Silent Films

Since we touched upon silent films a bit in class yesterday, I figured I would talk about the first silent film I've ever seen. I first started watching classic films as a child. My father is a huge film buff and whenever he had time off from work, I would always find him watching some black and white film that was either on the Turner Classic Movie channel or a selection from our extensive DVD collection (or VHS back when I was younger). I always used to join my father in an attempt to just plainly spend more time with him, but the more and more I watched, the greater appreciation I cultivated for the films themselves. However, I always used to bow out whenever a silent film was on -- I simply couldn't understand why anyone would want to watch a movie without any sound or dialogue. This was my thought process until one time I walked into the room to see who i now know as Charlie Chaplin shuffling around on screen with his bowler hat and cane, as he tried to talk a man from committing suicide. His pantomiming along with the music and title cards were perfectly timed so what what could have been a very tragic scene in another film, was simply comedic in this one. I was instantly entranced, and ever since then have grown to enjoy silent films. I can thank Charlie Chaplin's City Lights for that.

- Melanie Saitta