Films by season & age - Without Words (Ages 8-12)

Seasons are a great way to explore different ideas through watching a group of films. Why not try watching all the films in a season and make some time for discussion. Topics and discussion points are included.

As many of you will already know, when the movies started, they did so in silence – or at least accompanied only by music. Technology back then was unable to record the actors’ voices at the same time as the camera filmed them. These days, that might sound like a problem in making a great movie – but in fact, it pushed film-makers to create movies which were incredibly spectacular. And now, although these old classics take a little getting used to, the best of them are still every bit as thrilling as the latest blockbuster. Here at FilmClub, we wanted to bring you a taste of those old school favourites – and so that’s part of what this season of great movies does. But there’s more to it besides – because as well as offering classic movies from the silent era, we’ve also included modern films which have chosen to tell their stories in ways other than speech. In some, that lack of dialogue reflects what the films are about – the documentary Into Great Silence, for instance, is about life inside the famous “Grand Chartreuse” monastery. In others, it has more to do with the characters of the stories – in the comedy Sweet and Lowdown, for instance, the most loveable character in the whole movie cannot speak at all. And don’t confuse a film not having words for it taking place in silence – for the likes of Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka, music takes the place of speech as a way to tell the story. All of which pretty much brings us back to where we came in!

SUGGESTED PAIR

Microcosmos and Into Great Silence are a pair of fantastic modern documentaries which are actually improved by not having a narration explaining the action on-screen. City Lights and The General are two classic comedies from the silent era, starring a pair of the funniest men who ever made movies – Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

TALKING POINTS

Did you miss the sound of people speaking while you were watching the movies? Do you think sometimes it’s more effective for a film to just use images and music than to have a character or narrator speaking? Can that approach make the film more enjoyable?