Hey, hey, Hey! So, heres the thing... Most "teens" or just younger people for that matter now days think older movies are stupid or something. Well, I'm here as a teenager to tell you differently. I have grown up watching old movies whether black and white, musicals, etc... and I absolutely LOVE them! They are so awesome! There is nothing like an old musical or black and white film. They just don't make them like that anymore. So, on this page, 'Old Films', you can learn all about Musicals, Black and White Films, and Silent Films. There is also a list of Musicals and Black and White Films that I've put together and I will continue to add movies to them as I collect the titles because I know there are *Many* more out there I am definitely missing! So check it out and take this challenge: If you aren't usually one for old films, I challenge you to pick one musical and one black and white film off my list. Just sit down and watch them with some friends or family. You might just change your mind about these films...
Musicals
Most people know what Musicals are, but for those of you who don't, its totally ok! A musical is a movie or theater production that contains a regular story or plot but along with the regular speaking or dialogue, the characters also sing throughout the story. Musicals are sometimes known as musical comedies and usually include humor, singing, dancing, and the regular storyline. Wikipedia says: "The musical film was a natural development of the stage musical. Typically, the biggest difference between film and stage musicals is the use of lavish background scenery which would be impractical in a theater. Musical films characteristically contain elements reminiscent (suggestive) of theater; performers often treat their song and dance numbers as if there is a live audience watching. In a sense, the viewer becomes the audience, as the performer (sometimes) looks directly into the camera and performs to it." The First all-talking feature by Warner Brothers, was "Lights of New York" released in 1928 which included a musical sequence in a night club. Wikipedia says "The enthusiasm of audiences was so great that in less than a year all the major studios were making sound pictures exclusively. The first movie that could be said to be a musical was "The Broadway Melody". It was a smash hit and won the Academy Award for Best Picture for 1929. There was a rush by the studios to hire talent from the stage to star in lavishly filmed version of Broadway hits." "The 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s are often considered the golden age of the musical film when the genre's popularity was at its height", says Wikipedia. "Musical stars such as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were among the most popular and highly respected personalities in The musical film today: "The trend in modern filmmaking after the 1960s had been to avoid "musical films" as such, in favor of using music by popular rock or pop bands as 'background music' in the hope of selling a soundtrack album to fans. There are exceptions to this rule, however, and films about actors, dancers or singers have been made as successful modern-style musical films, with the music as an intrinsic part of the storyline. The other exception to the rule is the animated movie, which almost always include traditional musical numbers, some of which, such as "Beauty and The Beast" and "The Lion King", have later become live stage productions. In the early 2000s however, the musical film has begun to rise in popularity once more, with new works such as Moulin Rouge!; film remakes of stage shows, such as Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, and Dreamgirls; and even film versions of stage shows that were themselves based on non-musical films, such as The Producers and Hairspray." Note: Most of my information is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_film. | Black and White Films
Roundhap Garden Scene, a silent film created by Louis Le Prince in 1888, is believed to be among one of the first black and white films made. This film was a three second film of people walking around in a garden. I do not have much information about the beginning of black and white films. But I do know that by the 1950s, using color or black and white was an artistic decision. Once they began to use color in movies/films, it was very expensive. So many people chose to stick with Black and White. Brian R. Johnson, on his site Getting Gun Stuck says: "Color was an option. The film makers knew that motion pictures present the viewer with impressions, not literal presentations of the real world. Black and white and the various shades of gray create illusions that color in its literalness cannot duplicate." Johnson also says, "Color became the standard in the late 1960's because of television. It was a commercial decision on the part of the movie companies. Those too young would not remember what a big deal color T.V. was and how most of us wanted to dump our black and white sets. When just about everything on T.V. became color, film makers realized that their movies would have limited appeal on T.V. if they were in black and white. Note: Most of my information is from: http://www.gettingunstuck.com/Film/Classic_Cinema/black_and_white_movies.htm. Silent Films
A silent film is, yep you guessed it, a SILENT film. As in no sound...no speaking... They usually do have music playing in the background though. In silent films, you see the actors and actresses do their thing (act) like in all other movies. But usually Silent Films are in black and white and you can see the people moving their lips without any sound coming out. Either before or after they say something, a slide comes on with their words for you to read. It’s actually a pretty neat concept! Wikipedia says: "The idea of combining motion pictures with recorded sound is nearly as old as the motion picture itself, but because of the technical challenges involved, most films were silent before the late 1920s." "The first film was created by Louis Le Prince in 1888. It was a three second film of people walking around in a garden, called Roundhay Garden Scene. The art of motion pictures grew into full maturity in the "silent era" before silent films were replaced by "talking pictures" in the late 1920s. Many film scholars and buffs argue that the artistic quality of cinema decreased for several years until directors, actors and production staff adapted to the new "talkies." The visual quality of silent movies -- especially those produced during the 1920s -- was often extremely high. However, there is a widely held misconception that these films were primitive and barely watchable by modern standards. This misconception is due to technical errors (such as films being played back at wrong speed) and due to the deteriorated condition of many silent films (many silent films exist only in second or even third generation copies which were often copied from already damaged and neglected film stock)." Some popular silent films were/are: The Mark of Zorro, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Blood and Sand, The General, and Pollyanna. Note: Most of my information is from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_film . |
