oodles of Buster Keaton, by the way–especially since I host an annual Buster blogathon!)

Buster’s obviously psyched about being so well-represented.

I like to do theme months a couple times a year, and so far these have included: Forgotten comedians, Georges Melies, Mary Pickford, the Comique shorts (made by Roscoe Arbuckle and co-starring Buster Keaton) and my latest, Flapper Month. I also enjoy covering German Expressionism and other silent horror-type films every October, so there’s plenty of tags for those topics too.

If you’re brand new to silent films, you might appreciate these early articles:

• Getting Into Silent Films–Where To Begin?
• How To Watch a Silent Film (If You’ve Never Seen One)
• What’s Your Silent “Gateway” Film?
• My Handy Glossary page might, well, come in handy. It explains the movie-making terms you’ll be stumbling across as you read up on the era.

But let’s say you already like silents, and are specifically interested in Really Super Old silents. Consider checking out:

• From Magic Lanterns to Fred Ott’s Sneeze–Cinema Begins
• What Are The World’s Oldest Horror Movies?
• Thoughts On: The Four Troublesome Heads (1898)

Or maybe you want to know more about the early moviegoing scene. You’ll probably enjoy:

• 1920s Teens And Their Favorite “Pictures”
• The Addictive Fun Of Reading Old Fan Magazine Letters

Or perhaps you’re looking to learn more about silent era actors. I try to cover both the big personalities and the obscure ones. Here’s a few:

• Will The Real Mary Pickford Please Stand Up?
• Forever Debonair: The Enduring Legacy Of Comedy Pioneer Max Linder
• Sybil Seely, Buster’s Most Charming Leading Lady  (I’m proud to say that this one’s an example of my very own research!)
• A Mesmerizing Talent: The Life And Career Of Conrad Veidt

Gravitate toward the artsy side of the era? Take a look at:

• So Just What Exactly Was German Expressionism?
• Thoughts On: Ghosts Before Breakfast (1928)
• Timelessly Cool: The Art Of 1920s Soviet Film Posters

Planning a trip to Hollywood? Looking for some tips on finding silent-related sites, and how to get there? I’ve got you covered!

• My Very First Visit To Hollywoodland
• Silent-ology’s Handy Tips For Visiting (Silent) Hollywood (This includes my Handy Map)
• The Return to Hollywoodland

And as long as we’re on the topic of visiting silent Hollywood, if you’re as interested in research as I am, you’ve no doubt heard of the prestigious Margaret Herrick library. Plan on going there one day? Here are some tips on how to do research there:

A Newbie’s Visit To The Margaret Herrick Library

There’s a lot more, of course, but I hope this brief tour was helpful. And as always, feel free to leave comments (even on older articles). We have a very friendly crowd here, so don’t be shy!

Happy reading!

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