Essays, interviews, archives, and video resources on early cinema \u2014 curated reading on films, directors, and movements across the silent and early sound eras.
Library of Congress preservation essay on Keaton's political chase comedy and police slapstick.
Library of Congress essay on Stroheim's million-dollar Monte Carlo con artist drama and Gothic sensibility.
Essay on Lloyd's pioneering feature-length comedy mixing slapstick with character development and heart.
Essay analyzing Christensen's horror essay-film on witchcraft, superstition, and neurological disorders.
Library of Congress essay on Flaherty's pioneering documentary raising questions of ethics and representation.
Ebert's analysis of Murnau's vampire masterpiece and its dreamlike use of shadow and silence.
Essay on Dwan's most expensive silent film featuring Lloyd Wright's castle set and Fairbanks' athleticism.
Analysis of Keaton's comedic techniques and endless string of gags around the blacksmith theme.
Critical analysis of Keaton's automation comedy and examination of human error in design.
Max Linder's parody of The Three Musketeers with sight gags and anachronistic humor.
Criterion essay on Chaplin's dramatic masterpiece exploring modern perspectives on female independence.
Analysis of Jean Epstein's pursuit of photogénie and innovative camerawork in melodramatic setting.
Criterion essay on Gance's innovative rapid montage and literary influences from Victor Hugo and Émile Zola.
Analysis of Keaton's physical comedy and dangerous stunts in this family feud melodrama.
Essay on Lloyd's domestic comedy exploring his character's married life with family conflicts.
Great Movie essay examining Harold Lloyd's iconic clock sequence and visual metaphor for the American Dream.
Criterion essay on Lloyd's overlooked genius and his place alongside Chaplin and Keaton.
Analysis of the first epic Western and its influence on the genre's development through authentic pioneer wagons.
Analysis of Dupont's groundbreaking cinematography and visual storytelling.
Essay examining Normand's comedic talents and the film's place at the end of her career.
Analysis of Chaplin's gentle satire on small-town religion with classical theatrical roots.
Essay on Dulac's feminist cinema exploring a wife's subjectivity through visual effects and symbolism.
Analysis of German Expressionist street film with hallucinatory visuals of Berlin and innovative lighting.
Festival resource on Valentino's final performance before his death.