Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Life; sweet and simple

I suppose my love for silent film started back when I worked at the library and had access to a whole world contained in binders. My favorite book was a Charlie Chaplin biography, pictures and all. Oh, how I loved that book. Wish I could still get my hands on it. From there I checked out movie anthologies, describing every starlet and handsome actor of the early 20th century. And then, of course, I found movies to go along with my reading: Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd. The flickering, fish-eye encapsulation of a long-ago world with scratches and title cards and robust organ music all transported me into a beautiful time.

There has been some speculation throughout the years over who invented the first motion picture camera: the Lumiere Brothers or Thomas Edison with his Kinetoscope? The debate swings back and forth, and frankly it doesn't matter. I'd say the Lumiere's took advantage of their finding with lively little snippets of relatives and townspeople—just the kind of stuff an audience, then and now, love to see. 

What better for a camera to do than to capture life at its most simple and delightful essence?

Here's what I mean:


5 comments:

  1. I am also a fan of old silent films. Many years ago (1960), my family used to sit down nd watch a program called Silents Please. We would look closely at the background, ulooking for my dad who, as a youth, was in many films. He was mostly an extra but at times his name was included in the credits.

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  2. Replies
    1. p.s. William Friese-Greene should also be in the list of 'who invented the motion picture'.

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  3. I used to be a fan of Buster Keaton and the Keystone Cops. And, of course, Chaplin was magic. Thanks for sharing this, Amy.

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  4. You're welcome, Inger. Thanks for stopping by!

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