Different Approaches to Silent Film (Anthony)

    The most striking thing to me about the pair of silent films we just watched (besides the obvious lack of sound) was the distinctiveness of each of the films, something I hadn’t really thought about much, not being particularly well versed in silent films. I had kind of assumed that silent film was a monolith; rag time music played over unnaturally accelerated film. These two films showed why that was a mistake. Both of these films used characters, setting, psychology in completely different ways. 

    First, the quasi-comedy I Was Born, But… was a masterclass in using setting in an organic way such that it acted as an extension of the characters, indeed as a character in itself. The best way I can describe it is that it was empathetic. The setting was at turns warm and inviting, at others cold, infinite, and isolating, reflecting where the characters were psychologically. The setting acted as a visual sign of the moods of the characters. 

    When Keiji and Ryoichi see their father prostrating himself before his boss by making a fool of himself, the two boys are sent down a spiral of doubting the greatness of their father, illustrated by a dark, endless path. The pair see the path of their life, but the goal, what they will make of themselves is clouded by the sudden revelation that their father is not important. 

    In contrast, in the scene near the end where the two brothers and their father are sharing a meal of rice balls, there is a warmth in the bright, natural scenery. This reflects the warmth in the father’s mood and eventually in his sons’, as we see the three reconcile and come to a mutual understanding and respect of each other. 

    Because there is an emphasis on the characters as they exist in the place of the film, there are more medium shots than in the Passion of Joan of Arc, and so the acting is not the intense subtlety of Renée Falconetti, but rather a slightly exaggerated style so that the mannerisms unaided by speech can get across the emotions of the characters. 

    In contrast to the detailed, emotional settings of I Was Born, But…, the Passion of Joan of Arc uses a strikingly bare set. The walls are white and featureless, only evoking a vague medieval feeling. The effect of this is to bring much more emphasis on the characters themselves, their individual motives and passions. As mentioned above, Renée Falconetti is able to convey extreme subtlety with her eyes alone. And indeed, most of the shots in the film are extreme close ups of the character’s faces, often at odd angles to various effects. This way of filming the actors creates a sense of claustrophobia and forces confrontation with the innermost psychologies of the characters, mostly notably Joan herself. We can see every slight movement in her face, and her eyes speak louder than any dialogue ever could. 

    In this way, silent film shows that it can have just as much nuance and rich storytelling as any film with dialogue. It forces use of powerful imagery and nuanced physical acting in lieu of simply saying what the characters are feeling, which while a good script can elevate a film into true high art, in the hands of a lesser director or write a script can result in lazy characterizations, since they tend to rely on speech for exposition.