Think Silent Films Are Boring? Watch Them Like This.

[@austinmcconnell]

If you want to support the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, check out their site (and kickstarter) at peacherineragtime.com/

[@mente3810]

austinmcconnell I love your vids!

[@noravanguard]

My favorite silent movie is wings staring clara bow I watch it when I was 13 or 14 and even with my sub-zero heart back then, the final plane fight was so tragic for me. Ps the Artist is a pretty good look one to

[@megha5176]

💟💟

[@thema1998]

You actually got me to laugh to something from a silent film. Younger me would have never done that. Maybe I should experience what you and what your wife did for myself someday.

[@parkerkrakowiak2990]

Nobody says totes mcgotes. Nobody. Not even you

[@nicholashogg3398]

I'm the trombone player in this video. Glad you enjoyed the unique experience, Austin! OH and great video!!

[@brianbethea3069]

I can imagine the trombone probably gets a lot of key parts in comedies, haha. I got to help organize and perform something like this but with a score written by student composers for a silent horror film when I was getting my masters, and it was a ton of fun. How often do (or did, if you're no longer with the ensemble since it's been over a year) you put on these performances?

[@freeyourdreama7822]

can you produce tracks for videos? I MEAN HOW CAN SOMEONE CONTACT U FOR SUCH JAAJJAJA

[@nicholashogg3398]

Brian Bethea Woah, that’s really neat! If you visit the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestras website, it lists their past performance schedule. I know things are crazy right now with the Pandemic, but I know they put on a lot of shows throughout, touring various locations. I was lucky enough to be on the Midwest tour when Austin was there!

[@ZIM_INC]

Cool

[@carpty6252]

Im the drummer in this video. Glad you enjoyed the unique experience, Austin! OH and great video!!

[@JetADR]

Have you ever watched Tom & Jerry Cartoons? It's basically a silent cartoon because there is little to no Dialogue but we will never call it a 'silent film'. Cartoons even with dialogue is heavily dependant on the sound track and sound effects to present the performance to the audience.

[@poego6045]

Honestly why most cartoons are just verbal joke delivery systems now a days a la Family Guy and south park, cuz most cartoonists are too lazy/cheap to score the individual notes and beats of what's going on onscreen.

[@zekai83]

I love Tom & Jerry

[@vguyver2]

@@poego6045 Hence the contrast when you see something like the *Rabbit of Seville* it's all visual and musical. Looney Toons and Walt Disney had all sorts of segments like that within their shorts. But here's the key word, those were shorts, and a lot of that class of humor, wit, and presentation didn't carry over to television cartoons because lowbrow cheap humor done by the Flintstones changed the industry. By the way, the composer for Family Guy is fantastic and can certainly do what you desire, but the media format of cartoons normally don't allow for it. Batman the animated series is an anomaly when it comes to the music presentation.

[@AlastorTheNPDemon]

I suppose when most people think "silent film", thoughts go directly to the satire of it - the breaks in footage with the subtitles.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

You mean the one with humans before cat and mouse exists?

[@davidle3567]

Thanks for sharing! I'm the flutist/piccoloist with the group in the video. Glad you enjoyed the show!

[@rdrift1879]

Has anyone thought about putting these films on video with your proper musical and sound accompaniment?

[@notonline184]

can you blow flutes good?

[@eduardovega6487]

7:06

[@ultralinguistics3083]

@@notonline184 _( lenny face )_

[@Ericadbury]

Do you tour in Europe? Would love to see you guys in Ireland!

[@MCO18]

If you have a proper sound system and a large screen, silent films can be easily enjoyed at home if they are accompanied by an appropriate soundtrack. I recently watched the restored HD version of Metropolis and watching it with surround sound was an awesome experience. I felt like a 1920s moviegoer.

[@juliagross3136]

Metropolis is my favorite film at the moment! The score on that version is fantastic, I’d love to watch it with surround sound someday!

[@gamblemgamble]

Did the version you watched feature Pat Benatar? That version is the best.

[@vaclav_fejt]

I've watched The General on a 15" laptop with earphones and I loved it. Seeing it live, now that must be a blast.

[@zackgeldhof1206]

I watched Metropolis right after Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. I absolutely adore silent films. Haxan and Faust are amazing as well.

[@oz_jones]

Sorry, but no. Close, but no cigar

[@-Faris-]

So THIS is why cinemas are called Movie “theatres”

[@IfYouMeetAWolf]

That and the fact that they use to just draw the movie curtains down on theaters when they went from a theater play to a motion picture-film.

[@NemorisInferioris]

No. They're Amphitheaters.

[@Roxfox]

@@NemorisInferioris What?

[@michaelhenry3234]

@@Roxfox He's saying the word theatre/theater derives from the word "amphitheater."

[@JannPoo]

@@michaelhenry3234 The opposite is true, amphitheater means "both side theater", because normally in ancient times theaters made a half circle in front of the scene. An amphitheater makes a full circle around it. The famous Coliseum in Rome was actually called "Amphitheatrum Flavium". Now modern theaters generally have a rectangular shape, but they are definitely not amphitheaters, as you can only spectate from one side.

[@Emiliapocalypse]

Ha! I didn’t think anybody actually thought silent movies were meant to be watched entirely silent? My friend’s grandfather who just died in his 90’s used to play the piano for the movie theater here in town. Pretty cool stuff.

