Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Extra Credit Silent Films

There are so many movies, it would take years to cover all of them thoroughly (hence the reason to major in film studies...) In an attempt to encourage the viewing of some of these important early films, any of these films may be watched for extra credit.

How to do it:
1. Choose a film & watch it.
2. Summarize the film in a paragraph (or two). Aim for just the important events that happen in the film.
3. Evaluate the film in a paragraph (or two). What did you think of the film? What did you learn about the artistry of film making by watching the film (apply the practical information of this course to the film)? What did you learn about the time period or narrative stories by watching the film? Etc.
4. Turn in your film review by the end of the marking period.
5. Repeat as needed.

Oscar Micheaux:
Robert Flaherty:
Vitagraph (Sidney Drew):
Lois Weber:
Robert Wiene:
Sergei Eisenstein:
F.W. Murnau:
Cecil B. DeMille:
Paul Leni:
Harry Hoyt:
Paul Wegener: 
MGM's:
  • Ben Hur (1925, with Raymond Navarro)
  • Sherlock Holmes (1922, with John Barrymore, from the George Eastman collection)
Adolph Zukor:
Other silent films (actors):
Carl Laemmle:

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