#classicmovievault

[orphancookie69]

My Silent Film Ranking

My partner is a bit of a movie buff, and its taken a little bit to rub off on me but in watching movies then and now, I have stumbled onto a fair amount of silent films. Really most people have heard of silent films, (get the pun?), but until you experience it for yourself its hard to understand how neat they really are...here is my ranking of some I have come across...

1.  The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)

This was the first Silent movie I ever watched. The first one has a special place in ones heart. Besides that, the story and visuals are amazing. Even without the twist in the end, story is so original. Like I would walk through a recreation of this for money. 

2.  Phantom of the Opera (1925)

This is second on my ranking. I have loved Phantom of the Opera, but if you had told me it was better as a silent film...I would of told you you were crazy. Well, if your crazy...I’m looney. I love it better than the modern film, although I love the music in the new one. 

3.  Nosferatu (1922)

The original vampire. Dracula draws its inspiration from this, but until you watch the original it is hard to appreciate the things we know but don’t know the source of. The visuals are amazing and who would of thought it was an OG love story? 

4. Haxan (1922)

A horror mocu-mentary amazing film. Really, its a good length for a silent film. Its in swedish, so not only is there no one speaking you are reading subtitles. Some of the imagery they use is amazing and the mix of book pages and film re-enactment is amazing. Its crazy to me what people used to believe from a modern mind set, can you imagine watching this is 1922? Must Watch! 

5. The Immigrant (1917)

It is hard to do a silent film list and not do a charlie chaplin bit. He is silent film, and I could totally see why. He is an amazing actor, he has so much more work to do with his face and actions. It is a nice little short bit, and makes me want to watch so much more of his work. 

6. Frankenstein (1910)

This is the shortest one, I would of loved to see it longer but technology at the time was much less advanced than it is today...so if I think its tough today to get x amount of footage, time jump back and tell me how much harder it is. Lovely little bit and I love how the colors in an otherwise black and white film build up mood. 

I look forward to watching so many more silent films, just wonder how many more I can get my hands on? I have also heard House of Usher from the 60′s is supposed to be one of the classics. All these are found on Shudder or Classic Movie Vault via Roku. What titles have you seen that you think should be on this list? 

[orphancookie69]

Phantom Of The Opera...Then and Now

I have always loved The Phantom Of The Opera as a musical, but it did not hit me until recently that it is a Universal Monster. Yes he is a monster, but I have always had a thing for bad guys. So, I am going to watch other version from the point of view of analyzing the character as a monster. As of late, start with a silent film. 

The Phantom Of The Opera (1925)

SILENT FILM XD. Found on Classic Movie Vault on Roku. Well mostly? Given the year sound was coming. The beginning is probably my favorite opening. Like, I have always thought it odd the owners hid the phantom in modern versions when selling the opera house. But love the mix of some sound, mostly silent film, and really the color tints that change set up the mood so well! Actually a full length 1 1/2 hour film too. OMG This film blew my mind. 

Phantom of the Opera (2004)

This is not bad for modern, and much better for giving back story to the characters. The beginning is different but iconic in being a flash forward auction to tell a story back in time. I always appreciated how it mimicked the on stage production in this way. Watching the 1925 version, I realize that many of the same elements are here but rearranged. The rearranging (in retrospect) does not make as much sense as the 1925 version. But I appreciate its attempt to recreate it without adding anything that wasn’t in the original. 

This started off as a novel by Gaston Leroux in 1909/1910. I normally, in a comparison post like this, would of included a movie to kind of bridge the gap between 1925 and 2004. But that just felt wrong? At its heart, even when its not a musical its about an opera house. I really want to petition that we do a remake of the 1925 version with the musical approach of the 2004 version, and then do a movie sequel of Love Never Dies. It will be a hit I tell you. Keep a look out for my Universal Monster ranking...its in the works! Also, watch this on Roku or Crackle.