[@ahripark2593]

Emiliaphilia wow...luck you. I thought the same as him where I grew up haha

[@melissasmith6762]

Is that what you really thought or are you trying to be a smart ass?

[@ijemand5672]

I don't get your question

[@KuraIthys]

Yeah, I mean, I know they have soundtracks, the few clips I've seen of them have music all the way through - but I don't think that was the actual point of the video. It's not the silence, because even the available modern versions of silent films have included soundtracks... It's the atmosphere of watching someone perform the music live... That seemed to have been what he was getting at.

[@wariolandgoldpiramid]

I never knew that

[@PracticalInspiration]

This was great. Never knew this about silent films, puts them in a whole new light

[@stapuft]

Wow....really? I thought everyone knew about this?

[@stapuft]

Even with music they are still boring as fuck.

[@loynjuryllgulpany4778]

@@stapuft edgy af

[@denn394]

Watching this on mute.

[@lucascampbell8521]

Beat me to it

[@jackwisniewski3859]

Ok that's a great pun, here have an upvote

[@Panzer_Runner]

Same, but i enabled the subtitles...

[@English_Thespian]

Same. It's SO boring. Honestly no idea why people watch this Austin McConnell guy :/

[@jackwisniewski3859]

@@English_Thespian are you not joking or do I deserve a woosh?

[@tenletters5889]

So silent films are basically live music videos, neat

[@mynameisreallycool1]

Pretty much lol

[@InvectivePleasure]

Lol I thought you said "NEXT" 😂😂

[@qwertymanova2652]

Lol.True!Absolutely!

[@badreality2]

With a story.

[@asotforever5983]

not every time

[@sistahmels8228]

When I was a kid my parents would take me to a pizza place called the Organ Grinder. This was back in the 60's and 70's. They would play silent movies with, you guessed it, an old, humungous organ, with sound effects. It made the experience so much fun. We would watch movies of Charlie Chaplin and Keystone Cops. It was wonderful! Such nice memories and it also gave me an appreciation for silent movies. I agree, to experience the true magic of silent movies you must have live music to go along with the show. Sadly the place closed years ago, derelict, run down then demolished. My memories of family, good pizza and fun times live on within me forever...

[@bawicz0]

Ok

[@anormalfangirl7408]

What a beautiful experience

[@laobok]

@@bawicz0 Go scratch

[@alexgabel4379]

Additionally, early film theorists differentiate film from theatre by writing that the audience is supposed to talk during the showing. Back in the day people would just walk into a movie theatre halfway through the film and sit through the first half of the next showing until they saw the scene that was playing when they walked in

[@Coeurlarme]

The other day, after class I was watching a silent movie with a bunch of classmates. Hearing my classmate talk about the film during the film wondering how they did x or y scene, or making funny comments about what was happening was so fun. I can't imagine myself enjoying the movie if everyone was religiously silent while watching it.

[@JohnPrepuce]

My dad, who was born in the 20s, used to do the same thing when he would take us to the movies in the 80s. Walk in 20 minutes late, we would see the whole movie, wait for it to start up again, walk out after 20 minutes into the second showing. It was a bit frustrating as a kid, but whatever. He would always just say: "this is where we came in" right before we would leave.

[@jeremykonor7324]

Your thumbnail looks like your vid is from Vox

[@mehraneh1554]

i actually thought it was a vox video for a second there

[@scusachannel1682]

I feel like that was the point...

[@giggity-goggity-doo805]

He used a very similar yellow

[@freindlessversion2.021]

I thought the same thing

[@1daboi100]

It's the yellow theme that make it feel like a vox thumbnail

[@TomMilleyMusic]

"a piano player would sit off to the side" *shows piano player smack dab in the middle*

[@johncheshirsky8822]

That piano player looked like he was playing the instrument, not dabbing

[@MrSHURIKENCHO]

@@johncheshirsky8822 bruh did you really just say that......

[@johncheshirsky8822]

@@MrSHURIKENCHO no, I said that 7 months ago

[@thesisypheanjournal1271]

Actually he's being kind of meta. That frame is from Buster Keaton's "Sherlock Jr.," where Buster's character has a dream sequence inside a movie theater.

[@username55ify]

@@johncheshirsky8822 bruh did you really just say that.....

[@cassies.8302]

My great grandparents were silent film pianists and I never really understood how talented they were and I really loved this video, thank you so much!

[@colonialgal1750]

My grandmother was a pianist at the local movie theatre, and she was only in her teens. As a child, I didn't understand how awesome that was.

[@marlonlernmark]

In the future, people will be like "I don't like 2D movies. I don't get it. Now I know there's big stars like..."

[@TheLuizSouza]

Nah, that'll never happen. 3D movies flopped long ago.

[@RyBrown]

Luiz Souza you never know with VR...

[@thesamuelbutler]

3D is exactly like 2D except Chris Pratt’s face is popping out of the screen. It doesn’t add much. I’m sure it can be used creatively but it isn’t widely adopted and doesn’t change the overall experience like moving from silent films too live dialogue. The closest comparison of 2D and 3D I can up with is the change from black and white to color, though 3D isn’t as meaningful or obviously better.

[@salmaa9459]

@@thesamuelbutler yes, i think black and white to colors adds up SO much more in the movie industry, do you know the song "Colour" by Mnek? That's what the feeling of coloured movie in early ages lol what

[@CorporalClegg1000]

I think Sony is working on holographic TV.

