© Mark Ollig
During the mid-1970s, the introduction of Betamax and VHS tape machines ignited a home entertainment revolution.
We could rent or buy movies shortly after their theatrical release and watch them at home on television.
I remember renting movie tapes from the Mid-Town Video store below what was once known as the Campbell Building in Winsted.
“Be kind, please rewind.”
You could even rent the machine to play the tapes on.
Thanks, Steve.
Despite predictions, VHS and Betamax did not cause the demise of movie theaters, although they did lead to a decline in theater attendance during the 1980s.
However, countless moviegoers still craved the theater experience, which included savoring the aroma of salty and buttery popcorn wafting through the air from the lobby popcorn machine.
Finding a good seat with a clear view of the projection screen was always a sign that we would enjoy the movie.
The movie is about to begin. The two large red curtains part horizontally, exposing the projection screen, also known as the silver screen.
The term “silver screen” originated from using silver-coated screens in the early days of cinema projection.
Silver was used as a reflective material to enhance the brightness and visibility of light-projected images on the screen.
The movie projector whirs as its lamp illuminates the silver screen with moving images, transporting us to a cinematic wonderland, temporarily freeing us from our worries.
Last year, I became interested in silent films from the 1920s.
To learn more, I researched and watched several movies from that era.
In 1924, a movie ticket for a silent film was 25 cents, equivalent to $4.50 in 2023.
During the 1920s, silent filmmakers pushed the boundaries of the visual narrative.
Intertitle film cards with text script were inserted at various moments during the film to give the silent movie a narrative and conversational dialog for the viewers.
Many silent film actors came from the stage theater.
Actors were trained in facial expressions, body language, and pantomime to effectively portray emotions and nonverbal communication that brought their characters to life.
Film directors employed creative camerawork to capture a scene in a choreographed manner; storyboards were used to sequence the shots in the movie.
Black-and-white film stock used in the 1920s was less light-sensitive than modern film, so filmmakers had to control light precisely to capture details in highlights and shadows.
The cinematographers used studio recording cameras, such as the Bell and Howell 2709 model, which captured films at variable frame rates of 16 to 24 frames per second.
Its flexibility allowed filmmakers to experiment with different speeds, influencing the mood and pacing of the scenes.
Imaginative narratives, set design, lighting, expressive acting, and live musical accompaniment, usually in the form of a piano, were standard practices in silent films.
After shooting the acting scenes, the next step in movie production involves editing by physically cutting and splicing film strip images on multiple reels for distribution in theaters via film canisters.
Cylindrical steel or aluminum reel canisters were used to store the celluloid film and had a screw-on lid for protection.
The standard length of a silent movie film reel was typically around 1,000 feet.
Silent films flickered at 16 frames per second in theaters equipped with arc-light or incandescent lamp projectors in the 1920s.
A reel of film that is 1,000 feet long runs for approximately 11 minutes, which means that a full-length silent film, which could range anywhere from 60 to 120 minutes, requires many film reels.
Intermissions in the silent film era weren’t just about getting more popcorn; they were vital pauses for the house projectionist to swap out an empty movie reel with the next one to be run.
Intermissions also allowed the theater’s piano player, who musically conveyed the “emotions” during the movie, to quickly rest and prepare the melody for the next film segment.
Film studios printed thick paper “lobby cards” featuring photographic stills and text information.
Usually about 11 by 14 inches in size, the lobby cards were introduced in the 1910s, featuring scenes from movies and famous actors of the time.
Whether displayed in the entrance foyer or outside the theater, lobby cards were an appealing way to promote movies and generate excitement.
The cards complemented movie posters and were a successful marketing tool for attracting paying moviegoers.
In 1925, Charlie Chaplin’s silent film “The Gold Rush” was released by United Artists, a studio that Chaplin co-founded.
The movie was originally ten film reels long but was reduced to nine for its theatrical release.
Plenty of lobby cards for the film were also distributed.
Immerse yourself in the cinematic wonder of a silent movie from the 1920s.
Just close your eyes and hear the rhythmic clicking of the movie projector’s gears, accompanied by the gentle hum of its spinning sprocket wheels.
The silver screen instantly transports you to the lavish interiors of an opulent Art Deco nightclub.
Our protagonist, a confident-looking, well-dressed flapper of the Roaring Twenties, sits at a round mahogany table, its surface shimmering under the soft lights. A chic cloche hat, a trendsetting style of that era, snugly covers her wavy, chin-length bob-cut hair.
The pianist at the theater fills the room with smooth and captivating jazz tunes as the silent movie plays.
 |
Lobby card from the 1925 Charlie Chaplinsilent movie "The Gold Rush" |
