HAPPY ’20s, FOLKS!!
It’s been a week and we’re still partying!
To kick off this glorious and familiar-sounding new decade, I thought we’d shake things up a bit and do Silent-ology’s very first AMA: Ask Me Anything!
How it works is pretty simple: you guys ask me whatever silent cinema-related question that pop into your heads, or whatever you like really, and I’ll post my responses in a few days. It’ll be a kind of “come and know me better, man” post.
Pictured: Jobyna participating in her own AMA.
Want to know my (brief) thoughts on films I haven’t written about yet? Looking for obscure factoids about silent cinema and wondering if I can help? Wondering what some of my favorite talkies are? Want to know my favorite color or how I’d rank all the Star Wars movies? 😉
Yes, you can even drop the oh-so-cliched “Keaton or Chaplin?” on me. Ask away!
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Silent-ology 
Okay, here’s a bit of a doozie, but I’m curious. What are your top 3 films by decade, going back to the beginning of cinema? (Yes, I’m including the 1880s.) 🙂
That IS a doozy. 😀 One preliminary question, though– are these my personal favorites, or films I think are the best examples of filmmaking?
I personally would be interested in your personal favorites!
You’ve likely touched on this before and my memory is just that bad, but how do you feel about silent film color-tinted, hand-painted, color film? I love tinted films myself. Tinting was such a simple way to evoke a setting or mood. Films like The Adventures of Prince Achmed are really enhanced by it.
Second question (ooh, I’m getting greedy!)-what is your opinion on the work of Charles-Émile Reynaud? What little remains is charming, and very ambitious for the era.
Second questions are welcome! 😉
Ah, I definitely have thoughts on this one! Thanks.
Hello. I’ve been checking out the work of Douglas Fairbanks recently, or what I can find of it (his back catalogue seems to be in very poor order, and largely unavailable, unless I am looking in the wrong places). Is there one film of his, in your opinion, that I should definitely see, and why?
What books should I read to learn more about silent film?
Great question, thanks!
Some years ago, I had seen an article where David Shepard was talking about the ‘difficulties’ with restoring the Chaplin 1st National films (‘A Dogs Life’, ‘Shoulder Arms’, etc.) I had not seen him expound on that, other than that i got the idea that these films all had to be reconstructed using alternate takes for some reason. That may be a misunderstanding on my part. Is there any good resource on how the Chaplin 1st National films were restored, and why they were problematic? Thank you!
Thanks, Dana!
Hey Lea! Happy New Year!
I have a couple questions for ya- (and now I’m curious as to how you’d rank the Star Wars movies…been watching those again myself lately) 😁
First query: Do you know if there were any silent adaptations of Jane Austen’s stories? I have never run across any mention of such things…
And second: Was there some connection back in the day between Christmas and fairy tale plays and/or films? I think I’ve heard that Peter Pan was shown at Xmas time (yes?) and then in that 1916 version of Snow White, there’s the whole Santa Claus scene…?
Anyhow, thanks!
Ah, I like these questions! Thanks Debbe!
It seems to me that the black and white facial portraits of the silent stars are not what are done now. These people just glow and are beautiful. Was it a different makeup or the cameras or…?3
Thanks Susan!
The “dandy horse” bicycle prop that Buster Keaton used in “Our Hospitality” was donated to the Smithsonian, what became of the train that Buster had built for the same film and was also used in Al St. John’s “Iron Mule?
This is a great question–I’ve seen it in a lot of Buster fan discussions! Will look into it. 🙂
How do I go about producing a silent film screening? The place I live now has only one film event in the calendar year and it’s geared to contemporary cinema.
Thanks for submitting, Douglas!
I’m going to cheat and put two in. 🙂 1. Do you know if Jobyna’s early talkie College Coquette is extant—and accessible? 2. Who is your favorite Keystone actor (not counting Louise Fazenda, since she is a specialty of yours)?
CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT MOVIE FEATURES THE KEYSTONE COPS CHASING BEHIND POLICE WAGON AND GETTING WRAPPED ROUND TREE>>IVE SEARCHED EVERYWHERE BUT CANNOT FIND THIS CLIP IM SURE IT WAS INCLUDED IN A SILENT MOVIE COMPILATION THAT WAS SHOWEN ON TV MANY YEARS AGO..CAN ANYONE OUT THERE PLEASE HELP