[@protonjones54]

In Britain some screenings of Interstellar had full orchestras conducted by Hans Zimmer himself. They were playing the soundtrack live while Interstellar was playing, and it was awesome. That's the only modern movie I can think of which combined a film and orchestra in one performance :( Edit: people from the comments say there are still many venues that perform live soundtracks while a movie is playing, like at the Hollywood Bowl. I need to check some out one of these days :)

[@AyAy008]

You're one lucky bastard to get a chance to experience that

[@nm541]

It's pretty common movies to do that, though. I think there's a performance like that for most of the Harry Potter and Batman movies. Just depends if the orchestra is in town

[@protonjones54]

@@AyAy008 I didn't see it personally, but damn I would've loved to. I live in southern California, so it was impossible for me to see something like that in Europe. I heard about it online, saw some videos of it, behind the scenes stuff, etc.

[@protonjones54]

@@nm541 They did live performances of those movies, or just the soundtracks?

[@group357]

They actually do this kind of thing all the time, a month ago I saw Jurassic Park with a live orchestra, and before that Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek, Indiana Jones.... You just have to live somewhere where these events are common, or there’s a practicing symphony (usually a large city) It sucks that it’s not more widespread, but it still happens all the time- Star Trek Beyond premiered with the score played live, and that’s modern, so it still does happen

[@jerry3790]

Silent films used to just be called films.

[@lallepop2k]

Actually they were called motion pictures

[@infumoscus6067]

No fucking duh

[@jmgariepy]

"Non-interactive films used to just be called films." -A film student in 2118.

[@jeffwalker6815]

I call non-silent films 'talkies'.

[@shanedeleon5376]

Well usually they'd refer to it as "going to the picture show"

[@lakamokolaka]

Nothing more nostalgic than THX making my ears bleed

[@scp--297]

Yes.

[@ferosiety]

Tru

[@emplehesaelp6619]

Yup

[@sunspotmill1291]

Yep! xD

[@misteroof]

they should put a warning before the THX logo.

[@Phoebehunniexox]

Seeing and hearing people still laughing at these films literally warms my heart like nothing else. Absolutely timeless

[@pigeonz317]

I'm genuinely surprised that this isn't common knowledge. My secondary school taught us this in pretty much the very first term of year seven, and then we had to act out our own plays in the same style!

[@tylermai1436]

Why do I get a Vox vibe from the thumbnail

[@VantasticK]

Probably the yellow. I know i clicked thinking it was Vox

[@danieldeburgh8437]

Vox is dreadful

[@nelsonandres9163]

The black and yellow

[@entiretwix1480]

Yellow

[@princessespiritu755]

Trueee ahhahaha

[@pocketdialmusic]

Got to see nosfetatu with the music done by a drummer making the various sound effects and a guitarist with a load of pedals to be able to mimic organs and other instruments, was incredible

[@James.Stark.Ben.Edition]

Oh, that sounds amazing. I only watched nosferatu with the added sound from the new project. But it was still fantastic.

[@ceneblock]

I get it's technical innovations and I'm glad it exists, but the story sucks. Everyone is like "no, don't go there" from multiple locations and the guy is just like "lol what does an entire freakin' village and a random inn know? I'ma do it anyway"

[@dorudanieldumitrescu3004]

@@ceneblock watched the movie, it was creepy af and I thoroughly enjoyed it

[@ceneblock]

@@dorudanieldumitrescu3004 I didn't find it creepy, but then again, I'd basically been given an analysis by James Rolfe before seeing it.

[@rockinoshamas7249]

Who was flickering on and off the lights...Nosfetatu

[@pmm1767]

Take a shot everytime Austin says *A U T H E N T I C*

[@Sternburg]

*dies*

[@Panzer_Runner]

@Prussian Eagle *Drinking* *german* *beer* *intensifies*

[@josephfiddes60]

A U T H E N T I C S H E E T M U S I C

[@zinekaizerzen-pokemonunite1390]

A E S T H E T I C

[@deedofi7970]

That is called suicide.

[@Turtlee.]

I love silent films! When I was young, instead of animated cartoons, my parents would show me them and I guess it just stuck.

[@aaronbarnes8934]

Yo, same. I joke that I'm an old man because of it.

[@ihateyoutube8789]

Me too. Chaplin films are some of my oldest memories.

[@dlanodsknib]

Glad you've come round. 😀 I have had the wonderful opportunity to see "Napoleon", "The Crowd", "Ben Hur" and "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" accompanied by an eighty piece orchestra. Other films I have seen accompanied by a Wurlitzer organ. An absolutely amazing experience! I notice though that you concentrate on the comedy films - the dramas were great too. (I don't know about the orchestra being on stage where you were, with the sheet behind them? I would have found this distracting.)

[@maizie9454]

i loved the four horsemen. and i had no great orchestra

[@Yui714]

This makes a lot of sense. This art was made for a platform that no longer exists - a movie theater with live music. We're butchering these films by watching them the way we do. Ironically, it takes a new modern piece of technology to recapture this. VR can put you directly into a filled theater with live music and the film playing. 1930's limited tech needs 2018's tech to be re-experienced properly. Or of course, this amazing orchestra. The show looked amazing!

