Silent films, usually made with low budgets and few resources, were an important evolutionary stage in the development of movies, since they forced film makers to tell engaging narrative stories with actors who could emote with body language and facial expressions. With buster keaton, marion mack, glen cavender, jim farley. The silent film is regarded as a pioneering sciencefiction movie, being among the first. Preceding the show, these informational slides below prepared by the festivals artistic director anita monga, ran on a loop as people took their seats. Homes of the stars silent movies on video silent movies on tv. Silent hill 2 has some of the series most iconic creatures and the meaning behind these creatures in as important as their look. The silent film, change, starts with an overhead extreme close up of an unseen strangers hand shaking spare change, walking down a city block. How a silent film scene is enriched by the inference of soundas when johnnie suppresses a sneeze, or when he recognizes. The film stars buster keaton who codirected it with clyde bruckman. Silent film essay example topics and well written essays. It is set during the american civil war 186165 and highlights the theme of personal redemption. The general keaton and clyde bruckman, 1926, which he considered his favourite, was keatons last independently produced film and in many ways presents the apotheosis of his style. Apr 06, 2020 the general, american silent comedy film, released in 1927, starring and directed by comedian buster keaton, and cited by many film historians as one of the greatest american movies. He could be confounded in his early shortssometimes modern conveniences got the best of.
The confederates surprise the union army, and a fight begins. Pyramid head is probably the most iconic creature from silent hill 2 and perhaps the series in general. Curiously, the incubus in silent hill more closely resembles artistic renderings of the demon baphomet than most portrayals of incubi. The general, perhaps the greatest film ever made, and 20. It has far more going for it than niche appeal, with its constant inventiveness and characterbased comedy. Buster keatons pioneering 1926 film, now rereleased, more or less. The general, american silent comedy film, released in 1927, starring and directed by comedian buster keaton, and cited by many film historians as one of the greatest american movies.
No silent moviemaker ever engaged with the machinery of modern life as resourcefully as buster keaton did. The pioneering genius of buster keatons 1926 silent film the general now on. Filming took place over 17 months in 192526 at a cost of more than five million reichsmarks. The 1929 parttalkie she goes to war had all its title cards cut out and was rereleased as a pure talkie in the late thirties or early forties. The copies previously uploaded here were either incomplete or too blurry. History and conventions metropolis 1927 background information. Sep 26, 2014 i had the honor of introducing buster keatons 1926 masterpiece the general at the san francisco silent film festivals inaugural a day of silents festival held in 2014. Film analysis of the silent film change 1207 words.
Indeed, for a firsttime viewer, i would emphasize the beauty over the comedy. Erich pommer produced it in the babelsberg studios for universum film a. Nosferatu is a silent, german expressionist film made in the early 1920s. The general tells the story of johnnie gray keaton, a tennessean railroad engineer who is pressured by his fiance, annabelle lee marion mack, to join the. The shot follows them walking down the street, following their point of view until they come to a complete stop at an can on the ground with a few coins and crumpled dollar bills in it and looks. Freytags pyramid refers to the way a film is structured narratively, creating a similar pattern among the beginning, middle, and end of. The film stars buster keaton who codirected it with clyde bruckman at the time of its initial release, the general. It is based on a novella by elinor glyn that was originally serialized in cosmopolitan magazine this film turned actress clara bow into a major star, and led people to label her the it girl. Though christian missionaries had converted a sizable amount of japans population to christianity, recent events like the shimabara rebellionwhich was led by japanese christianshave prompted the government to persecute christians and ban all catholic priests from. Buster keaton and eddie clines the high sign 1921 is not only among keatons most breathlessly inventive tworeelers it is also, along with his nearly nihilistic cops 1922, among his most subversive, positing the clown not merely as an outsider but as a selfabsorbed deviant and unthinking lawbreaker. Jun 26, 2012 the general is by far the most famous of the comedy features in which buster keaton starred, and in several cases directed or codirected, between 1923 and 1928. Document resume ed 098 639 cs 500 886 author petric.
The general belongs to at least three movie genres. The first time you watch it, pay full attention so you can understand the story and whats happening in the scenes. National catholic register arguably the greatest of buster keatons silent comedies, the general begins with a single, brilliantly sustained premise and works it into an engaging story that combines edgeofyourseat excitement, stunningly conceived stunts and sight gags, spectacular set pieces, touching sentiment, and a rousing finale. This is a project i assembled for an independent study course in silent film history. Put your phone on silent or vibrate and set it aside while youre watching the movie so you dont get distracted by it during the film. Jan 06, 2017 silence, the new film by martin scorsese, opens with almost as literal a vision of hell as one could imagine. Buster keatons masterpiece and one of the greatest silent movies of all time was filmed in the cottage grove area in the summer of 1926. Sep 15, 2019 pick a film that interests you to watch for your analysis. It is a 1927 silent romantic comedy film that tells the story of a shop girl who sets her sights on the handsome, wealthy boss of the department store where she works.
