It’s Silent-ology’s 9th Anniversary!

Well look at that. It sure doesn’t feel like it’s been nine whole years, and I could’ve sworn I wrote the 8th anniversary post just a couple months ago. And yet here we are, another year has passed and another Silent-ology anniversary has arrived!

It’s nice of Buck Jones to provide the cake for our celebration–thanks, Buck!

As always, I want to extend a sincere THANK YOU to all my readers. Maybe you pop in pretty often, or maybe you just browsed the site once or twice and aren’t even aware of what I’m typing right now. Whatever the case, I am always thankful. This labor of love continues because of you!

Let’s take a look back, eh? 2022 was definitely a more normal year than 2021 or, Lord forbid, 2020. I allowed myself to write fewer posts per month than I had before, because I’ve been going pretty strong for a long time and I knew there was a good library of content. (Back in 2014-15 I was trying to write 2-3 detailed essay-style posts a week! Ha, obsessed much?) I also have my Classic Movie Hub column now and other extra projects–huzzah!–so writing time needed to be divvied up accordingly. Happily, my stream of visitors has stayed pretty steady, and I was excited to get a good amount of comments too.

Me, reading your comments.

By the way, Silent-ology now has a proud count of 564 posts! Not bad, my friends.

And as the clouds parted and sunbeams burst forth, I made it back to a film festival, the Kansas Silent Film Festival in Topeka. This, interestingly enough, was the last festival I attended before all the 2020 restrictions set in, so my return was very fitting. Couldn’t get to the mighty San Francisco Silent Film Festival for their 25th anniversary, sadly, but I’m planning on getting there this summer! (And I really miss my little trips to Hollywood…)

Other special events included hosting the 8th Annual Buster Keaton Blogathon…

• 

• 

• 

• 

…As well as the second National Silent Movie Day Blogathon! An annual tradition, mayhaps?

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I had one theme month in 2022, and it was an ambitious one:

A month-long examination–and celebration!–of 1880s-1890s cinema, the era that started it all. I’ve been wanting to do this one for awhile. It took a lot of research but I was pleased with the results. I’m also happy to say that the series nabbed me a CMBA Award!

I also took part in this very special event: a tribute to the wonderful fellow film blogger Caftan Woman, who passed away earlier this year.

My contribution was: A Salute To Silent Film Actors With Crazy Long Filmographies. Patricia, you are missed!

And now let’s get to Silent-ology’s yearly tradition:

The Top Five Most-Read Posts Published in 2022:

5. Reviewing All of Buster’s MGM Features
Few things spark more discussion among Buster fans than “the MGMs,” so it was fun to add my two cents. Let’s say I agree with some of the prevailing opinions, but only some.

4. The Eighth Annual Buster Keaton Blogathon
Everyone seems to enjoy tuning in to this yearly event–take note that number nine is coming up in March, fellow film bloggers!

3. The Unsettling Charm of Le Cochon Danseur (The Dancing Pig, 1907)
Not too surprisingly, my post on this viral little silent film went (modestly) viral on my site. I learned a thing or two about the short while researching it, myself.

2. The Mysterious Disappearance of Louis Le Prince
No one can resist a mystery story, it seems–and this one is a puzzler even today. It was an important story to cover for REALLY Old Films Month and I tried to handle it with respect.

1.Fun Facts And Murky Legends About “The Arrival Of The Train At La Ciotat Station” (1896)
This #1 post was a bit of a surprise–then again, everyone’s at least heard of the Film, the Myth, and the Legend that is La Ciotat, yes? This article ended up being pretty detailed, so I was proud to see people appreciated it.

The Top 5 2022 Posts That Could Use More Love. These are posts that flew a little under the radar when they were first published–they might appeal to a new reader or two:

5. Celebrating The Fourth With The Spirit Of ’76 (1905)
Any post that goes up on a major holiday isn’t going to get a ton of views, so this one wasn’t a surprise!

4. Frostbite And Ice: Nell Shipman’s Hair-Raising Adventures In The Great White North
Does this one count? Coming at the tail end of 2022, the views did get split between 2022 and 2023. Shipman’s story is fascinating, though, and goes well with this icy time of year.

3. “The Diving Sarah” Bernhardt–Sculptress
This is only related to film tangentially–I mean, Bernhardt was in motion pictures–but honestly, her sculptures are so exquisite that I couldn’t resist sharing.

2. The Miraculous Nature of The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight (1897)
REALLY Old Films Month did very well, but this article was probably the least viewed of the bunch. It makes sense–an old boxing film? How much can we glean from that? A lot, actually–trust me.

1..Thoughts On: The White Sister (1923)
If you’re looking beyond Broken Blossoms or Way Down East for more Lillian Gish, consider The White Sister. This post came and went fairly quietly–maybe take a look?

My Top 5 Posts From 2022 That I’m Particularly Proud Of:

5. “To Capture Life Itself”–The Very Early Days Of Cinema
I put a lot of care into this post, particularly in trying to imagine just what it was like to grow up without cinema (a 21st century problem, admittedly). I still feel like it could be improved and polished even more, but it’s a decent start to this fundamental film history topic.

4. The Jaw-Dropping Showcase Of Cinema At The 1900 Paris Exposition
This was such a fascinating, ambitious exhibition of film at such an early date–and very few people have heard of it. It was a pleasure to share it with everyone.

3. 100 Years Ago, Flapper Culture Officially Became A Phenomenon
For all the familiarity with flappers, discussions still tend to be vague and cliché-ridden. You rarely hear precisely when they became trendy, and why, and how–and yes, we can pinpoint awareness to a specific year! I was pleased to put this research out there.

2. Fun Facts And Murky Legends About “The Arrival Of The Train At La Ciotat Station” (1896)
The amount of info about this film, and about its earliest public showings, was surprisingly vast and detailed. Organizing all that info and making it accessible was a challenge, but the results seem to have paid off.

1..Rudolph Valentino, Elvis Presley, And The Gilded Box Of Fame
It’s not every day that I compare a silent film star with someone more recent (well, recent in my mind). But there was something both disquieting and profoundly moving to me about their stories of fame and fortune, and how human their struggles actually were if you peel away the glitz and analyze them more deeply. There’s something universal there.

So! What is Silent-ology’s Most-Read Post In 2022? To my surprise, it’s this post from 2020–it really hit the spot for a lot of readers this year:

A Brief History Of Hollywood Before It Was Hollywood

And as per tradition, Silent-ology’s All Time Greatest Hit Post, the most-viewed post of the past 9 years, is:

How To Throw An AUTHENTIC Roaring Twenties Party

This champ might never be knocked off its throne, and I couldn’t be happier! Seriously, if you hosted a Roaring Twenties party and used my article for some ideas, let me know! Pics are welcome.

Alrighty! Let’s wrap it up. Gangster Month is incoming!

—