The Re-emergence of the Silent Film in Contemporary Cinema and Culture

Year 2015, Issue: 41, 107 - 113, 01.04.2015

Arnold Anthony Schmidt

Abstract

This essay looks at the ways in which silent film conventions have been re-employed in modern movies. It is particularly concerned with the ways in which directors manipulate the audience’s preconceived ideas as to what to expect from silent films. This point is exemplified through a casestudy of Martin Scorsese’s film Hugo 2011

Keywords

Silent film, Oscars, Martin Scorsese, Méliès, Hugo

References

• The Arrival of the Train (aka L’Arrivée d’un train à la Ciotat). Dir. Auguste Lumière, Louis Lumière. Lumière, 1897. Film.
• The Artist. Dir. Michel Hazanavicius. Perf. Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bijo, John Goodman. Studio 37/ La Petite Reine, 2011. Film.
• “BBC One orders silent comedy series from Matt Lucas.” British Comedy Guide, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Sep. 2014.
• Exiting the Factory (aka La Sortie de l’Usine Lumière à Lyon). Dir. Louis Lumière. Lumière, 1895. Film.
• Faust. Dir. F. W. Murnau. Perf. Gösta Ekman, Emil Jannings, Camilla Horn. UFA, 1926. Film.
• Hugo. Dir. Martin Scorsese. Perf. Asa Butterfield, Christopher Lee, Sacha Baron Cohen. Paramount Pictures/ GK Films, 2011. Film.
• The Magic Flute. Prod. Barrie Kosky. Perf. Lawrence Brownlee, Rodion Pogossov. Los Angeles Opera, 2014. Opera.
• Metropolis. Dir. Fritz Lang. Perf. Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Frölich. UFA, 1927. Film.
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• Pompidou. Dir. Charlie Hanson, Matt Lucas. Perf. Lucas, Andy Heath, Yvonne Stone. John Stanley Productions/ BBC, 2015. TV Series.
• The Railway Station. Painter William Powell Frith. 1862. Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, Egham, Surrey. Painting.
• Safety Last!. Dir. Fred Neymeyer (Fred C. Newmayer). Perf. Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis. Hal Roach Studios, 1923. Film.
• Scorsese, Martin. LucasFilm Speaker Series, 17 Jan. 2012. Web. 28 Sep. 2013.
• Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. London: Scholastic Press, 2007. Print.
• A Trip to the Moon (aka La Voyage dans la Lune). Dir. Georges Méliès. Perf. Méliès, François Lallement, Jules-Eugène Legris. Star-Film, 1902. Film.
• “24 Frames” “`The Artist’: This is Your Brain on Silent Films.” LA Times, 6 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 Sep. 2013.
• Voyage across the Impossible. Dir. Georges Méliès. Perf. Méliès. Star-Film, 1904. Film.