American Silent Film: Novelty to Art

Considered mere novelty when introduced in 1896, silent film evolved into true art by the late 1920s. More visceral and emotional than theatre, silent movies captured and transcended the cultural zeitgeist of the times with its larger-than-life stars like Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin and its impact on popular culture. In this class, we watch and discuss silent film from its beginning as primitive curiosity to its artistic apex by examining such filmmakers and stars as Mary Pickford in The New York Hat (1912) and Charlie Chaplin in The Tramp (1915). We also screen four full-length films: The Mark of Zorro (1920) with Douglas Fairbanks, Sherlock Jr. (1924) with Buster Keaton, It (1927) with Clara Bow, and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans with Janet Gaynor.