film & television

Silent Film Resources

Has the success of The Artist – winner of five Oscars including Best Picture – piqued your curiosity about silent film? We have a wide array of materials on silent film available for checkout or online access. The following is a sampling of DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, books, articles and online resources available through the Barrington Area Library. Click on any title to see the full record or place a request.

DVDs

The Gold Rush. Dir. Charlie Chaplin. Perf. Charlie Chaplin. Warner, 1925. Call number: DVD GOL
The Little Tramp heads to Alaska in search of gold but finds more than he bargained for.

Méliès le Cinémagicien. Dir. Jacques Meny. Arte Vidéo, 1997. Call number: 378.3025 FIN 2010-2012

A documentary on the seminal early French filmmaker Georges Méliès.

The Phantom of the Opera. Dir. Rupert Julian. Perf. Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin. Image Entertainment, 1925. Call number: DVD PHA 1925.

The original film incarnation of the classic story.

Our Hospitality. Dir. Buster Keaton and John G. Blystone. Perf. Buster Keaton. Kino, 1923. Call number: DVD OUR.

Young Willie McKay journeys west to claim his inheritance but finds it isn’t what he hoped for. He does, however, meet an enticing woman.

Metropolis. Dir. Fritz Lang. Kino, 1927. Call number: DVD MET 1927.

The classic German science fiction film looks ahead to a 21st century city run by oppressive machines.

 

Nosferatu. Dir. F.W. Murnau. Kino, 1922. Call number: DVD NOS 1922.

Well before vampires glittered, they were just plain scary looking. Keep the lights on.

Blu-rays

The General. Dir. Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman. Perf. Buster Keaton. Kino, 1926. Call number: DVD GEN

Johnny Gray, in an effort to prove his worth to a woman and the Confederacy, takes on Yankee spies after they steal his train.

 

Modern Times. Dir. Charlie Chaplin. Perf. Charlie Chaplin. Image Entertainment, 1936. Call number: DVD MOD

Chaplin’s work on an assembly line makes him crazy in this mostly silent film.

 

CDs

Bource, Ludovic. The Artist. Sony Classical, 2011. Call number: L ARTI ART

The Oscar-winning score for this year’s big winner.

 

Air. Le Voyage Dans La Lune. EMI, 2012. Call number: L VOYA VDL

The French band Air was commissioned to write new music for a re-release of the 1902 science fiction film. Here they expanded their score for the 14 minute film into a full-length album.

Books

Kobel, Peter. Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture. New York : Little, Brown, 2007. Call number: 791.4309 KOB

A history of silent film from the actors and technology to restoration work being done today.

Weissman, Stephen M. Chaplin: A Life. New York: Arcade Pub., 2008. Call number: B CHAPLIN, C

Charlie Chaplin’s rough childhood and the development of his Little Tramp character are covered in detail.

McPherson, Edward. Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat. New York: Newmarket, 2005. Call number: B KEATON M

A look at the silent film star from his early vaudeville days through the 1920s movies that made him famous.

Whitfield, Eileen. Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1997. Call number: 791.43028092 PIC

Discover more about the life and influence of the star of Coquette, The Taming of the Shrew and Little Annie Rooney.

Menefee, David W. The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2004. Call number: 791.430280922 MEN

Menefee profiles 15 silent film actresses including Pearl White, Sarah Bernhardt and Theda Bara.

Articles

DeAngelis, Gina. "Silent stars." Cobblestone Jan. 2007: 18+. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

Keslassy, Elsa. "Mooning over Melies: French film pioneer inspires current day vfx gurus and ground-breaking helmers." Variety 12 Dec. 2011: 31+. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

Johnson, Brian D. "Silence is golden for 'the artist': the absence of speech creates emotional space in the Oscar front-runner." Maclean's 6 Feb. 2012: 58. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

"In praise of silence." The Economist [US] 18 Sept. 1993: 96. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

Online resources

Library of Congress’ American Memory Collection

Hundreds of early short films and videos are available to stream and download. Watch late 1800s and early 1900s Americans at work, at leisure, in vaudeville, in New York City and more.

The Internet Archive’s Silent Films

Many silent films have fallen out of copyright and are available for free download here. Several of Chaplin’s films are available as well as Méliès’ Le Voyage Dans la Lune.

UCLA Film and Television Archive’s Preserved Silent Animation

Stream or download 11 animated films from the early 1900s.

 

Award Winning & Nominated Films

Check out or place a hold for these Oscar, Screen Actors Guild, and Golden Globe nominated and winning films currently available at the Library.

The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, A Better Life, Warrior, Beginners, Bridesmaids, The Ides of March, 50/50, The Guard, Crazy, Stupid, Love, J.Edgar, Hugo, The Skin I Live In, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, My Week with Marilyn, Young Adult, The Descendants, Carnage, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, In the Land of Blood and Honey, War Horse, The Iron Lady, Albert Nobbs, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Coming soon to DVD:
In Darkness (6/12)
Bullhead (6/26)
The Artist (6/26)
The Flowers of War (7/10)
Footenote (7/24)

Films awaiting DVD release dates:
Monsieur Lazhar, A Separation, The Kid with the Bike

The Library will have these titles available when they are released on DVD, however many of these films are still in theatres.

 

Award Winning & Nominated TV Series

Check out or place a hold for these Golden Globe winning and Screen Actors Guild nominated TV series currently available at the Library. (Current season may not yet have been released)

30 Rock, Big Bang Theory, Glee, Modern Family, The Office, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Good Wife, Two and a Half Men, Nurse Jackie, Hot in Cleveland, Friday Night Lights, The Borgias, The Big C, Parks and Recreation, Californication, Downton Abbey, The Hour, Mildred Pierce, Page Eight, Luther, The Kennedys, Damages, The Lost Valentine, Game of Thrones, The Killing, Cinema Verite, Suits

Coming soon to DVD:
Too Big to Fail (6/12)

TV series awaiting DVD release dates:
Harry's Law, American Horror Story, Homeland, Boss

One-Click DVD Searches: see what we've got at BALibrary

New DVDs: A sampling of new DVDs

Blu-Ray: Browse the library's collection of Blu-Rays

Movies by Genre: Browse films by category

Television: Catch your favorite series on DVD

Online Resources

Hulu: View popular current and past television shows free online.

The Internet Movie Database: Details on everything related to movies

Movie Previews: Growing library of movie trailers

MyMediaMall: Free children's programs, documentaries, and travel series, downloadable to a PC or portable device.

 

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