A collection of news and information pertaining to silent era films.
Copyright © 1999-2008 by Carl Bennett. All Rights Reserved.
Other Notable Websites
We love to find useful webpages and websites. We hope you will take a few moments to investigate these sites that we find are of value and are entertaining.
Websites also come and go. At any one time there may be one or more broken links to sites that have been moved to new servers or have gone offline altogether. Please bear with us as we try to keep pace with the changing world of the Internet.
GENERAL SILENT FILM WEBSITES
 Silents Are Golden — Tim Lussier’s site features several articles of interest on silent era films, including an archive of contemporary reviews of silent era films. Expanding and more valuable with each passing month.
Silent Movies — From Australia : GLen Pringle’s longtime silent-film oriented website features a collection of information on several topics pertaining to the silent era.
Silent Ladies & Gents — David B. Pearson’s massive website of portraits and stills of silent era film stars. The latest posting features more than 13,500 photos of more than 1350 silent era performers. The number one source of images of silent film personalities.
The Silent Squadron — Website includes information on silent era serials and stars. Now offering home video editions of silent and sound serials on DVD.
Slapstick — David B. Pearson’s Quicktime cavalcade of snippets from slapstick comedy.
The Silent Film Stills Archive — From Murphy, Texas : Bruce Calvert’s online collection of silent film stills, with information on identifying stills.
INDIVIDUAL SILENT ERA FILMS
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari — Ingrid Richter’s detailed webpage on the German expressionist masterpiece.
Fantômas — The Fantômas website, includes a section on the silent era films based on this fictional character.
Frankenstein — For years the 1910 Edison production was thought to be a lost film. This webpage now offers a home video edition of the film on DVD.
Greed: von Stroheim’s Silent Movie Classic — Michael Mills’ enthusiastic website devoted to Stroheim’s broken masterwork.
Productions Photographs from Greed (1924) — From Berkeley, California : Fantastic collection of still photos from the production of Greed from the collection of Jean Hersholt, now online. Includes hand-drawn portraits by Hersholt.
The Lost World (1925) — The Dinosaur Interplanetary Gazette’s diary on the George Eastman House restoration of the beloved film.
Fritz Lang’s Metropolis — From Brazil : Augusto Cesar B. Areal’s enthusiastic website examines the history and survival states of the film.
Der Rosenkavalier: The Silent Film — Article on the restoration of the Robert Wiene film Der Rosenkavalier (1926) and its American Symphony Orchestra presentation.
SILENT ERA PEOPLE
Golden Silents — General biography website of silent era film stars.
Notable Personalities of the Silent Era — From Seattle, Washington : Erick Larson’s webpage of information on some well-known and not-so-well-known people active in the silent era.
Unsung Divas of the Silent Screen — Greta de Groat’s growing website on diva actresses from the silent era focuses on Norma Talmadge, Clara Kimball Young, Pauline Frederick and Alice Joyce. Also featured are extensive links on many other actresses to other Internet resources. Immensely valuable.
Arbucklemania — David B. Pearson’s tribute site to Roscoe Arbuckle (his friends never called him ‘Fatty’), the much maligned comedian and comedy film mentor of Buster Keaton. The site features a biographical section, a filmography and QuickTime video clips. A well-designed and fun site.
Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle: Silent Screen Legend — Lean website on the rotund comedian.
A Tribute to Betty Bronson — From Australia : Don Koks’ website on the star of Peter Pan (1924).
Louise Brooks Society — From San Francisco, California : Thomas Gladysz’s loving tribute to one of the silent era’s most-enduring images. Features a large collection of Brooks photos and articles. The first online stop for information on Brooksie.
The Silent Film Career of Bartine Burkett — Website on the popular and coy costar of Buster Keaton’s.
Chaplin Film Locations Then & Now — Explore the current state of locations where Charles Chaplin films were shot.
The Chaplin Review — Slowly-growing website on the popular film comedian.
The Virginia Lee Corbin Scrapbook — Tim Lussier’s beautiful website focuses on the former child actress.
Marlene Dietrich, Silent Film 1923-1929 — From Germany : Filmography of Dietrich’s silent era work.
The Pauline Frederick Website — From Stanford, California : Greta de Groat’s website on one of the silent era’s lesser-known stars includes a filmography, photos, contemporary articles, and video reviews.
The Official Lillian Gish Website — From Indianapolis, Indiana : Lean website sanctioned by the Estate of Lillian Gish and maintained by CMG Worldwide.
DG: Excerpts from D.W. Griffith’s Greatest Films — From New Orleans, Louisiana : The University of New Orleans’ Drama & Communications Department’s website featuring QuickTime excerpts from Griffith films. Another website by David B. Pearson.
