Close-Up: Rescued by Rover (1905)

Cecil M. Hepworth’s Rescued by Rover (1905) is a film that I show to my students every year for an exercise on the language of storytelling and making meaning through inferences. Although the film contains no dialogue and the filmmaking techniques are over 100 years old, Hepworth nevertheless produces an effective narrative film. The film’s use of editing as a narrative device was ahead of the curve, paving the way for the complex editing styles of D.W. Griffith, Abel Gance, and Sergei Eisenstein. By linking shots together and providing a repeating set of edits, the audience is easily able to track the movements of Rover, the canine protagonist, as he goes about his noble quest to rescue his family’s kidnapped child.

The conflict of the story is established early, when a beggar woman (Lindsay Gray) kidnaps a baby girl (Barbara Hepworth), stealing her stroller while her nursemaid (May Clark) is distracted. As the nursemaid confesses to the family how she lost the child, Rover (played by Hepworth’s dog, Blair) leaps out the window and heads off to rescue the child. In true Lassie fashion, Rover finds the baby, returns to his master (Cecil M. Hepworth himself), and the pair head off to confront the beggar woman and save the day. The plot is incredibly simplistic, but for an era where narrative film was still a developing art form, the ease with which Hepworth’s plot is discernable is a commendable achievement.

By 1905 standards, the film was a hit, and “Rover” has become somewhat of a household name for dogs, owing to its success. Considered among the first British narrative fiction films, and possibly the first film to feature a canine star, Rescued by Rover helped pave the way for beloved screen stars like Lassie and Rin Tin Tin. Simple and sweet, Rescued by Rover is an effective silent-era adventure tale, well worth the five-minute time investment.

10 Films to Get You Started (Silent Cinema)

This post is only the beginning of what will become a regularly occurring series of original articles designed for film fans looking to investigate new, exciting (and sometimes intimidating) avenues in the world of cinema. As the title implies, the article will feature ten (10) film suggestions that I recommend as good “jumping off” points for various film genres/styles. Why ten? I have no sound reason, aside from an arbitrary taste for round numbers; I suppose I was in a metric mood when the idea struck.

Please be advised that these recommendations are not clinically tested or approved, so your love and/or hate of them will not definitively cement your own opinion of the genre, era, style, etc. Also, I wish to make it clear that these are suggestions for people who have an interest in something new, but are apprehensive over where to start. As such, this is not my attempt at a Best of… list. Instead, it is a pair of training wheels designed to suggest films that blend quality, importance, and ability to represent the topic in a way that is easy to digest for a newcomer. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome – particularly any which help promote the goal of this article: helping people who already love film find more to love.

10 Films to Get You Started: Silent Cinema

If you have been looking to explore some of the cinematic treasures produced during the silent era, but have been thus far intimidated or turned off by whole “no talking” thing, here are some suggestions for dipping your toes into silent waters:

1. A Trip to the Moon / Le voyage dans la lune (dir. Georges Méliès, 1902)

At some point, anyone seriously interested in silent film and the beginnings of film as an art form should devote 12 minutes to checking out this little film that, despite being over a century old, still manages to be a whole lot of fun. A film like this clearly shows the transition from stage to screen, along with some of the early effects (that still manage to be surprisingly cool today) that laid the groundwork for “movie magic.”

2. Broken Blossoms (dir. D.W. Griffith, 1919)

Director D.W. Griffith was, unquestionably, one of the titans of the silent film era. Unfortunately, most of his films that have come to be regarded as classics are uncompromisingly racist or unapproachably long (or, in the case of The Birth of a Nation, both). Thankfully, Griffith managed to keep his finest film under two hours and reasonably inoffensive (aside from being awfully politically incorrect and having star Richard Barthelmess stretch his forehead to appear more Oriental, the film does attempt a message of racial tolerance). The performances – Barthelmess, Donald Crisp, and silent-era queen Lillian Gish – are all first-rate, and the movie is beautiful in its own sad, sobering way.

