"Movies were intended to talk from their inception, so that in some sense the silent cinema represents a thirty-year aberration from the medium's natural tendency toward a total representation of reality." This quote by David Cook deals with what is referred to as the “silent era” in film history. This era was between 1894 to the early 1920s and dealt with films with no synchronized sound. These films that were produced in this era were known as silent films and include motion pictures with subtitles instead of sound. Some of the motion pictures known as silent films include: The Gold Rush, Girl Shy, For Heaven’s sake, The Dark Angel, and Dangerous Money. The film reviews of these motion picture films will be looked into for a better understanding of how the audience felt about these films. These American films were born in the age of reform and addressed themes that focused on major social and moral issues that the audience could relate to. A common theme that was prevalent in the aforementioned movies is the openness of romance in the American society.

Romance films mainly involve a connection or bond shared between the two protagonists. There were many ways the theme love was displayed in these silent films. Some examples of the themes displayed in these romance films include: young love, love at first sight, unrequited love, spiritual love, sexual and passionate love, sacrificial love, tragic love, and forbidden love. The film, The Dark Angel, could be looked at as a tragic love story at first and then at the end a “happily ever after” type ending. It takes place during the “echoes of the world war” and uses the world war as a stage of conflict in the love story of Hillary Trent and Kitty Vane. This film also reflects what the American society was going through at the time. Most men were going off to war and women were left independent not knowing if their husbands would return. A romance film would not be complete without a “happily ever after” ending so “A strong man might well be excused for weeping at some of the scenes in this delightful romance, especially when Trent decides to end it all and changes his mind… (Dark Angel)”

The silent film, The Eternal City, “…is a picture which has gripping story framed in wonderful and beautiful scenes” ("Mussolini's Block-Shirts"). This film can be looked at similarly as The Dark Angle. It also used the World War as a back drop and touched on social issues that were amongst the American society at the time. This film is filled with drama and action scenes like when “there is another dramatic encounter between David and Bonelli, in which Bonelli is slain while struggling for a revolver” ("Mussolini's Block-Shirts"). This film was more of a tragic love story because David is never reunited with Roma after being left to die on the battlefield.

The romantic comedy, Girl Shy, revolves around the central theme of romance just like the other films and also ends with a “happily ever after” ending. Women were not easy to win over in the 1920s because there were many different fashion trends going on and new styles being released. If an individual wanted to win another’s heart, you would have to show them the money. This romantic film is about Harold Loyd trying to make some money so he can approach a girl he has fallen in love with. Many films similar to Girl Shy dealt with gender relations during the silent film era. Passionately kissing and undressing started to become common in movies, as the female audience grew larger and larger. These recurring themes of romance and comedy also become apparent in the silent films Dangerous Money and Gold Rush.

The movie reviews of these films mainly discuss the plot and conflict of silent films. They also focus on the actors and actresses referring to them by their real name and also their fictional name. The reviews critique the actors in a positive manner. For example, in Dangerous Money, “Tom Moore as Tim is excellent throughout this effort with his grimaces, his looks of wonder, and his stolidity” ("The Rich Poor Girl"). In Chaplin’s comedy, The Gold Rush, “Mack Swain is remarkable as Big Jim Mckay and Malcolm Waite is convincing as the sneering villain” ("Charlie Chaplin's New Comedy"). The reviews also did not negatively bash any of the five films. Critics of Girl Shy states that, “There is no denying that row upon row of faces in the packed theatre enjoyed it to their hearts’ content” ("Fun by the Mile"). The reviews did not pay too much, or if any attention at all, on technology because there were not many advances at the time other than motion pictures. An orchestra was usually playing along with the movies that kept audiences entertained and intrigued. During the night of the release of Chaplin’s comedy, The Gold Rush, “…he sat looking at the picture and listening to Carl Edouardo’s orchestra he was not insensible to the chuckles and shrieks of laughter provoked by his own antics on the screen” ("Charlie Chaplin's New Comedy").

These silent films represented what was occurring during the 1920s in the American society. These films also served as an alternative to saloons as a stress reliever for Americans at the moment due to all the chaos going on. This was the era when America’s cinema was on the rise. In the early 1920s, Hollywood became the film capital. Movie attendance soared and about half the nation’s population went to the movies at least once a week. Audiences could relate to what they were watching because they usually addressed issues at the time and focused on themes like romance. Silent films produced in the early teens and twenties like Girl Shy and Dangerous Money, set the foundation for future films and reshaped the American society as a whole.

Works Cited

"Fun by the Mile." Review. New York Times 21 Apr. 1924: 21. Print.
Hall, Mordaunt. "A Blind Hero." Review. New York Times 12 Oct. 1925: 19. Print.
Hall, Mordaunt. "Charlie Chaplin's New Comedy." Review. New York Times 17 Aug. 1925: 10. Print.
Hall, Mordaunt. "Fun and Thrills." Review. New York Times 21 Apr. 1924: 21. Print.
Hall, Mordaunt. "The Rick Poor Girl." Review. New York Times 14 Oct. 1924: 21. Print.
"Mussolini's Block-Shirts." Review. New York Times 21 Jan. 1924: 20. Print.