ARTS BEAT by Robert Pilgrim
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the second annual Ottawa International Silent Film Festival.
The event, presented by the Canadian Film Institute(CFI), showcased pre-talkie era films from South Africa, Canada, the U.S. and Italy.
As I sat in the auditorium at the National Library and Archives watching the flickering figures glow dramatically on the screen while a live pianist played along to the action,I began to realize what a distinct experience silent film is.
Now, I don’t think that all the films of today are crappy, but the largely-forgotten silent genre with its sweeping tales, lively piano arrangements and glamorous performers is definitely worthy of our attention.
Tom McSorley, president of the CFI, says his organization has been hard at work restoring forgotten films from the pre-sound days.
“It’s really important to keep the experience of silent film alive and authentic,” McSorley says.
“In a digital age, that magic of the cinema seems almost gone and experiencing these [silent] films somehow rekindles that magic.”
Silent film preservation is not a new field. It’s mostly been carried out by a small group of cinephiles in the confines of archives and production spaces hidden away from the public’s eye.
A major concern that has plagued silent film supporters is that many great silents have already been lost forever.
According to the American Film Institute, most silent pictures were printed on a cellulose nitrate film, a volatile material that is flammable, shrinkable and, if exposed to air for too long, will chemically decompose.
For film preservationists like those at the CFI, these dangers are naturally major concerns.
The preservation of silents is also extremely costly and time consuming. According to American Movie Classics, a U.S. movie-based network, restoring a silent film can cost between $10,000 and $30,000 US.
McSorley says the best way to ensure that this work continues to get done is to show silent films to the public.
But getting the public’s attention is not always easy. After all, why would people bother with something as antiquated as pre-sound film when there are surround sound blockbusters and sexed up music videos?
Well, I think they would bother, if they knew what these restorations were providing them: a truly international mode of expression, one that knows no language barrier.
Silent films are exquisite time capsules providing starry glimpses of early 20th century culture, attitudes and fashions.
Also, they can actually be really fun to watch! The over-the-top drama. The slapstick comedy. The hokey First World War patriotism. What’s not to like?
But as McSorley and others have said, preserving silent film must become a cultural priority or it simply won’t get done.
It may be pricey, and of interest to a select group, but that’s not really the point.
The visions of early filmmakers deserve to live on in some form or another.
As silent movie queen Gloria Swanson famously sniped, “We didn’t need dialogue, we had faces.”
Those faces should not fade away through time and indifference.