MANIC MONDAY-SILENT

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The word silent is rather a sad word because it often discribes negative situations. If you are a silent witness, you probably have seen somebody killed. The expression "silent as a grave" means that deads don't speak. If you are silent about something, that means that you have something to hide. A priest has the duty to remain silent whatever he hears, even crimes. Therefore quite a lot were murdered by torture during the middle age because they remained silent. At court too you have the right to remain silent and that's also probably something bad you can't speak about. Silent minutes are observed to honor a tragedy etc.

The only positive "silent" is the silent movie. It must have been quite an event when the first films were shown. It usually took place in all kind of places wherever they could put a screen. Movie theatres came later. The movie was always accompagnied by a piano player on an old piano and the more it sounded false the more it was fun.

Especially in dramatic scenes he hammered on the piano as if he wanted to brake it. The actors had to overact and express their feelings or fear by exaggerated mimic. To us today it really looks too funny. There were a lot of famous actors and they were all adored. But when the sound film came out, most of them didn't find any role anymore because they had an awful voice ! What a disappointment.

Here are a few pictures and how the actors where categorized.

This Lady was considered a "Vamp" I think there are a lot of "vamps" running around today which is probably not the case anymore for "Virgin". Charly Chaplin with a virgin (I have my doubts)

A nude was represented like this and made already a big scandal. If the producers would see the "nudes" today .....

Buster Keaton also "posed" nude. Today a topless torse is not considered as a nude but at this time it was.

Believe it or not, but this is Gary Cooper, he also was an actor in silent movies but could switch over to sound films. He filled in the category "Cowboy".

The famous Valentino played "Sheiks"

The movies of Laurel and Hardy are still liked to be seen.

movie posters

Animals played in the silent movies too and probably the piano player hammered some notes to make the piano bark.

For those who are silent today I just repeat a comment I have got from an American woman :

"I don't think anyone should have a gun. The founding fathers wrote that into the constitution so people could protect themselves against the indians and against insurgents by the goverment. There was no thought given at that time to assault rifles that could fire 1000 bullets per minute!!!! Good lord already!!!"