American silent comedy context (C3)

• Silent cinema overview:
• What years were the silent film era?


  1894-1929
• What was the era of silent film?


  The thirty-five-year span between initial development of film technology and widespread adoption of synchronized sound  
• Vitally important period in film history --> artistry, influential, revolutionary 
• How did WW1 effect the industry in 1914?


  Wiped out European film industry and American film industry fills void  
• How did new technology and addition of sound change silent cinema?

  Silent films ready to be released halted to include dialogue, inclusion of sound often uncomfortable and jarring for viewer to watch   
• When were the late silent period and modernist film movements?


  Late 1920s - 1930
• American silent film comedy context:
• Why was slapstick and gag-based comedy a popular genre/movement of the silent film era

  Gags could be seen with no need for dialogue and were accessible to all (immigrant population of 10 million in USA who weren’t fluent in English) 
• What year did film comedy emerge in the USA as a staple genre? 

  1912
• Who founded Keystone Studios?


  Matt Sennett
• What was Keystone Studios reputation known for?

  Short, gag-based, fast-paced physical slapstick comedies
• Keystone was the biggest producer of American comedy films in mid 1910s  
• When was the 'golden age' of silent film comedy?


  1920s
• At what year was the star system established by?

  1919
• How did the star system influence the silent film comedians?

  Distinct personas and comedy style of the great silent comedians were developed by the studios
• What year did Joseph M. Schneck set up Buster Keaton Productions and give Keaton complete creative freedom in writing, directing and acting 


  1919
• What features does film scholar Charles Wolfe list as the conventions of silent films?

  • Falls and chases played for big laughs 
  • Stunts that thrill audiences 
  • Star comedians with intriguing personalities  
  • Implausible scenarios  
  • Stories told efficiently and clearly 
  • Evoking of dream-like states  
  • Critiques of American society 
• What's vaudeville?

  A popular form of entertainment in USA from 1880s –1930s where a variety of performers (acrobats, singers, comedians) perform short skits  
• Keaton developed his physical comedy from vaudeville into his films 
• Features of the 1920s:
• Modernity/ modernism
• Urbanization --> more Americans lived in cities than on farms  
• Technological advances --> 1912 - 16% of American households had electricity 
• Most significant consumer product of the 20s was the affordable automobile --> Ford Model T  
• Mass consumption --> wealth in USA more than doubled  
• What years did prohibition occur?

  1920-1933
• Prohibition caused violent battles between criminal gangs –bootleggers  
• How did roles change for women in the 20s?


  Voting rights in US and UK, Jazz age flappers (End of WW1)
• Separation of social classes --> Jim Crow segregation laws 
• What were the ongoing political movements?

  Marxism, socialism 
• What were the ongoing artistic movements?

  Expressionism, surrealism, modernism