[@mrmaniac3]

ゆい714 there’s numerous theaters around the country-movie palaces of the 1920s-which have survived the modernization movement of the middle twentieth century. To see a silent film with live theater organ accompaniment isn’t too difficult and expensive these days... one must simply learn about these theaters to open up the opportunity to view these movies as intended. I volunteer at a small town theater, medium large in size, essentially a movie palace. It was built in 1928, and was affected by the modernization movement. It still stands, though it’s renovations have defaced the former beauty of the theater. The theater’s organization is restoring it to its original design. I’m helping to install the theater pipe organ, parts of which were made by Wurlitzer in 1917, and other parts manufactured a few years later. It is a Frankenstein’s Monster of sorts, but it is a gorgeous instrument. I’ve found that the theater organ is the biggest thing that draws me to this kind of hobby, but I cannot say that the other parts of the experience-the films, and the theater itself-are any less interesting to me.

[@Margar02]

My church's music director performs silent movie scores with the movie playing in the sanctuary. Check around at any churches with organs (or a robust music program & culture) in your area, or community centers

[@mrmaniac3]

Margaret Gardner that's true, there are many churches that show silent films. I think some churches in my area do.

[@Vahktang]

You did not know that silent movies were never silent? Send a note to your teachers so that they know they missed conveying that. One of the reasons why Metropolis is as complete as we can make it is because we had the original score and could look for missing scenes.

[@VitaliyMilonov]

WHO WRITES THIS SHIT?!

[@xmlthegreat]

I don't think it's the suspense that's the impactful part of live music. It's that you can see it being made. Recorded music just plays and over time you become desensitized to it because it feels like an abstract concept that has no real world origins. But when you watch people play live you are in the moment and experiencing the physicality of music. Humans are tactile creatures. We need to see and feel with our own eyes to get the actual feel for the emotion especially in this age of streaming where music is detached from the physicality of the past. That's why the live music improves 'silent' films so much.

[@Kwijiboz]

I agree, I found that a very odd statement on his part, like if going to a live concert was like a Formula 1 race or something

[@quesso5]

I agree, but I think the biggest thing that differentiates recorded vs. live is timbre. There’s just no replicating the sound of physically being there at the source of the sound. Recordings just can’t do it justice in my opinion.

[@KaliTakumi]

Well it's because recordings are compressed and every instrument comes from the same source and isn't at full quality.

[@YTRingoster]

@@KaliTakumi That, and live shows are 'surround sound' in the truest sense. Pure sound comes directly from the instruments to your earholes! That certainly adds something that even a fancy spatial stereo recording can't capture.

[@KaliTakumi]

@@YTRingoster For sure

[@paxwallacejazz]

So many folks won't try to expand their aesthetic criteria once they're set (in stone so it would seem) As a serious Jazz Pianist/composer I am greatful that a few like you still exist.

[@brebytheway]

this is so good! I'm so tired of silent films on KZbin being accompanied by a modern soundtrack that doesn't emphasize the film for this same reason. These films need a soundtrack to really experience them :)

[@thanks8589]

YES. I saw one of my state's university bands perform some live music to silent film scenes last year, and the reaction of the audience and the timing of the music is what really brought it to life! Then I sort of forgot about silent films until I was reintroducrd to them this summer. My library had a showing with live music - just a piano, but it was really cool. I've been watching a lot of them on my own with recorded music, and I still find them enjoyable and I get really invested in them, but nothing beats seeing them live, how they were intended to be viewed! I was so excited when I got notified of this video. Like, my favorite youtuber talking about my favorite thing? Made my day.

[@Azeria]

Right and what are the rest of us supposed to do?

[@YujiUedaFan]

@@vlc-cosplayer Find ragtime music and do the SFX yourself.

[@leonstrongbow2410]

Put some music on and throw cocporn at the t.v.

[@leonjuric2486]

Hi , im your huge fan. KZbin isnt that big huh ? Your version of pumped up kicks is awesome !

[@Azeria]

@@leonjuric2486 still didn't make that song but thanks

[@philaphobic]

There are theaters like those all over the US. I'm in Michigan and I see movies like this with original organ music in an old theater in Ann Arbor, with modern live accompaniment at a modern art museum in Grand Rapids, and even with a live choir at the Detroit Institute of Art.

[@Randomstuffs261]

"I watched a silent film... it stunk"

[@jaded151]

*film

[@Randomstuffs261]

I spelled a word... it stunk

[@SPEEDYNOOB]

Randomstuffs261 I was born... it stunk.

[@leojiangtheterrible7142]

erasing my horrible silent film from the internet.

[@NatesFilmTutorials]

No one came to my silent film... I held it anyway

[@gentyjack]

One of the most fascinating things to me about music in the silent era was that oftentimes at smaller theatres there was no sheet music! Pianists were given a lead sheet which listed the times they had to play music that evoked a certain mood. Like "1:04 Emotional, sad." A lot of what made 1920's musicians that worked in film great was their ability to improvise!!

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

They should do livestreams of orchestra live when they play silent films. It’d be brilliant of they recorded a film soundtrack live, with all their instruments, filming a video with accompanying audio preferably as a high-quality FLAC file, so someone at home could watch a film properly with the orchestra, and the sound and music. But this does seem like something I’d enjoy, if only there was something like this in the UK.

[@BadMouse101]

Funny you say that because Le Voyage dans la Lune was the first film I read about and watched that got me into film making. Seeing that huge face in the moon the moment you open 1001 movies to see before you die just did it for me.

[@somebonehead]

Oh hey BMP, loved the new video of yours.

[@mothafuckinanarchist5392]

Hey comrade wassup?

