SILENT COMEDY
I. Brief introduction abt Silent Comedy and The history of Silent Movies in the Theater
1. Elements and beginning
a) Silent comedy:
-is a style of film, related to but distinct from mime, invented to bring comedy into the medium of film in
the silent film era (1900s–1920s) before a synchronized soundtrack which could include talking was
technologically available for the majority of films. Silent comedy is still practiced, albeit much less
frequently, and it has influenced comedy in modern media as well.
b) Beginning
-Beginnings 1913:
+ The first silent comedy film is generally regarded as L'Arroseur Arrosé, directed and produced by Louis
Lumière. Shown to the public on June 10, 1895, it ran for 49 seconds and consisted of a gardener being
sprayed in the face with a hose. Most likely based on a popular comic strip of the time, L'Arroseur Arrosé
created a new genre and inspired its audiences.
+ As film shifted from a novelty medium that set out to capture exotic places and everyday actions to an
established industry in the early 1900s, films began to tell fabricated stories that were written and shot
in a studio
+By 1902, filmmakers like George Melies began producing films that were closer to one reel in length of
film (about 10 minutes running time) and utilized multiple shots. During this time period comedy
became a genre of its own.
2. Silent comedy film era ( 1913-1927)
- Mack Sennett and Hal Roach were two of the most famous producers of silent comedies. Famous
actors and teams from this era are now legendary: Ben Turpin, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy (who
made a commercially successful transition into talking pictures), along with many others.
3. The impact on popular culture
- There has been extensive debate among cultural commentators as to the overall impact of the silent
film era on culture, especially art and literature:
+Some argue that it has a notable indispensable impact that has remained an integral aspect of
contemporary culture while others claim that this was merely an evolutionary era characterized by
technical imperfections and subsequently overcome by technical advancements and therefore, holds no
notable bearing on culture in a substantive way.
- Notably, the silent film era played a crucial impact on art in the sense that it contributed immensely to
the growth and maturation of the art of motion pictures.
II. Key features of silent movie
1. Visual effect:
-In the period when silent comedy was made, there was no advanced technology like CGI or green
screen so it depended a lot on actor’s physical skill, they had to do it as real as possible on set. Using
specific camera angles, splicing together shots, twisting perspectives make things look more natural.
- as they did not have audio to exchange speeches, some printed titles were used to clarify situations or
to imply important conversations such as declarations of love, fights, thoughts.
+The presence of a narrator: sometimes the projections had a narrator who related the actions or who
was in charge of describing the situations with voice-over.
2. Soundtrack:
- A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue).
-Music: it was the only thing that was used in the film projections. It was played live and was
an essential part of the plays. Cinemas almost always had a pianist to accompany the films, some even
had organists or full orchestras.
3. Acting technique
-The medium of silent film required a great emphasis onbody language and facial expression so the
audience could better understand what an actor was feeling and portraying on screen. The
gesticulations common to much silent film acting are apt to strike modern-day audiences as simplistic or
campy. As stated by the jaded Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard as she watches one of her silent
films, “We didn’t need voices; we had faces.”
-Body language and facial expression: they were basic and had to be well handled by the actors, body
expressions had to be correct so that the audience could understand what was shown on the screen.
-The overacting: it was an exaggerated performance to emphasize the main actions.
4. Content:
-Silent comedy is a good source of entertainment as silent comedy films are very funny. It often place
heavy emphasis on visual and physical humors to tell story
-It is about mundane objects and everyday life so it can grab people attention and help them relaxed
III. Famous silent film actors and iconic movies of this genre
1. Charlie Chaplin
a) Childhood:
- Chaplin's childhood in London was one of poverty and hardship. His father was absent and his mother
struggled financially — he was sent to a workhouse twice before age nine. When he was 14, his mother
was committed to a mental asylum. Chaplin began performing at an early age, touring music halls and
later working as a stage actor and comedian.
- By 1918, he was one of the world's best-known figures.
b) Successful career
- Chaplin’s fame continued, and after signing with Mutual for $670,000 per year he became one of the
highest paid stars in the world. In the days before television and the internet, people would frequently
visit the cinema for their news and entertainment, so it was a huge achievement for a boy from
Lambeth.
-United Artists provided Chaplin with his most notable successes, including The Gold Rush (1925), City
Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936), which kept audiences enthralled and entertained with their
winning mixture of pathos and slapstick, and all featured Chaplin’s Tramp character. Sadly, this final film
would also be the final one for the Tramp, too.
-He won many prestigious award such as Oscar in 1973, 1948, 1941 and many others
2. Rowan Atkinson
a) Career
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles on the
sitcoms Blackadder (1983–1989) and Mr. Bean (1990–1995), and the film series Johnny English (2003–
2018).
His television character Mr. Bean debuted on the big screen with Bean (1997) to international success.
A sequel, Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007), (again inspired to some extent by Jacques Tati in his film Les
Vacances de Monsieur Hulot), also became an international success. He has also starred in the James
Bond parody Johnny English film series (2003–2018).[52] In 2023, Atkinson is to star in Wonka, a film
which serves as a prequel to the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, exploring Willy Wonka's
origins.[53]
b) Mr Bean film
-Mr. Bean is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger
Aspect and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 15 which was originally
broadcast on ITV, beginning with the pilot on 1 January 1990 [1] and ending with "The Best Bits of Mr.
Bean" on 15 December 1995
-Mr.Bean has a child-like personality in the body of an adult. The story surrounding this character is
nothing big or macroscopic. It's all just the way he solves the problems that arise at work and the
problems he encounters while solving them. It could be about him going back to his old school, about
him finding a parking spot on the street…
- Mr. Bean is one of the greatest comedians in the world who doesn't need to even speak to
make people laugh. His gestures, his facial expressions and his face itself is so funny to watch.
The situations which he faces on the show is simply hilarious and the way he handles them is
even greater.
-Mr Bean became an iconic film and attracted huge television audiences. It was a box-office hit and a
part of many people’ childhood.
