Sound of Silents

I went to see the 1928 “Passion of Joan of Arc” silent film at the beautiful Paramount Theater in Oakland, California recently — complete with an orchestra, a chorus and an original and beautiful score written by Richard Einhorn (Voices of Light).  Seeing and writing about these cinema masterpieces will be my aim in writing this blog.  I’m a screenwriter and cinema lover with a keen interest in the preservation and projection of great silent films.

Of course, I also enjoy sound films.  In fact, my favorite movie of all time is “The Wizard of Oz,” which I find wonderful in every way — great story, great acting, great songs, great special effects and the kind of charm that makes it seem fresh viewing after viewing.  But I think classic silent films have a special and very different place in my appreciation.  One must watch them very attentively and catch the subtlety in their visual storytelling.  You can’t do the ironing while watching a silent film.

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Silent Film — The San Francisco Silent Film Festival winter event program arrives!  View the schedule at www.silentfilm.org. I bought my tickets today.

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