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April 21, 2009
Lillian Gish: Dying for Her Audience
Lillian Gish
The great twin tragedies of the fate of silent films in the modern era is indifference and ignorance. And for those who have seen clips from silent films, they invariably view muddy, degraded prints projected at the wrong speed, hence the jerky motions that give the impression that all silent films are bad slapstick.
Of course, we all owe a great debt to Robert Osborne and TCM for programming so many fine silent films. At last, film lovers have the opportunity to screen a varied selection of silent films and appreciate the great craft that was abruptly short-circuited with the advent of talkies. The best silent films were a universal language in which image, motion and emotion were paramount.
Silent movies were shot and duplicated on fragile nitrate stock. In the few original prints I’ve been fortunate enough to screen the images are just stunning. The screen glows with a liquid, silvery radiance that’s impossible to duplicate on modern film or tape. The finest silent film players were geniuses who conveyed a world of emotion through the most subtle means.
To read my entire story, please head on over to Big Hollywood.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at April 21, 2009 09:06 AM
Comments
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Dear Robert: I believe 95% of all silent footage is lost, isn't that so? When you call nitrate "fragile," you should make yourself a little clearer. It is DANGEROUSLY, DANGEROUSLY inflammable. (That's right, folks. Inflammable: capable of becoming inflamed.) Nitrate film either burns up (it has been known to spontaneously combust) or it dissolves into mush.
Posted by: Miranda Rose Smith at April 21, 2009 11:16 PM