The last few years have been great for silent film. Despite being obsolete since the addition of sound to motion pictures in the mid-twenties, this period of cinema history continues to fascinate. It was the birth of an exciting new art form, its technology in a constant state of exciting and innovative evolution. The phenomenal success of The Artist saw a brief resurgence in silent cinema, followed last year by Blancanieves, the charming black and white, silent film heavily inspired by one of the era’s true auteurs, F.W. Murnau. Some of the biggest names from the silent era have been the subject of feature films in recent years. Richard Attenborough’s excellent Chaplin, the biopic of arguably the most famous name from the era, featured a remarkable Robert Downey Jr. performance in the nineties. More recently, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo heavily featured the life and work of silent film pioneer Georges Méliès. Both films offered a glimpse at the men behind the incredible body of work created during the era.
via A Beginner’s Guide to Silent Films – Nottingham Culture – LeftLion.co.uk.