Biography silent films music

Motion pictures without synchronized recorded sound

"Silent movie" redirects here. For the Mel Brooks film, see Silent Movie. For the band, see A Silent Film.

A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue).

Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when necessary, be conveyed by the use of inter-title cards.

The term "silent film" is something of a misnomer, as these films were almost always accompanied by live sounds.

Modern silent films

During the silent era, which existed from the mid-1890s to the late 1920s, a pianist, theater organist—or even, in larger cities, an orchestra—would play music to accompany the films. Pianists and organists would play either from sheet music, or improvisation.

Sometimes a person would even narrate the inter-title cards for the audience. Though at the time the technology to synchronize sound with