New Silents
Marvin1024
>I am wondering if anyone would be interested in new silent films. I mean
>silent films made in the old style and using old and new techniques.
Does
>anyone think that there is an audience for such a thing in this day and
>>age? I'd like to hear any comments.
Mel Brooks might have something to say on the subject.
Joe
In article <19970327064...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
crozz...@aol.com (CRozzi1456) wrote:
> I am wondering if anyone would be interested in new silent films. I mean
> silent films made in the old style and using old and new techniques. Does
> anyone think that there is an audience for such a thing in this day and
> age? I'd like to hear any comments.
I think the novelty would intrigue silent fans and art film audiences.
--
"When I die I want to pass on peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather did, not screaming and yelling like the passengers riding in his car."
Vincent
crozz...@aol.com (CRozzi1456) wrote:
>I am wondering if anyone would be interested in new silent films. I mean
>silent films made in the old style and using old and new techniques. Does
>anyone think that there is an audience for such a thing in this day and
>age? I'd like to hear any comments.
Films were silent not because they wanted to be, but totally out of
necessity. The movies had not yet found a successful way of
synchronizing sound with pictures. When they finally achieved the
results they wanted, Hollywood went sound -- and remember how fast
they did it.
The making of a silent film today would be nothing more than just
another link in the apparently never-ending chain of post-modernistic
works that the latter part of this century will be known for.
I believe that Peter Sellars directed a silent film a few years ago
called THE CABINET OF DR. RAMIREZ. It was very artistic, and somewhat
dull. The film was definitely silent and with a nice musical score,
but the silent techniques were missing.
It would be interesting to make a silent film nowadays using old
cameras, similar silver-nitrate stock, make-up techniques, and similar
visual effects of the 1910's and 1920's. This way, you will
approximate the look and feel of the period, otherwise, it just will
not work.
Cheers,
Vincent
vr...@ix.netcom.com
http://users.aol.com/VRV1/index.html
Revo9
I did not see this, but I recall a story in an independent film magazine
about a silent, B&W film about modern homeless people in america that was
apparently winning awards right and left. This film was popular enough
that the title cards were translated into other languages and played
overseas. If I can find the article Ill post more info.
dnem...@sprynet.com
> crozz...@aol.com (CRozzi1456) writes:
> I am wondering if anyone would be interested in new silent films. I mean
> silent films made in the old style and using old and new techniques. Does
> anyone think that there is an audience for such a thing in this day and
> age? I'd like to hear any comments.
>
>>>>
used in a scene. However, the footage was in color and, of cource, it had sound. But it created a nice effect. This it is the only old
silent era technique used in a major film in recent times as far as I know. I'm sure an independent film maker has tried it out once or
twice.
Darren
Diana1138
I always thought that the TV program "Mr. Bean" was sort of an homage to
silents. It worked very well, due to Rowan Atkinsons ability to convey
what he wanted through his facial movements and body language. (And
there's a film this summer.)
Just a thought.
-diana
Robert Birchard
crozz...@aol.com (CRozzi1456) writes:
> > I am wondering if anyone would be interested in new silent films. I mean
> > silent films made in the old style and using old and new techniques. Does
> > anyone think that there is an audience for such a thing in this day and
> > age? I'd like to hear any comments.
> >
This is an interesting question, and although I personally think we
will never see a renewal of silent film production, organist Dennis
James believes that just such a thing may come to pass. His reasoning
is that the silent film with orchestra experience has and will continue
to create an audience for such programs and that major orchestras will
commission new silent films to made specifically for such performances.
--
Bob Birchard
bbir...@earthlink.net
http://www.mdle.com/ClassicFilms/Guest/birchard.htm
Mile Films
Actually we distribute three such films by the famed artist Eleanor Antin:
"From the Archives of Modern Art," "The Last Night of Rasputin," and three
"The Man Without a World." They all star the legendary (and imaginary)
ballerina and actress Eleanora Antinova and the last two were directed by
the equally Harvy-esque Yevgeny Antinov. They funny, wonderful and
terrific -- and not a commercial bonanza. There's actually a whole genre
of new films made to look like authentic silent and early sound films,
several of which were directed by the Candian filmmaker Guy Maddin.
Dennis Doros
Milestone Film & Video
275 West 96th Street, Suite 28C
New York, NY 10025
phone: (212) 865-7449
fax: (212) 222-8952
email: Mile...@aol.com
Erik Stogo
New Silents exist and are thought to some to be the cutting edge of
filmmaking. They are called "music videos."
fw...@wavenet.com
On 3/27/97 12:37AM, in message <19970327083...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
Marvin1024 <marvi...@aol.com> wrote:
> >I am wondering if anyone would be interested in new silent films. I mean
> >silent films made in the old style and using old and new techniques.
> Does
> >anyone think that there is an audience for such a thing in this day and
> >>age? I'd like to hear any comments.
>
> Mel Brooks might have something to say on the subject.
>
He'd probably say that it was a mistake to make such a lousy ill-conceived and
obvious piece of trash. I do like many of his other films though...
--
-=Fred=-
Constance Kuriyama
CRozzi1456 (crozz...@aol.com) writes:
> I am wondering if anyone would be interested in new silent films. I mean
> silent films made in the old style and using old and new techniques. Does
> anyone think that there is an audience for such a thing in this day and
> age? I'd like to hear any comments.
Some major films have been made which, to one degree or another, employ
silent film technique. The one that comes closest to what you are
thinking of is Truffaut's _The Wild Child_. It is of course a sound film,
but makes sparing use of sound and dialogue, and tries very deliberately
to capture the look of older films and techniques. Of course this
has some connection to the subject, since the wild child, Victor, cannot
speak. Interestingly enough, Chaplin once considered the possibility of
making a film about deaf-mutes as a way of avoiding capitulating to sound.
Shindo's _The Island_ is another instance.
What intrigue me are sound films which continue to make extensive use of
speechless action. A number of Ozu's do this (After all, he started as
a director of silent films.), and a notable recent instance is _The
Piano_, in which Holly Hunter gives a creditable silent performance.
Unfortunately, many of the comments on _The Piano_ I've seen on the internet
suggest that if silent films do begin to resurface, a number of film buffs
will have to learn how to watch them.
Connie K.
Erik Gregersen
In article <333C6B...@worldnet.att.net>,
Erik Stogo <E...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>New Silents exist and are thought to some to be the cutting edge of
>filmmaking. They are called "music videos."
In that case, I nominate Orbital's The Saint and that Stalkeresque Future
Sound of London video for best silent of 1997.
Lumiere and Company hasn't been mentioned yet. Some 40 filmmakers were
given a Lumiere camera and had to come up with a finished product in
three takes or less. It's kind of interesting to watch "Lumiere films"
made two years ago. The best were those of Patrice Leconte (Le Ciotat
1995), Michael Haneke (snippets from the evening news), Zhang Yimou
(Peking Opera and rock on the Great Wall), John Boorman (the set of
Michael Collins), Idrissa Ouedraogo (a riverside prank) and Alain Corneau
(hand colored Indian dancer).
Erik Gregersen
er...@astro.as.utexas.edu
http://bubba.as.utexas.edu/erik
who actually did see a video with intertitles the other day
Last good movie I've seen: Lumiere and Company