Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Lasermeister (A) on January 11, 2002 at 17:57:25

In Reply to: Any fans of silent era cinema out there? posted by Audiophilander on January 03, 2002 at 21:43:29:

including all three box sets of The Art of Buster Keaton, the Les Vampires box set, Slapstick Encyclopedia set, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, and many others. I am acquiring other titles now on DVD also. I have been acquiring films somewhat faster than I can watch them, unfortunately.

I've watched Vol. 2 of The Art of Buster Keaton, and while I don't find them as funny as some more modern comedies like Blazing Saddles or Caddyshack, the films were extremely interesting and well made. The thing I most enjoy about silent films is that it takes you back to a very different era and gives perhaps the best insight available into the way life was 75-90 years ago. Getting a glimpse of the first attempts at serious filmmaking is fascinating, at least for me. I find watching older films like this quite sobering also, as virtually everyone you see in them is long dead.

However, there are some exceptions, such as Lillian Gish passing away relatively recently in 1993 at the age of either 99 or 100 (she was born in 1893). Mary Pickford was born in the same year and died over 20 years ago now in 1979 when she was in her mid 80's. A more typical example would be someone like W.C. Fields, who died over 50 years ago now in 1946 (he was born in 1879).

Todd