SILENT DISCOVERIES is a textbook example of how silent films were treated before preservation was taken seriously and how far preservation has come since the 1950s. Everything considered wrong with or bad about silent movies is on display here. First up let’s take a look at YESTERDAY AND TODAY one of the very first silent film compilations predating Robert Youngson’s more celebrated collections (WHEN COMEDY WAS KING, DAYS OF THRILLS AND LAUGHTER) by around 5 years. This 1953 offering has narration from George Jessel which is condescending and not terribly funny. He also gets virtually every film title wrong although that’s not his fault but shows how little film preservationists knew back then.
We know this thanks to the invaluable commentary by Richard M. Roberts who was able to track down most of the correct titles as well as identify many of the performers. First watch YESTERDAY & TODAY without his commentary and then again with it for an eye opening experience. The musical accompaniment is not bad for its vintage but there are those annoying sound effects which presenters back then felt silent movies had to have. The film clips used are in surprisingly good shape and many are very rare and are a real treat to see.
The other title in this set is an actual Italian feature from 1920 called AFTER SIX DAYS which is its 1929 sound reissue title. All the intertitles have been removed and there is some very ponderous and rather curious narration to accompany excerpts of well known classical music which has nothing to do with what’s happpening on screen. Even though this is a 16mm reduction of the 35mm original which has not been restored, the movie itself is not very good with classic silent film overacting and shoddy special effects. Not being speed corrected doesn’t help the film either.
It’s good to have AFTER SIX DAYS for historical purposes but it’s tough going even for silent film enthusiasts and shows how spoiled we’ve become by quality releases from Flicker Alley and Kino. VCI Entertainment has released a number of silent film packages in the past few years which range from great (BECOMING CHARLEY CHASE) to good (WEISS-O-RAMA) to not-so-good (THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY: 100th ANNIVERSARY EDITION). SILENT DISCOVERIES falls into the good category but mainly for showing us how silent films used to be treated and never will be again. For that reason it will appeal to silent film lovers but others be wary.
The Capsule Critic 