Silent Awe
I thought that both of these films were very interesting. The stories fit very well into the silent film genre. Silent films are very dramatized and they have to be. When you aren't able to project the stories through words you have to take more extreme actions and over exaggerate your acting to make the audience more engaged. Silent film actors are very good at showing their emotions in a clear way. Directors have to be sure to lead the story in a way that it can be followed easily, as well as choosing the right soundtrack to back the film. If they don't the films will not do well. The audience has to follow the story closely. If they miss one word screen they might miss something important. As a viewer of silent films one has to also pay closer attention to the music as it helps move the story along. As I watched these films I found that the music really lead the films and it signified the important parts of the films.
As I watched Child of the Big City and The Dying Swan, I found that I was surprised at how many plot twists there were in both of these films. In Child of the Big City, it started in a very tense moment where the main character, Mary, lost her mother. She then grows and wishes she could live a more luxurious lifestyle. From the beginning I didn't really care for Mary. I felt that she was just taking everything she had and was given for granted. When she was working in the sewing factory she obviously didn't have a lot but she had enough to live her life. She always took from everyone and continuously wanted more. I felt so bad for Viktor because he truly loved her and she was just there for the money. On the contrary, I really liked Gizella from The Dying Swan. I thought she was truly good. She genuinely loved Viktor and he betrayed her. I was very proud that she left and followed her dream of becoming a ballerina. I was very interested in the man who was obsessed with finding death. I was very saddened by Gizella’s sudden death from being strangled. All in all I really enjoyed these movies.
As I watched Child of the Big City and The Dying Swan, I found that I was surprised at how many plot twists there were in both of these films. In Child of the Big City, it started in a very tense moment where the main character, Mary, lost her mother. She then grows and wishes she could live a more luxurious lifestyle. From the beginning I didn't really care for Mary. I felt that she was just taking everything she had and was given for granted. When she was working in the sewing factory she obviously didn't have a lot but she had enough to live her life. She always took from everyone and continuously wanted more. I felt so bad for Viktor because he truly loved her and she was just there for the money. On the contrary, I really liked Gizella from The Dying Swan. I thought she was truly good. She genuinely loved Viktor and he betrayed her. I was very proud that she left and followed her dream of becoming a ballerina. I was very interested in the man who was obsessed with finding death. I was very saddened by Gizella’s sudden death from being strangled. All in all I really enjoyed these movies.
The music really adds to the film where words simply do not.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the plot twists! I never expected such an in depth plot from a silent film but I was surprised to find the story was pretty good. I also enjoyed both of these films.
I was surprised from Gizella's death as well. I expected her to escape her fate especially because she had that dream of her being told she was going to die. I thought that would stop her from seeing the creepy painter but sadly it didn't. I thought the films were well done and i really had to play close attention so that I didn't miss anything. That is true of silent films.
ReplyDeleteI agree the music definitely makes a huge impact on silent films- and probably more on films today than we realize.
ReplyDeleteI also made a note about how how expressive the actors were and I found to be interesting and engaging. Of Course I'm sure that this was necessary for the audience to actually understand the plot of the film but overall I'm just impressed how much they were able to do with the limitations of the medium.
ReplyDelete