[@marjechevarez790]

BadMouseProductions same and also after watching Hugo

[@lavacookie8861]

NOOOO😭 that movie turned the story into a joke. The book has amazing illustrations and a story that makes sense. Do yourself a favor and read the Marvelous Invention of Hugo Cabret!

[@dogeyes7261]

The moon in that movie inspired the creation of our own moon, the Sun

[@spacedoutorca4550]

*Why are Squarespace sponsorship ads so boring to watch?*

[@ShaderKite]

because they are ALL the same

[@alvallac2171]

You're supposed to watch them accompanied by an orchestra of live web developers.

[@JJKoester]

To better fit with the content that they're sponsoring.

[@Andrea-xs4ny]

@@alvallac2171 Lol Thanks for the chuckle!

[@logicfrogmedia]

check out Peter Mckinnon's Squarespace ads

[@Kaixero]

wow, funny, I'm actually in the middle of a French film course, so I've been watching a whole bunch of The Lumiere, Melies, Feulliade, early impressionist films, etc. I started thinking silent films were boring, but I've come to see there are some fantastic works without sound. Le Voyage de la lune is a great example of just fun and Whimsy on the screen.

[@bowtangey6830]

My child (a college music major) and I were discussing musicals last night, and suddenly the realization hit me that LIVE MUSICIANS WERE PERFORMING AT EVERY SILENT FILM SHOWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY!! What a wonderful thing that was. Thank you for posting this. Now I want to see those films in that setting.

[@kenlieck7756]

Lots of places do it. Austin used to have it all the time. Check your local entertainment listings.

[@grendelum]

My grandfather took me to a series of screenings like this when I was very young in the early 1980s, it was a seriously magical event... I’m really glad people are keeping the tradition alive as I’d really like to experience it again !!

[@anthonysabierre8826]

Tbh I clicked it because I thought it was a vox video. Both the title and thumbnail are very Vox-y. Nevertheless the video lived up to my expectations and I didn’t notice it wasn’t vox for at least 2 minutes *ILLUSION 100*

[@somebodyoncetoldme7709]

Anthony Sabierre lmao same

[@NathanTAK]

Hissss

[@welshsteve2009]

Same here :)

[@The_Wosh]

You know what I want to see? A modern day silent film with modern style music, I don't think I would like it, but I just want to see how it would look like

[@mohammedjalloh7658]

Batman This !

[@JamieDenAdel]

Didn't include modern music, but you know The Artist won best picture in 2012?

[@mohammedjalloh7658]

Jamie Den Adel I knew ! :D

[@sbel6626]

They tried to do that with Metropolis, with Giorgio Moroder doing a techno soundtrack, but it sounds reeeaaallly 80s by today’s standards

[@mohammedjalloh7658]

sarah bellemare Did this get actualized into a real movie ?

[@charlesprokopp276]

I've had the pleasure of watching a pristine print of Chaney's "Phantom of the Opera" accompanied by a full symphony orchestra and live opera singers, using the film's original score.

[@YoushouNoKioku]

Is there a way to get the silent films on DVD with the original score being played? I don't have a theater like this around me.

[@YujiUedaFan]

Yeah, most of them just use random music with no SFX and some add random dialogue, like grunts and squeaks.

[@zacmumblethunder7466]

Kyoumimasu Depends which ones you want to see. There's a fantastic new restoration of Metropolis, box sets of Buster Keaton, and individual films. Laurel and Hardy are of course brilliant. I've seen most of their 20s and 30s films and sometimes forget that an individual film was silent as those were just as good as their talkies. In the UK we had a public service channel that showed loads of silent films on Sunday afternoons, before it went over to endless reality shows. Douglas Fairbanks Sr's version of "The Thief of Baghdad" is amazing, as is Lon Chaney's 1925 "Phantom of the Opera". Lilian Gish made Broken Blossoms, I enjoyed it though some parts were a bit mawkish, but I recall her movie "The Wind" was very good. It just depends what you're into, genre-wise.

[@alvallac2171]

@@zacmumblethunder7466 *ones (plural, not possessive)

[@zacmumblethunder7466]

alvallac21 Bloody auto-correct again. Can't ways tell how stupid it's making me look as I do KZbin on my phone. Nearly forgot - thanks for letting me know.

[@yourlongshadows5568]

Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers is a fairly new collection of silent films, restored and with added score.

[@Goddybag4Lee]

No matter what music is played with the movie "The General" by Buster Keaton it's still one of the best movies I've ever seen.

[@MacGuges]

Wow, what a revelation. It puts The Jazz Singer, that early non-silent film, in fresh perspective knowing how vital the off-screen musicians were to the expectations of a good movie.

[@onemandubs713]

Ben Taylor Man...never thought of it that way

[@SDayle]

I think that more people should watch "The Unknown" (1927). That 50-minutes-long movie usually changes a lot of people's ideas about silent movies.

[@poodychulak]

I've never experienced a silent film in complete silence... Who did that to you? Did you find the original film reels with no context and just try to watch them unaccompanied?

[@commentcontrol7187]

did you even watch the video?

[@2teepeepictures382]

Now I really want to watch Nosferatu like this. That is the only silent film I have ever seen that still hit the mark for me. Like watching it I was like you know, that is genuinely scary. I wonder what it would be like if it was watched the way it was meant to be originally.

[@kenlieck7756]

Here in Austin the Alamo Theater showed it with an original live score by (I think) Golden Arm Trio. It was available on VHS that way for awhile, but that again loses the point presented here...

