Chapter 1
The birth of moving pictures
Chapter 2
The art of silent storytelling
Chapter 3
Global golden ages and masterpieces
Chapter 4
The transition to sound and legacy
YOUR GOAL
Master of The silent film revolution
Ch 4 · The transition to sound and legacy
schopenhauer The transition to synchronized sound abruptly ended the careers of many legendary silent film actors.
schopenhauer A shocking percentage of silent films are lost forever due to highly flammable and fragile film stock.
BETA
schopenhauer Match cute silent film stars to their studios to discover the pioneers of early Hollywood.
Fun Fact
Lost treasure: In 1978, a bulldozer in Dawson City, Canada, unearthed hundreds of silent film reels buried in an old swimming pool, preserved perfectly by the permafrost.
Glossary
talkie (noun)
An early motion picture with a synchronized soundtrack, especially one featuring spoken dialogue. The 1927 release of The Jazz Singer effectively ended the silent era by popularizing synchronized speech.
An early motion picture with a synchronized soundtrack, especially one featuring spoken dialogue. The 1927 release of The Jazz Singer effectively ended the silent era by popularizing synchronized speech.
Quiz
According to the Library of Congress, approximately what percentage of American silent feature films are lost forever?
Quiz
Why were early silent films printed on nitrate stock so prone to being lost over time?
Quiz
Which October 1927 movie is widely credited with launching the sound era and ending silent films?
Quiz
What sound-on-disc technology was used to synchronize music and dialogue in The Jazz Singer?
Quiz
What is the primary method modern film archivists use to preserve decaying silent film celluloid today?
Quiz
How did early sound recording technology initially restrict the physical acting of former silent stars?
Quiz
Which 1937 disaster destroyed the master prints of thousands of early films from the Fox Film Corporation?
Quiz
Which 2011 French silent film tribute won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture?