National Silent Movie Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

National Silent Film Day occurs annually on September 29. National Silent Film Day is a time to commemorate and appreciate silent films. But what exactly is a silent film? A silent film is a motion picture without synchronized, recorded dialogue. Observing a film that combines moving images with recorded sound seems apparent, but early films lacked sound. It was primarily due to the technical difficulties involved. Combining moving images with recorded sound is nearly as old as moving images themselves.

The background of National Silent Movie Day

Circa 1860, silent film technology was developed. Until 1880 and 1900, when films on a single reel became broadly available, silent film technology remained a novelty. Prior to the invention of sound, these years are known as the silent era or “Age of the Silver Screen” by film experts and historians. Before the 1920s, the majority of films were silent. In contrast, the messages of silent films served as a universal language.

Almost always, live music accompanied silent film screenings. At the Lumière Brothers’ first public showing of films on December 28, 1895, they began with the pianist (Cook, 1990). The music contributed to the atmosphere and provided the audience with crucial emotional signals from the outset. Small town and suburban movie theaters typically employ pianists, whereas large city theaters typically employ organists or entire orchestras.

Silent films emphasize body language and facial expression so that viewers can better comprehend what an actor or actress is experiencing and portraying. Modern audiences will likely find the gestures used in silent film acting unsophisticated or campy. In part because overacting is more natural in comedy, silent comedies are more popular than dramas in the current era. Actors brought the practice of overacting from the stage to silent films, and directors who understood the intimacy of the new medium opposed it.

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NATIONAL SILENT MOVIE DAY ACTIVITIES

View a silent film at home.

Home viewing of a silent film is the ideal method to commemorate this day. You can invite friends to view the movie with you.

Go to the movies

You can conduct an Internet search to determine if a silent film is playing in a nearby theater. Seeing a silent film at the cinema is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Read a book

Another option for celebrating this day is to read a book about your beloved silent film actor or actress. Numerous biographies are accessible for reading.

5 FACTS ABOUT SILENT FILMS

The majority of silent film productions lacked stunt understudies.

In the 1920s, Hollywood annually produced over 800 feature films.

The earliest film segments were created using nitrate film, and some of the classics have been irretrievably lost due to decomposition.

In 1927, “The Jazz Singer” was the first commercially successful sound film or ‘talkie.’

Charlie Chaplin is the most well-known silent film actor ever.

NATIONAL SILENT MOVIE DAY DATES