 

3. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari / Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (dir. Robert Wiene, 1920)

One of the landmark films of the Weimar era, and a prime example of the silent film style of German expressionism (that would later be a major influence on film noir), Robert Wiene’s film is a warped, twisted tale of murder, psychosis, and sleepwalking. This film is exciting and groundbreaking – it’s an easy watch that will significantly boost your silent film IQ.

 

4. Our Hospitality (dir. John G. Blystone & Buster Keaton, 1923)

While this is probably not Keaton’s best film (that honor I would give to The General), it is one of his most fun, and probably my favorite. At just over an hour, the film is a thoroughly digestible length, and the plot is a scathingly funny attack on the notion of “southern hospitality” through the lens of two feuding clans. Keaton’s stone-faced, physical style of comedy is in fine form here, and the waterfall scene near the end is among the finest in any Keaton comedy.

 

5. The Thief of Bagdad (dir. Raoul Walsh, 1924)

I know, this movie is pretty long. Okay, it’s really long. While length can certainly make a movie less approachable, this is one instance where I’m going to allow a long movie to slip onto the list. While it nears three hours in length, it is also one of the best fantasy-adventure flicks that I have ever seen, and certainly does not feel its length. Douglas Fairbanks gives an athletic, dynamic performance amid three hours of stunning visuals and effects.

 

6. Chess Fever / Shakhmatnaya goryachka (dir. Vsevolod Pudovkin & Nikolai Shpikovsky, 1925)

While Battleship Potemkin is the critical gold standard for Russian silent cinema, I love this early romantic comedy from directors Pudovkin and Shpikovsky for its heart and sense of humor. A very funny look at foolish obsession, the film shows how the fervor of an international chess tournament affects the lives of the local citizens where the tournament is held. At only 28 minutes, this film is short, sweet, and well worth the watch. An added bonus for avid chess fans are the cameo appearances of several legends of the game in the tournament scenes.

 

7. The Unknown (dir. Tod Browning, 1927)

Early horror master Tod Browning (Dracula, Freaks) brings us the story of Alonzo the Armless (Lon Chaney), a knife thrower that must use his feet for all daily activities (including knife throwing). If seeing Chaney smoke a cigarette with his feet isn’t reason enough to watch this movie (it really is, though), Browning throws an interesting love plot into the mix. To cement the film’s watchable nature, the whole story wraps up in just over an hour. Recommended for anyone who isn’t terribly grossed out by feet.

 

8. The Crowd (dir. King Vidor, 1928)

A bleak criticism of the American Dream, King Vidor’s visually stunning drama follows the life of everyman John Sims from birth (on Independence Day, 1900) through the early portion of his professional life. Truthful and severe, the film pulls no punches as it shows the struggle of an infant with unlimited potential grow into a man who must fight to stay ahead of the crowd.

 

9. Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (dir. F.W. Murnau, 1931)

There were a handful of other interesting Murnau films that I considered for this list – Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, and Sunrise – but I ultimately went with this choice, mainly because it is the least seen (by IMDB vote count), and certainly deserves more viewers. The story is a tragic tale of forbidden love, beautifully filmed on location in Bora Bora. The gorgeous scenery and crisp cinematography are reasons enough to enjoy this movie; the story and Murnau’s expressionist-influenced direction make the film truly fascinating. An underrated gem from one of the early masters reminiscent of Steinbeck’s The Pearl.

 

10. City Lights (dir. Charles Chaplin, 1931)

Although there were already loads of people making talking pictures by 1931 (some of them very good), Chaplin stuck with the silent formula that he had already mastered, and delivers what I consider his finest film. With the brilliant blend of comedy and heartfelt drama that only a Chaplin film can deliver, City Lights is one of the finest films of any era: silent or otherwise. At 83 minutes, the film is short and well-paced, and rewards all watchers with one of the greatest final scenes in history.

 

Next Steps: Nanook of the North (Flaherty, 1922), Foolish Wives (von Stroheim, 1922), Safety Last! (Newmeyer/Taylor, 1923), Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein, 1925),  Phantom of the Opera (Julian/Cheney, 1925), The General (Keaton/Bruckman, 1926), Napoleon (Gance, 1927),  Metropolis (Lang, 1927), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Murnau, 1927), The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer, 1928).

So there you have them, 10 silent-era films to get you started. Enjoy!