The Official Jean Harlow Website — From Indianapolis, Indiana : Lean website sanctioned by the Estate of Jean Harlow and maintained by CMG Worldwide.
Gareth Hughes — From Wales : Stephen Lyon’s biographical website on the respected and kindly Welsh silent film actor.
The Alice Joyce Website — Greta de Groat’s website on the madonna of the screen includes a filmography, photos, contemporary articles, and video reviews.
Buster Keaton: The Damfino’s Official Website — The International Buster Keaton Society’s official site, with all things Buster. Great photos, articles, recent news, and more. Learn how to make a pork pie hat!
The Harry Langdon Society — From Downers Grove, Illinois : The official site of the Harry Langdon Society researched, written and edited by Floyd C. Bennett, with website design by David B. Pearson. The site includes an extensive biography of Langdon, a filmography and bibliography.
Harold Lloyd: The Official Website — From Indianapolis, Indiana : The official website of The Harold Lloyd Trust and Harold Lloyd Entertainment Inc., controller of Harold Lloyd’s films. Now maintained by CMG Worldwide.
Hello, Harold Lloyd — The first Internet site dedicated to Harold Lloyd was created by Annette D’Agostino Lloyd in 1995, and has recently been relaunched for everyone to enjoy.
The Georges Méliès Database — Daniel Wardgelsh’s online listing of Méliès’ films.
Oscar Micheaux — From Great Bend, Kansas : Tribute site to the pioneering African-American filmmaker.
Tom, Owen, and Matt Moore: Silent Film Stars — Loosely organized webpage on the Moore brothers began as a geneological investigation. Features a large number of photos of the actor brothers.
Mabel Normand Home Page — From Seattle, Washington : Biographer William Thomas Sherman’s website on the popular film comedienne.
Ramon Novarro — From New York, New York : Allen L. Hubby’s tribute site to the star of Ben-Hur (1925).
The Anita Page — The official website of Anita Page.
Mary Pickford Institute for Film Education — From Los Angeles, California : The official website of the Estate of Mary Pickford and the Mary Pickford Institute for Film Education.
The Search for a Film Legacy: Mary Pickford (1909-1933) — From Washington, DC : Christel Schmidt’s ongoing project to identify the whereabouts of surviving Pickford films.
Edna Purviance: Welcome to Paradise — Linda Wada’s website on Charles Chaplin’s beloved leading lady. Includes a French-language version of the website.
Wallace Reid: King of Paramount — From Chillicothe, Ohio : Website on the popular silent film star who died a tragically early death.
The Official Gloria Swanson Website — From Indianapolis, Indiana : Lean website sanctioned by the Estate of Gloria Swanson and maintained by CMG Worldwide.
The Norma Talmadge Website — From Stanford, California : Greta de Groat’s valuable resource on one of the silent era’s loveliest stars includes an extensive filmography, photos, contemporary articles, and video reviews.
Taylorology — From Tempe, Arizona : Bruce Long’s incredible run of online publications focusing on the mysterious murder of film director William Desmond Taylor. Each issue consists chiefly of contemporary magazine and newspaper articles on the murder. Long also examines published theories ‘solving’ the murder in detail.
Falcon Lair: The Rudolph Valentino Home Page — Donna Hill’s devoted website on the Latin star who swooned a million hearts.
The Clara Kimball Young Website — From Stanford, California : Greta de Groat’s website on the first lady of the screen includes a filmography, photos, contemporary articles, and video reviews.
Alfred Cheney Johnston — Author Robert Hudovernik’s website dedicated to the photographer of the stars.
SILENT ERA FILM STUDIOS
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company — From Los Angeles, California : The company somehow lives on in this contemporary production company.
Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum — From Fremont (Niles), California : Website of the historical preservation efforts in Fremont, California, and of the Broncho Billy Film Festival.
Thanhouser Company Film Preservation Inc. — From Portland, Oregon : Website on the silent era production company established by Thanhouser heir, Ned Thanhouser. Several surviving Thanhouser films are available from the company on DVD and videotape.
SILENT ERA MOTION PICTURE CAMERAS
Sam Dodge — From Home, Washington : Website of silent film camera collector and dealer Sam Dodge presents some historical information about the cameras he has for sale.
CINEMA HISTORY
The German-Hollywood Connection — Hyde Flippo’s timeline of German cinema developments.
CineGraph — From Hamburg, Germany : Hans-Michael Bock and Detlev Balzer’s extensive website on German language films features histories, a lexicon of German studios, information on film festivals, contemporary articles and more. In German language only, with a site guide in English.
Early Cinema — A source of information on early films.
