Silent Films With Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd – Souvenirs, Pennants and Memorabilia by My Forever Treasures

Silent films had no synchronized sound, especially no spoken dialogue. In silent film, the dialogue was transmitted through broad gestures, mime and title cards. Combining motion pictures with sound was not possible in this period due to technical challenges. Perfection of the Vitaphone system made “talkies” a reality in the late 1920’s. In just a few years, silent films would stop production. With the invention of Thomas Edison’s Kinetograph, a photo device to capture sequential images and his Kinescope to view them, silent films began. The period 1909-1929 marks it’s place in entertainment history. As these films increased in length, on screen inter-titles were used, to help the audience understand the action and dialogue. Silent film theaters usually had a piano player which added to the atmosphere. Large cities might have an orchestra. Silent films provided the biggest source of employment for musicians. The “talkies” would put musicians on the unemployment lines. In silent films body language and expression was exaggerated. Towards the end of that period, Mary Pickford, Janet Gaynor and Marlene Dietrich chose a more subtle natural approach to acting. As a result, they all made the transition to talkies and became movie stars. Charlie Chaplin was the biggest silent film […]