[@kat2270]

One Halloween a group of us went to see Nosferatu at a cinema. The soundtrack was provided by a pianist playing live. It was a great experience.

[@2teepeepictures382]

I own it on DVD. I can’t imagine that it is anywhere near the same experience when watched on the computer screen but I was really impressed with how effective it is still all of these years later.

[@edstella]

It's great to know people are still preserving this form of entertainment and bringing it back. My primary school was steadily losing money every year and we could never hold a music teacher for more than a year, so it's only by fluke that I learned that "silent" films were always accompanied by live music as our teacher demonstrated with an old film reel and school projector while she played the piano. But this makes sense. Even today, the biggest, most expensive movie showings happen with this set up. Like when Hans Zimmer actually did a live accompaniment to a showing of Interstellar. We forget that some things don't go out of style for a reason.

[@toolbar7467]

Is mayonnaise a silent film

[@joshuahitchon6151]

Horse radish is not a silent film either

[@JLJMusic04]

Horseradish is not a silent film either

[@Tsukiko.97]

Tartar sauce

[@Tsukiko.97]

JLJ awwww fish paste!

[@mergieismoronic]

Whoever is the owner of the White Sedan, you left your lights on.

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

I must admit that, because of Hugo Cabret and my artsy friend, I once sat down on a Friday night and watched A Voyage to the Moon and An Andalusian Dog.

[@goodial]

what a strange combination of two movies! XD

[@ligarrinzani6710]

Lawrence Calablaster I watched Scorsese’s Hugo just for Chloe moretz lol

[@agyvonne]

Thank you so much in “enlightening” me as to the splendor of silent movies !! Other than watching and enjoying Metropolis and Nosferatu, I firmly and adamantly refused to watch any other silent films no matter how famous and/or well done they were. I think one reason is that I’m a very detailed oriented person and I was “annoyed” with the few printed words as opposed to the sometimes lengthy conversation I was seeing. I wanted a more descriptive narrative. After watching your interesting video I now realize my thinking about watching silent movies was all wrong. As an aside -- years ago, in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, I attended a Halloween evening’s performance of a horror silent movie with music accompaniment by Philip Glass. It came to a sudden end when thunder sounded in the distance followed by lightning. Again -- thanks a lot for awakening my new found love of silent movies.

[@allanjmcpherson]

As someone who's into historically informed performance, I raised an eyebrow at 4:30 when you called them authentic period instrument. Maybe I missed something, but from what I can see those are modern instruments (not that there's a huge difference). For example, I can see that the clarinet has a left hand E flat lever, which is a more recent development. Still, this is really cool.

[@Storysium]

Great video Austin, very interesting! Never looked at it this way... and Thanks... Now I NEED to experience this for myself. :)

[@superFS]

@stellvia hohenheim what hahahahhah ;)

[@thicco_]

stellvia hohenheim what

[@thicco_]

stellvia hohenheim oh ok

[@azizuladnan2957]

I mean... Mr Bean is kinda like a silent film in a way... or a much better term, a TV show... and with addition of audiences laughing in the background :v This is just my opinion though...

[@Tsukiko.97]

Prussian Eagle Bitches love flowers, but Germans love Mr. Bean.

[@wowoliwowol4702]

true

[@kubektunes]

True! I always felt similarly about Benny Hill’s stuff. The slapstick, exaggerated expressions, limited dialogue etc definitely give off that silent film vibe.

[@ravengirl1328]

Abyssinia Empire German?

[@EDGEproductions]

Film at its core is the ability to visually tell stories, and silent movies are pure examples of the success of that and it has carried through. Whenever I judge or review a film I look at whether or not people would understand the gist of the story without any dialogue. That’s something they taught me at film school. The best examples of this are shows like Mr Bean where the lack of any dialogue has allowed it to appeal to people internationally over shows which don’t.

[@ajzeg01]

I love silent films! They’re awesome! Metropolis is one of my favourite movies! I definitely recommend the Giorgio Moroder version. It has an original score of 80s music and I think it’s easier for modern audiences to get into. It’s great, and it’s also short.

[@SynGirl32]

What's great about this idea is that anyone can score these movies. Many silent greats can have a dozen scores to their names, of wildly varying era and genre. I watched Man with a Movie Camera with the electronic jazz soundtrack released in 2003 by the Cinematic Orchestra, and as a jazz fusion fan, I thorougly enjoyed the experience.

[@MonzennCarloMallari]

I was lucky enough to attend an International Silent Film Festival here in the Philippines. Some had orchestras, others had modern rock bands. Even the choice of music interpretation was an art, I loved it.

[@andrewxc1335]

7:38 - Ah, so that's where the "lampshading" scene comes from!

[@LindsayDaly]

The Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA does this occasionally! I actually unfortunately have never attended though, and my ex works there so I can't go again 😕. I actually do enjoy watching silent films at home by myself though lol. But it is always better with a crowd.

[@JorgeBMEsquivel]

Don't think an experience should be ruined just because you used to date someone who works there. Their professionalism should put aside their feelings.

[@sathirafernando6036]

Go there for the lulz

[@lis4856]

Don't let your ex dictate anything over you; you want to go? Do it and have a great bloody time

[@cutecommie]

Depends on what kind of ex. If he used to beat you, probably stay away.

[@carlangelo653]

Wear a hat. No joke. I was able to sneak into a friend's theatrical work for years without him knowing. Because I wore a hat. There wasn't even that many people most of the time.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Wonderful!