Filmgeschichte — From Bremen, Germany : A source on early German film edited by Olaf Brill and Thomas Schultke.
The Japanese Silent Films Site — From Japan : Matsuda Film Productions’ detailed website on the silent era in Japan, which lasted well into the 1930s. In Japanese and English.
More Than One Hundred Years of Film Sizes — From Holland : Michael Rogge’s overview of the development of film stock sizes. Many illustrations to aid readers.
LOST FILMS
— No current listings under this category. —
FILM PRESERVATION
American Film Institute Preservation — From Washington, DC : The AFI’s online information on its film preservation efforts through the National Center for Film and Video Preservation.
Buckey’s Film History, Preservation, Conservation and Resources Page — From Mt. Airy, Maryland : Buckey Grimm’s very useful site with information on film preservation issues.
The National Film Preservation Foundation — From San Francisco, California : Nonprofit organization coordinates film preservation efforts among participating film archives.
3-D Film Preservation Fund — From Palmdale, California : Nonprofit organization preserves and restores stereoscopic motion pictures from the silent era to the present.
UCLA Film and Television Archive Preservation — From Los Angeles, California : Information on the film and videotape preservation efforts at the University of California at Los Angeles.
The Vitaphone Project — Nonprofit organization of early sound film enthusiasts established this website to act as a clearinghouse of information cataloguing of surviving Vitaphone elements and to be a motivating force in the restoration and preservation of Vitaphone sound films.
MOTION PICTURE ARCHIVES
American Film Institute — From Washington, DC : The AFI is interested in the whole of motion picture history and their website reflects this. Occasionally, information of interest to the silent film enthusiast is presented. The website now includes an online database of silent era films.
British Film Institute — From London, England : The BFI’s all-inclusive motion picture website.
The International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House — From Rochester, New York : Take a virtual tour of the George Eastman House. While you’re there, investigate information on their silent film holdings and on silent era film showings in the Dryden theater.
The Library of Congress — From Washington, DC : Your tax dollars hard at work preserving our motion picture heritage. Includes extensive streaming video representations of early silent era films. Way cool.
The Museum of Modern Art — From New York, New York : MoMA’s website covers all collections and programs, including information on silent era films.
UCLA Film and Television Archive — From Los Angeles, California : The largest motion picture archive on the West Coast of the United States. Information on film collections and their preservation efforts.
Also see our listing of Silent Era Film Information Resources for private archives, museums, libraries and historical societies holding materials on silent films.
MUSEUMS
The Cayuga Museum — From Auburn, New York : Located on the former family estate of Theodore Case, the museum includes displays in the original workshop of synchronized sound film pioneer Case, whose work became the Movietone sound process.
Hollywood Heritage Museum — From Hollywood, California : The Hollywood Heritage Museum (Hollywood Studio Museum) is located in the historic Lasky-DeMille Barn studio and is operated by Hollywood Heritage Inc., a nonprofit organization.
The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum — From Fremont (Niles), California : Website of the historical preservation efforts of the Niles Essanay Preservation Committee in Fremont, California.
The William S. Hart Ranch and Museum — From Newhall, California : Museum situated on the former ranch of the popular silent film star. An extension of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
CLASSIC FILMS TELEVISION
American Movie Classics — The website of the amiable cable TV network for old codgers and film buffs. You gotta love Bob Dorian and Nick Clooney. Check their schedule for occasional silent film showings.
Turner Classic Movies — From Atlanta, Georgia : The Turner Classic Movies cable television network has done a lot in the name of silent film preservation, with restorations of the MGM film library and annual competitions to give opportunities to young film music composers. Check out their monthly schedule for their weekly sunday night silent film showings.
CLASSIC FILMS PUBLICATIONS
Bright Lights Film Journal — Website of articles on silent film topics from the film history publication.
Classic Images — From Muscatine, Iowa : A website based on the long-time publication that focuses on silent era and golden era films.
SILENT ERA FILM SOCIETIES AND FESTIVALS
The Silent Movie Theatre — From Hollywood, California : The year-round silent film festival, established by the late John Hampton, the theater is again showing silent films and modern classics.
Hollywood Heritage — From Hollywood, California : This nonprofit preservation organization maintains and operates the Hollywood Heritage Museum in the Lasky-DeMille Barn studio, the historic Wattles Mansion, and is an umbrella organization over the Silent Film Society (of Hollywood).
The Silent Film Society of Chicago — From Chicago, Illinois : This organization sponsors an annual silent film festival that usually takes place in late July through late August of each year.
The Forssa Silent Film Festival — From Forssa, Finland : The annual silent film festival.
