What about you, fella? D’you like silent films? Well? Do you? 😉
Today marks the end of Classic Film Blog-a-thon “Try It, You’ll Like It!” at Sister Celluoid and Movies Silently. Meant to celebrate “gateway” films in an attempt to boost appreciation of classic cinema among those who ordinarily avoid it, the hosts of both websites asked their fellow bloggers to write reviews of their favorite classic films from December 5th through December 7th, and boy they didn’t disappoint!
Here’s a quick list of my favorite reviews from the blogging series:
- Who is Judex? Why, a 1916 proto-Batman, of course! 🙂 Check out Movies Silently’s review of it here.
- One of the great, late film noirs that I’m ashamed to say I still haven’t seen: Speakeasy’s review of Gun Crazy (1949).
- Cinema Gadfly explores the classic European silent–and what is arguably Louise Brook’s greatest film–Pandora’s Box.
- The Flapper Dame tells you why you should watch The Thin Man (1934). I agree wholeheartedly: it’s one of my favorite films of all time. The dialogue is just amazing!
- If you haven’t seen Chaplin’s Modern Times, you really, really should. The Wonderful World of Cinema explains why.
- I’ve actually got this movie sitting next to my DVD player right now–and I’ll probably watch it tonight, thanks to Shadow and Satin’s great review of Too Late For Tears (1949).
- Think Nightcrawler was bad? Try Cary Grant Won’t Eat You’s review of Ace in the Hole (1951).
- And naturally, there’s always my friend Jazzfeather’s entry, Josef VonSternberg’s Underworld (1927). It’s one of my favorite silent movies as well. I would definitely recommend her review!
Looking for more reviews? You can see the full list, including links to all the reviews in the series, here at Sister Celluloid or here at Movies Silently.
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Where to Watch Silent Films:
Silent movies can be found lots of places online. Netflix actually has a decent, if small, collection. A number of YouTube channels, such as this one (silent movies), feature silent film shorts or sometimes the full movie. Blackandwhitemovies.org also offers free silent films. If you’re looking for a more obscure film, you can always try Kino International, which offers not only classic silents but more obscure foreign titles. And if there’s something you really, really need a physical copy of, Flicker Alley will actually make you a DVD copy of a silent film on demand. So cool!!! 😀
A Smile And A Gun 
Thank you for the link to my review!:)
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No problem! I’m happy to have found your blog, and the movie you reviewed looks awesome. I’m also deeply jealous of your blog’s name—it’s awesome! 🙂
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Thanks for the shoutout! I really enjoyed this blogathon. I found so many movies I want to see and others that I did see, but long ago. I remember watching the Thin Man series when I was a child. Actually I watched lots of classic films from the 1930s and 1940s when I was a child, particularly mysteries, because my granny was a fan. I suspect that’s part of why I’m so much into this time period 😉
Next film I’m watching it Twelve Angry Men. I had never heard of it, but the moment I read the review I knew I would!
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Ah that’s a great one! I think you’ll like it a lot. I saw it back in high school and loved it.
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Thanks so much for the mention, Megan! Did you wind up watching Too Late for Tears?
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I did, but only half of it sadly. I really liked what I saw, though! Hopefully I can finish it soon. Are there any other Lizbeth Scott movies you’d recommend? Love your blog, by the way! Hooray for film noir 😄
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Hi, Megan — I love your blog, too! 🙂 As far as Lizabeth Scott films, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is a must-see, as is Pitfall. Another good one is Dead Reckoning.
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