Silent Movies

Talk to people who saw films for the first time when they were silent, and they will tell you the experience was magic. The silent film, with music, had extraordinary powers to draw the audience into the story, and equally potent capacity to make their imagination work. They had to supply the voices and the sound effects, and because their minds were engaged, they appreciated the experience more. The audience was the final creative contributor to the process of making a film.

The films have gained a charm and other worldliness with age but, inevitably, they have also lost something. The impression they made when there was no rival to the moving picture was more profound, more intense; compared to the easily accessible pictures of today, it was a blow of a two-handed axe, against the blunt scraping of a table knife. The silent period may be known as “The Age of Innocence” but it included years unrivalled for their dedicated viciousness. In Europe, between 1914 and 1918 more men were killed to less purpose than at any other time in history. In publications of the time, one reads horrified reactions against films showing “life as it is”. You did not leave the problems at home merely to encounter them again at the movies. You paid your money initially, for forgetfulness.

Gradually movie-going altered from relaxation to ritual. In the big cities, you want to massive picture palaces, floating through incense-laden air to the strains of organ music, to warship at the Cathedral of Light. You paid homage to your favourite star; you dutifully communed with the fan magazines. You wore the clothes they wore in the movies; you bought the furniture you saw on the screen. You joined a congregation composed of every strata of society. And you shared your adulation with Shanghai, Sydney and Santiago. For your favourite pastime had become the most powerful cultural influence in the world, exceeding even that of the Press. The silent film was not only a vigorous popular art; it was a universal language – Esperanto for the eyes.

b. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did the audience of silent movies appreciate them so much? 2. What makes the author think that the first movies provided the audience with a sort of escape from reality? Do you agree with this point of view? 3. Why does the author call the first cinema houses “Cathedrals of Light”? Do you think that this comparison can be applied to modern cinema houses? 4. Are there many people nowadays for whom cinemas is a favourite pastime? Can we claim that cinema is still the most powerful cultural influence exceeding even the press? 5. Do you think that the advent of sound killed the silent movies?

c. Explain what the author means by the following:

1. The films have gained a charm and other worldliness with age but, inevitably, they have also lost something. What have the films gained? Are their achievements mainly associated with the progress of science and technology? What have they lost?

2. The impression they made when there was no rival to the moving picture was more profound, more intense compared to the easily accessible pictures of today.

d. There are three main functions of the silent movies singled out by the author in this extract. Pick them out and enlarge on them. Do you think that these functions are performed by modern films as well?

2. Use the Topical Vocabulary in answering the questions:

1. What does a usual cinema consist of? 2. How often do you go to the movies and where do you prefer to sit? 3. What types of films do you know? 4. What films appeal to you most? 5. Do you care for long films? 6. What is a film star? 7. What do we mean when we say that a film has a message to convey? 8. Why does a director trying to interpret a great work of literature on the screen take upon himself a most responsible task? 9. How is the cinema used as an aid of teaching? 10. What do you know about international film festivals?

You are going to read an article about a famous actress. Choose from the list A-G the paragraph which fits each gap (1-5). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Sharon Stone

In the space of a few years, Sharon Stone has gone from being regarded as just another pretty face on the Hollywood scene to being considered a serious and talented actress. Her performance in the recent films Casino and Last Dance have proven her talent beyond doubt.

C

Last Dance deals with an even darker subject. Stone plays the part of a woman who has been sentenced to death, and most of the action takes place in a prison cell on death row in an American prison.

In order to play the role, Stone had her hair dyed about twenty times to get the right shade of dirty brown.

Surprisingly, she didn’t feel ugly at all. In fact, she found it liberating not to worry about messing up her hair or ruining her make-up.

She proved that she no longer had to rely on her looks to play a part effectively. In another attempt to get rid of her “glamour girl’ image, she turned up at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles wearing an old T-shirt and skirt. Why did Stone decide to turn her nose up at the Establishment at one of the biggest international displays of designer fashion on earth?

She enjoyed rocking the fashion world. “It was cool,” she said. Stone’s determination to succeed can be seen in the way she deals with the nasty rumours that cheap newspapers print about her.

She has learned to keep quiet about her personal relationships, and to separate her public and private lives.

Her efforts to keep her private life to herself and preserve her energy for professional pursuits show how much she wants to keep on growing as an actress. She also plans to try her hand in other areas. “I’m going to direct some music videos later this year, and if that goes well, I might try directing something bigger.” Whatever she does, she’s determined to do it right – and she’s definitely succeeding.

A After her performance in Basic Instinct, people came to expect Stone to project the same image in all her roles. She turned all that around in Last Dance.

B “I don’t even go to events with men I’m dating,” she said. “I usually go alone, with friends or with my father. I just don’t need the drama.”

C In Casino, which is set in the dark world of gambling and violence, she plays the wife of a casino owner. Her fine performance earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

D She has a notice-board in her office where she pins up the most ridiculous stories, concerning her private life. “Some of them are hilarious,” she said. But in her view, as long as people are talking about her, she’s still in the public eye.

E She also had her hairdresser give her a really bad haircut so that her hair would look untidy and badly kept. When she walked on the movie set, people were shocked at how plain she looked.

F Stone is also very close to her sister, but admits to having problems with her brother. He was recently released from prison for committing an offence.

G Her explanation is that trying to find the perfect cut fit to wear to such an event can drive you crazy. ”I just wanted to wear my favourite, most comfortable clothes,” she said. “Why shouldn’t I dress simply if I want to?”

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