One of the biggest differences between silent actors and "talkies" is over exaggerated body and facial expressions. Such as in The Great Train Robbery where the man takes an extended period of time to show that he had been shot and is dead. There were also many facial expressions that were extreme close-ups to show perhaps and eye movement of a wink, just to make sure the audience caught it.
As just another person watching a movie I would say that those expressions are not missed in today's movie. I mean have you ever watched a modern film where it took somebody too long to die, its like come on already, we get the picture. Today dialogue is used to inform the viewer of what is happening in the film. I notice that most of us are more impatient with scenes that take too long, we understand what is happening so a over done explanation is not necessary. Yet, as a student in The Development of Film, I do seem to miss the exaggerations. It feels almost as if the actor/actress is giving more to the scene, almost trying harder than today's actors and actresses.
As mentioned before I believe we are too impatient to be able to sit down and watch a full-length silent feature film in our free time. Yes certain elements are still incorporated in films today, such as big waves of the arms or exaggerated winks, and those certain expressions make the scene stand out, but overuse of the expressions would bore audiences today. I do not believe that there is a future in the movie industry for full-length silent films, Shorts maybe. But silent films will always play a major role in the history of film making and how it influenced films today.
I agree with the over acting. I also commented on that in my blog entry. In this day and age we are in to much of a rush to watch a thirty minute death scene, it just does not entertain us enough just to see the moving pictures - it has to be realistic. I like you entry it revolves around the same issues with silent films that we can live without.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the exaggerated acting style of silents almost makes the communication between audience and actor more intimate. The audience is less of a voyeur watching a "real" moment between "real" people, and more of an AUDIENCE, with a clear understanding that this is a performance. The effort to make acting less obvious has reduced the theatricality of the film.
ReplyDeleteI think over-exaggeration had its time and place, I for one am glad that modern cinema has moved on. Exaggeration only really fits in theater and over the top comedies. Now that we have technology that allows us to use film in more creative ways it is better to move on to greater things. We shouldn't forget those actors though because we still can learn from them, but I would rather watch the subtlties of Micheal Caine's acting compared to over-exaggerated acting.
ReplyDeleteI kinda liked it in class watching the over exaggeration in the silent films i found it kinda funny. i do agree that the expressions and emotions in silent films creates a communication between the audience and the artist. i enjoyed reading your blog and look forward to your next one.
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