[@aleksandarmanojlovic4988]

I'd never expect that silent film aren't intended fully silent, but with music which actualy makes a lot of sense

[@nicolebogda1482]

I’m glad you found your way to the experience!!!! I highly recommend finding a “Music Box” theatre or something of the like in/near your area. I was BLESSED to see a film narrated by Crispin Glover, also Isabella Rossellini- with a LIVE folly group and an “actual castrato” with less-than full orchestra which made the film INCREDIBLE! Also, Mr. Glover’s live reading with his own books & films? Unmatched if you have the understanding of the beauty and not to see where it is construed as “bizarre.” What he does is actually brilliant & so compassionate in it’s function and rationale as a film.Truly works of art, the true understanding of the “human condition.” Once experiencing it? You understand why it will never be available on dvd or streaming & why it is only a live tour. Chicago misses him, truly.

[@sottozen]

Beautiful. I enjoyed so much watching this.

[@just-a-silly-goofy-guy]

Still more exciting than my social life

[@SeamusGorman4]

same

[@just-a-silly-goofy-guy]

Seamus Gorman sorry for the question but do you hate my repeated joke on your channel? I can be original if you want...

[@wakeeqq]

@@SeamusGorman4 Seamus and Kremit on the same video?! This is heaven. Btw, My job is to reply to Kremit's comments, but I'm falling behind..

[@silversparks4372]

Me

[@tommakesthings6249]

OMG Kremit! Still no love on Just2Good?

[@DzigaJerkov]

Nice and well produced video, but it doesn’t sound (no pun intended) like you really gave silent film a chance. Watching four of the most obvious and copied silent films isn’t really giving 30 years of silent film history from around the world a fair shot. There are many other kinds of silent films that are just as fun and compelling as today’s film-some of the creepiest and most suspenseful films I’ve seen have been silent. There’s more to silent film than the American slapstick/ragtime shows, many of those were just simple programmers for kids. That’d be like thinking Pixar is the epitome of modern cinema. The gripping hysteria of “The Passion of Joan of Arc,” the melancholic horror of “The Phantom Carriage;” one of Hitchcock’s favorites of his own movies was his early silent thriller, “The Lodger.” Also recommend some King Vidor, Victor Sjöström, early Yosujirō Ozu, Carl Theodor Dreyer, F.W. Murnau. Many silent films do great at home, especially with how many good silent horror films there are. Though of course all movie are better in theaters. Again, nice video, but silent films can still be just as entertaining and great as Interstellar, they just might be harder to find!

[@juliagross3136]

Tyler Young I thought the exact same thing! I don’t love the slapstick comedy commonly associated with silent film but I don’t like that humor in sound films either so why would I?! I love all other genres of silent film though.

[@cylasbreakdown6140]

In fairness, Pixar pretty much IS the epitome of modern cinema.

[@KanoValentine]

When the heck did this channel blew up? I was subscribed under the 10,000k sub group and when on "a month" long hiatus from KZbin and returned to the channel like this. AWESOME!!!

[@RGC_animation]

This goes with normal theater as well, there's just something about sitting in a big dark room with bunch of other people that makes the movie magically better, when if I just sat on my couch watching the movie I might have had a different experience.

[@hoangkimviet8545]

Charlie Chaplin will be angry if you think silent films are boring :-0

[@Bioniking]

Where did you get your prints? Silent movies and shorts on DVD always come with a soundtrack

[@felixarcher4890]

He said that listening to recorded music for the film and it being performed live are two different things, like that's the point of 2/3 of the entire video?

[@atlantabaruah]

Yes, KZbin, I watched it and I liked it and yes, you know me better than I know myself.

[@Moccason]

I ADORE Buster Keaton’s films. I find them genuinely funny and his gags and film-making techniques were so innovative and unexpected it really makes me giggle. Thanks for the video! Great :)

[@luvsla72]

I've been watching silent films since I was a teenager. Every time I watched one I imagined being in a theater with a live orchestra or with love piano accompaniment. Maybe it's because I'm a musician or because I love History so much. It wasn't until I was in my early 20s that I finally saw a silent with live musical accompaniment. I'm happy you finally get why these films are so wonderful!

[@thorjelly]

It's actually really hard for me to imagine watching Buster Keaton's The General and finding it boring, in theater or on couch or otherwise. I've watched quite a number of silent films recreationally, not just out of a snobbish sense of elitism but genuinely. On the other hand, many many films on netflix I've sat down and watched and found too boring or too bad to finish. Of course, the reason why is obvious. It is a lot easier to know which silent films are good than it is to know which modern movies on some streaming service are good. Silent films are filtered through time. But point being, I've pretty much had opposite experience as this video. Not saying there's anything wrong with that. Different strokes for different folks.

[@roverknight2502]

As a kid the THX logo scared me. Since that day I am scared for life...

[@benjaminmarks8765]

Same

[@elv3a424]

"Watch them like this!" You're telling us to see a specific orchestra, on tour in a specific area of the US? Not very helpful - slightly misleading title.

[@kyzf]

I was a bit annoyed by that too. You're telling us to skip those versions we can find online and wait until some arthouse theater troupe springs up nearby.

[@jeugene807]

Niche video, for a niche (or lack thereof) channel

[@zyaicob]

The title is saying "This is how you're supposed to watch them"

[@gab_gallard]

Well yeah but he's not wrong. Unaccesible? Maybe, but that would be the way to do it.

