The General and His Wooden Wedding: A Great Works Response to two silent films

            When I sat down to watch these silent films, I was not looking forward to spending my evening watching an old film.  I underestimated how well done old films could be.  I also liked how simple Charlie Chaplin really is.  He is simple but effective.  In The General I specifically enjoyed the music and the simplicity of it.  I think that simplicity was easily a major lesson that I could learn from watching these old films.

            That’s the thing about the silent film.  It was simple.  It was full of funny notions to make people laugh, but it had the romance that people enjoy.  It was filled with full actions so viewers would understand the story without dialogue.  There were no major special effects.  It was merely simple but hilarious.  Charlie Chaplin and the main character in The General were both very funny to watch.  Their faces explained their feelings very well.  That means they would have had to be great actors to effectively explain their emotions on the screen.  Some films are way too much the opposite of a silent film.  If a film is all dialogue and no acting, then it is rendered ineffective and boring to the viewers.  There must always be good acting whether dialogue is there or not.

            Another effective addition to the film was the music that stretched throughout the length of the film.  The music kept the mood.  If it was fast and exciting music, it was a fast and exciting part.  If the music was slow and calm, then the story was slow and calm.  The guy in The General was sometimes sad.  Sometimes he was happy, or scared, or angry, or nervous.  The music never failed to match his mood.  When he was sad, the music was sad, when he was nervous, the music was nerve-racking, and so forth.

            I really enjoyed stretching out of my comfort zone to watch and analyze these two films.  The simple plots with simple acting and simple effects kept the entire thing entertaining.  It reminds us that a movie does not have to be stuffed with effects for it to be any good, but it simply needs to have the basics of a good film with a good story.