Critical analysis of the musical scores for metropolis 1927 and the artist 2011 kelsey obrien music 491 hope college 20 the artist 2011 silent film. The general, as roger ebert describes it, is an epic of silent comedy, one of the most expensive films of its time, including an accurate historical recreation of a civil war episode, hundreds of extras, dangerous stunt sequences, and an actual locomotive falling from a burning bridge into a gorge far below. The general is an epic of silent comedy, one of the most expensive films of its time, including an accurate historical recreation of a civil war episode, hundreds of extras, dangerous stunt sequences, and an actual locomotive falling from a burning bridge into a gorge far below. The picture was considered lost for many years, but a nitrate copy was found in prague in the 1960s. The general is a civil war tale, the fictionalized account of an attempted hijacking of a confederate train called the general by union spies in 1862. As a rule, it is not possible to love motherland and own family equally and at the same time. Play film clips without sound and have students observe actor. The general is a 1926 american silent comedy film released by united artists.
Mandy patinkin as inigo montoya in the princess bride 1987 title year writer producer historicalcontextual details. The unusually fine photography matthew brady comparisons are inevitable, the extensive action involving the trains, the ambitious subject based on history the theft and recovery of the locomotive, the general, and the serious element of the drama combined to give this film an epic sweep that is surely unique in silent comedy. Analyzing movement in silent film a silent film the general hook have the lights off when students enter the room. Kino initially released a dvd of the general in 1999, which looks like every other version ive seen in theaters or at homethe focus is soft, and the tinted film stock is faded, scratched. Dedicated fans of silent film are quite few in number these days but such is the reputation of the general that it still has a chance of reaching the wider audience it deserves, especially in special screenings with live soundtracks. Nov 12, 2019 in fact, the film gladiator shows such devotion on the example of the life of the general maximus and other warriors fighting together with him and having the same life position. Jul 05, 2015 while chaplins rerelease of the gold rush is likely the most famous recut of a silent film, it was not the only one. Keaton counted the general among his favorite films and it has since been hailed a masterpiece. The general 1927 is an imaginative masterpiece of deadpan stoneface buster keaton comedy, generally regarded as one of the greatest of all silent comedies and keatons own favorite and undoubtedly the best train film ever made. Other silent actors might mug to get a point across, but keaton remained observant and collected. Being a german silent film right before the advent of sound and world war 2, this film should have fallen from grace and allowed dracula to take its place. Apr 14, 2018 arguably, the finest film of the silent era, but quite certainly, the most beautiful pictorially, according to william k. The civil war adventureepic classic was made toward the end of the silent era.
General introduction to a movement lecture, 45 minutes. Nov 21, 2018 these newer accompaniments for the general vary in their approaches to scoring the film. Jan 27, 2012 the general 1926 scene for shot by shot analysis bernard welt. Brooks says on a title card, of course, since this is a silent movie.
First featurelength scifi film example of german expressionism director. The general 1926 scene for shot by shot analysis youtube. It was released to the general public on february 19, 1927. The story was adapted from the memoir the great locomotive chase by william pittenger. When union spies steal an engineers beloved locomotive, he pursues it singlehandedly and straight through enemy lines. The texas proceeds onto the bridge, the span collapses, and the engine crashes into the river. Silent film essay example topics and well written essays words, n. From one week 1920, his debut as a solo director after his apprenticeship with fatty arbuckle, to the cameraman 1928, his final masterpiece, keaton routinely sparred with the mechanized world. Metropolis is a 1927 german expressionist sciencefiction drama film directed by fritz lang. It lies in order to impregnate a woman with a demonic seed. Intro to silent film byu theatre education database. In 1862, after spies steal his locomotive, the general, he wages a oneman battle to recover it.
Five film clips that demonstrate movement analyzing movement in silent film worksheet lesson 2. Composer and performer mark orton has gone so far to recreate a historic civil war sound as to find, restore, and use portable, folding reed organs known as field organs as part of his orchestration, which also includes popular 19thcentury instruments like. The silent film is regarded as a pioneering sciencefiction movie, being among the first featurelength movies of that genre. Questions to consider when watching a film these questions are from appendix 1 of focus. It was inspired by the great locomotive chase, a true story of an event that occurred during the american civil war. Silence takes place in japan during the 1600s, at the height of the japanese governments persecution of christians. How silent filmmaker buster keaton revolutionized film. How buster keaton filmed the general chaplinkeatonlloyd. Buster keaton, who produced and directed the film, plays johnnie gray, the engineer of the general, whose.
Name instructor publisher date silent film silent films were the main types of films that were produced during the period between 1915 and 1940. Cinetextsportsphoto ltdallstar orson welles, who knew a thing or two about silent movies, famously anointed buster keatons crowning achievement. Of the three great american clowns of the silent era, charlie chaplin, buster keaton and harold lloyd, keaton has emerged, by and large. Cinematic analysis of the most significant sequences of the. The general buster keaton film analysis senses of cinema. Pyramid head is an executioner who is manifested by james. Nov 18, 2008 gorgeous is important, because the general is a peephole into history and by any definition an uncannily beautiful film. Arguably the greatest of buster keatons silent comedies, the general begins with a single, brilliantly sustained premise and works it into an engaging story that. The general says, that bridge is not burned enough to stop you, and my men will ford the river. The train scene from buster keatons the general is the. It is a long list and it is still far from comprehensive. Mar 10, 2016 but what is it about this film that makes it such an influence on horror and the vampire film in general, being an unauthorized adaptation that almost wasnt released. How buster keaton filmed the general chaplinkeaton.
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