[@R.M.MacFru]

That part is wrong...or misleading. I saw Metropolis at a theater with a pipe organ which was fantastic. Theaters with organs or orchestra pits are your best bets to be able to see silent movies with live music. Check your local area. If the theater has an organ and you're in the US, check with the AGO ( American Guild of Organists) local chapter.

[@frankowalker4662]

Our local cinema did this on Thursday nights with a four piece group in the 70's. But the band were off to the side of the screen so they would'nt distract you from the film. Great days. I saw so many Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd films.

[@annaselbdritt7916]

I saw “Häxan” in a theater, with a wonderful gloomy ambient soundtrack. It was fully engaging!! Never felt bored.

[@LeahandLevi]

at @3:10 you know you about to have your mind blown.

[@reesgargi]

I watched citylights, it had background piano music and i loved the film. I have watched it twice

[@Hypatia4242]

I always wondered if they had someone reading out the title cards or description cards to the audience. Certainly in the 1920s literacy was lower around the world and they are often written like theatrical lines for a narrator.

[@urielc918]

I’m pretty sure that the literate would read it out loud for the illiterate.

[@felonyx5123]

Silent films sometimes had full narration, much more than just reading the on-screen cards. It was especially common during the silent film era in Japan, narrators called "benshi" were almost universal.

[@heathertaylor8904]

Thank you! I've always felt like i was missing out by not being able to appreciate these old movies. You're the best!

[@tuanvnguyen872]

I have never thought or imagined of such a way to watch or more precise to enjoy silent films. This definitely did change my view and made me appreciate the silient movie much more than before. Thank a lot for this.

[@CriticalEatsJapan]

Sounds like an amazing show!

[@dez967]

I never thought about silent films like this... Wow.

[@2salzig2spucknapp]

buster keatons stuff is worth a watch with or without sound dosnt matter

[@kennybrightwell1877]

2salzig2spucknapp Especially since he did all of his own stunts.

[@tigristhelynx7224]

Want silent films to be really fun at home? Take any Buster Keaton film, mute the Kino soundtrack and set it to techno-style music (no sub-genre specified). A fast tempo is needed to keep up with Buster and techno makes it feel like you're watching a 1920s action thriller. Alternatively, a more labor-intensive option would be to view the film and then build your own playlist of your favorite songs, with slow songs for sad scenes and energetic songs for the rest. That way it's more engaging for you as a watcher. I've had many films line up perfectly and hilariously with a playlist. Before you raise the torches and pitchforks, yes I've been to a historic theater's screening of Buster's "The Haunted House" and Harold Lloyd's "Haunted Spooks" accompanied by a restored theater organ. It was a fascinating experience I'd recommend to anyone, but its not something you can fully experience at home. This is my lazy fix.

[@Visforelvenshireling]

I've tried watching B&W films with Spotify open, but my choice of music in real time (when I have not seen the film before) is less than wonderful- and often accidentally comical). This recreated theater experience is amazing! So cool that people do this! Great video. I learned a lot. Thank you!

[@doommaker4000]

Funnily enough, this reminds me of the now famous scene in Doom Eternal trailer. Music and almost completely silent charachters, yet already heralded by some as one of the most powerful cutscene ever.

[@gavinsmiley9377]

What are the odds that those 35 dislikes (when I’m posting this) are giant film snobs who watched the first 15 seconds only?

[@LemonMoon]

Can't tell a story without using words? Boy, you'd hate being an animator, we're all about telling stories strictly visually, cause lip sync takes forever.

[@rickeyblitz2988]

But like.... The most famous animated films are filled with dialogue and even singing... What the fuck are you talking about

[@phantomfan6966]

Rickey Blitz Probably about animated shorts online like Mystery Skulls or In a Heartbeat.

[@LemonMoon]

Rickey Blitz Have you ever watched an animated short made by a college/ high school student

[@LemonMoon]

If you look at the shorts before most Pixar films, they are generally silent

[@matthewcapobianco9332]

Short films and feature length movies are completely different.

[@lob1523]

My great grandmother was a piano player for her local movie theater during the silent film era.

[@RebekahLeiplein]

What you said at 7:30 is literally why live theatre is so exceptional. I know, besides the point but that is what rang to me. I'm doing some research for a little video skit that will play in the middle of a theater show I'm in, like a dream sequence, and this has been super enlightening. Thank you!!

[@lifelesshawk5725]

So silent films are only good when it isn’t silent at all?

[@theresaholguin699]

Silent movies were the best I watch them all the time while I'm working as a security officer. I love all the movie starts to many to name all I love them all.

[@alvallac2171]

*stars *too many

[@n0denz]

Charlie Chaplin was the original Jackie Chan.

[@n0denz]

@Rosencrantz Which movies would you recommend for examples?

[@michaelavolio]

@Rosencrantz - Harold Lloyd's film Safety Last! is the original source of the "hanging off a clock" bit.

[@jcortese3300]

I m-m-m-m-m-might give that reference to Harold Lloyd. Guy was f'n nuts.

[@bigbandsrock1]

As a lifetime lover of silent cinema I completely enjoyed this! Thanks so much for inspiring others! Fabulous!!!

[@nathalie_desrosiers]

1. Your French is awful. 2. I saw Mary Pickford's _Sparrows_ in a theater with a piano accompanying the movie. It was one of my most memorable experience.