Kansas Silent Film Festival — From Topeka, Kansas : The annual silent film festival takes place on the campus of Washburn University in Topeka.
Out of Sight — From Nottingham, England : The annual film and television archive festival held by Broadway Cinema features rare silent era films in its broad-spectrum programs.
Pordenone Silent Film Festival — From Sacile, Italy : The annual film festival has evolved into the most respected showplace for recently preserved silent era films.
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival — From San Francisco, California : An annual film festival that usually takes place in July of each year.
The Silent Clowns Film Series — From New York, New York : Bruce Lawton and Ben Model present silent comedy films in the New York area year round.
Silents in the Court — Not a film festival, but check Michael Neno’s site for silent film presentations that may be showing in your area.
The American Theatre Organ Society — The first-stop site for information on theatre organs and performers. Discover the status and current location of famous pipe organs from the golden age of movie palaces.
The Garden State Theatre Organ Society — From New Jersey : Society dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of theatre pipe organs.
The Los Angeles Theatre Organ Society — From Los Angeles, California : Society dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of theatre pipe organs.
The Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society — From Seattle, Washington : This nonprofit organization, dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of theatre pipe organs, has been active since 1958.
FILM PRINT DISTRIBUTORS AND RETAILERS
ClassicMovies.com — Distributors of 35mm and 16mm rental film prints, including prints from the Douris Corporation.
HOME VIDEO DISTRIBUTORS AND RETAILERS
Kino International — From New York, New York : One of a handful of national home video companies that have a genuine interest in silent era films. Kino offers DVD and VHS videotape home video products through their Kino on Video brand. We urge you to support this company.
LSVideo — From Carmel, Indiana : This public-domain videotape company specializes in VHS videotape copies (from 16mm prints) of films by Lon Chaney, Conrad Veidt, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, and in those by German filmmakers Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau. A handful of other silents are available, including their trademark Floorsweepings compilations.
Milestone Film & Video — Quality producer of home video editions of silent films on DVD and videotape. Features several films on home video from the archives of The Mary Pickford Foundation.
Reel Classic DVD — From Midland Park, New Jersey : Public-domain home video company offers a number of silent era films on DVD-R.
Sinister Cinema — From Medford, Oregon : Another public-domain videotape company featuring VHS videotape copies (from 16mm prints and the occasional 35mm print) of motion pictures, specializing in horror films, B-films, serials and westerns. A handful of silent era films can be found among their extensive list of offerings, some now available on DVD-R discs.
Sunrise Silents — This public-domain home video and publishing company began business in January 2004, offering DVD-R editions of silent era films and digital replications of silent era periodicals such as Photoplay.
Unknown Video — From South San Francisco, California : Another public-domain videotape company specializing in films of the silent era. Several rarely seen titles. Many tapes feature music performed by the late Bob Vaughn. Unknown Video has announced that they will be offering DVD-R titles.
CONTEMPORARY FILMS
Cinemonkey — From Portland, Oregon : A website revival of the irreverent late 1970s international film journal created by DK Holm and Carl Bennett. Today, critics DK Holm and Pat Holmes utilize the website as an extension of their cable TV film review program Film@Eleven. Film reviews, book reviews, opinion pieces and general crankiness prevail. Includes reviews and writings by Carl Bennett.
DVD HOME VIDEO
The Digital Bits — From Irvine, California : Bill Hunt’s excellent DVD information website.
The DVD File — From Los Angeles, California : This evolving site from editor Peter M. Bracke’s team has become one of the top DVD information websites.
The DVD Journal — From Portland, Oregon : R.S.D. Wederquist’s DVD information website. Full of reviews and news of interest to the DVDphile.
DVD Verdict — From Chicago, Illinois : Sean McGinnis’s informative DVD website features news, DVD reviews, product reviews and more, with an unusual premise: each reviewer is a judge and the reviews are “on the docket.”
Masters of Cinema — From London, England : Nick Wrigley’s DVD information website covers the masterpieces of world cinema released on Region 1 and Region 2 DVD. If you love Criterion discs, you’ll love this site.
MISCELLANEOUS AND UNRELATED
The Firesign Theatre — The official website of the comedy troupe who ruled the late 1960s and 1970s.
The Fort Lee Film Commission — From Fort Lee, New Jersey : Website of the newly-formed film commission and self-proclaimed birthplace of films.
Kraftwerk — From Germany : Official website of the German synthesizer band. Minimalist site is innovative and ultra cool.
The Museum of Television and Radio — From New York, New York and Beverly Hills, California : The museum of other things we love.
Tinfoil.com — From Portland, Oregon : Glenn Sage’s website on the earliest forms of sound recording.
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