In need of a suggestion.

[MichiganJ]

I only get to see my nephew once a year over the Thanksgiving holidays, and each year I annoy my family by shooting some video and then editing the footage together as a "movie" (more like a music video), which I send to my nephew on his birthday in mid January. (It's then that the family is appreciative of my annoying camera.)

This year, instead of producing the same old thing, I'm making a "silent" film for my nephew--comprised of supposedly found footage in Guam, starring him, of course. The "footage" is Episode 7 from the serial "The Telepathic Animal Communicator", and naturally he's the hero, and his arch nemesis, "The Curmudgeon" is his grandfather (my dad).

Unfortunately, I'm resorting to a bunch of silent film clichés: damaged film, too fast projection speed (in parts), and even a whipped-cream pie in the face (yup, our Thanksgiving's can get pretty interesting.) What I'd like to do is also send him a gift of a real silent film--the way they should be.

My dilemma, what silent film to get a thirteen-year old boy? I know he likes movies, but, he's only been exposed to modern films. I don't think he's ever actually seen a black and white film before, let alone a silent one. And since I only see him once a year, I really don't know much about his tastes. (His favorite movie is The Simpson's Movie, and he likes AC/DC, so he's no lost cause, that's for sure.)

Anyone have a suggestion for a silent movie for a soon-to-be thirteen-year old boy?

[charliechaplinfan]

I'm tempted to say The General but on second thoughts, masterpiece that it is it might be too slow moving for a 13 year old. I'm still tempted to say Buster or Harold at their hair raising best. Watching their stunts today and knowing that what you see is what happened might impress a 13 year old. Steamboat Bill Jnr is quite impressive especially once the storm gets up, often a couple of shorts are included too. Safety Last is mighty impressive too, especially if you tell him about the accident to Harold's hand.

If I was to suggest a Chaplin, I hesitate not knowing how a 13 year old might view Chaplin, he's quite sentimental but I'd go for The Circus, my kids love that one and it's full of gags.

As for drama I think my taste is so different to what a 13 year old boy might appreciate I can't answer straight away. I will gove it some thought.

[ChiO]

THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC. No? Then GREED.

Tough question, but my first serious thoughts are: Comedy - THE GOLD RUSH; non-comedy - THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI.

[Lzcutter]

I second the choice of Steamboat Bill, Jr. it's a marvelous film, Buster has some great stunts and the storm is quite impressive.

[jdb1]

I would agree that a 13 year old boy would probably like Chaplin or Keaton, perhaps moreso than he might like Harold Lloyd. You'd probably do best with adventures, westerns, you know -- boy things. It's hard to say how dated he might find the comedy in silents. I'd stay away from anything that has too much mushy love stuff - don't think a kid that age would care much for Valentino.

Seems to me there are a lot of silent versions of classic books, which might kill two birds with one cultural stone, so to speak. I'm thinking of things like The Three Musketeers, Zorro, or other ripping yarns. Do you think he would go for Fairbanks, Sr.? How about Tom Mix? He might like a serial -- kids usually like those because they are short, plot-driven and have lots of action.

There are horror flicks as well, as has been pointed out. Caligari could be of interest, and also Metropolis. And there are silent cartoons as well. They were still showing Farmer Gray on TV when I was very small. I found those fascinating.

[JackFavell]

I have always thought that Two Arabian Knights is a good start for a newbie. A really funny, rather modern buddy picture, starring William Boyd and Louis Wolheim as two prisoners who escape from a German prison camp. Their adventures lead them to Arabia, where they become rivals for the hand of a captured princess (Mary Astor).

Unfortunately, there are bits of it that have degraded so much that it might be distracting....

I guess my second choice would be along the same lines, though not full length - you can't do better than Laurel and Hardy in Big Business.

[CharlieT]

Lon Chaney in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and/or The Phantom of the Opera. Most boys that age love horror and Chaney's the best.

[Mr. Arkadin]

I would second the Chaney recommendation. He's a very good draw for people who are new to silent film (most are curious because he's one of the few they've heard of). I've shown He Who Gets Slapped (1924) to many people who claim not to enjoy silent movies (or black and white for that matter) and always had good results.

On the comedy front, Keaton's Go West (1925) might not be his most popular title, but it never fails to amuse.

[Dewey1960]

THE CAMERAMAN (1928)

[srowley75]

Sherlock Jr. - which, if you buy the R1 Kino DVD, is paired with another Keaton feature.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002 ... d_i=507846

Pricey, but you can also check a couple other sites like Deep Discount to see if you could get it cheaper from another merchant.

-Stephen

[charliechaplinfan]

Our Hospitality and The Camerman, classic Keaton.

Chaplin's Mutual comedies, bite size each one uniquely entertaining.

Lon Chaney is a good start too, The Phantom of the Opera make sure you order a good copy, I got one with a dreadful soundtrack which had to be turned off, it was my own fault I bought a cheaper version, saw thing happened to me with Vampyr.

[MichiganJ]

Thanks everyone, for some terrific suggestions! I'm actually taking this quite seriously because I know that much of my fascination with film, particularly the silents, was formed during my childhood/adolescence. I wish I were closer to him, so that I could watch the films with him and add a bit of history and set-up, etc., but that's impossible and he's likely to just watch them alone.

I'm tempted to say The General but on second thoughts, masterpiece that it is it might be too slow moving for a 13 year old

This is exactly my concern about most of the features. I don't know what the patience level is for a thirteen-year old. Once most of the films are set up, I think that problem goes away, but it's the initial five-ten minutes that are the concern.

THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC. No? Then GREED.

Not Intolerance?

Tough question, but my first serious thoughts are: Comedy - THE GOLD RUSH; non-comedy - THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI.

The Gold Rush is one I hadn't considered but is pretty perfect as there are so many hilarious set-pieces, plus the official release is narrated by Chaplin, allowing for a silent without those bothersome titles.

CCF, Lzcutter, Mr. Arkadin:
For Keaton I think both Go West and Steamboat Bill, Jr are terrific introductions to Keaton. The climax in both films are impressive and funny and in both you don't need to know too much about Keaton's "character" to get the jokes.

Seems to me there are a lot of silent versions of classic books, which might kill two birds with one cultural stone, so to speak. I'm thinking of things like The Three Musketeers, Zorro, or other ripping yarns. Do you think he would go for Fairbanks, Sr.?

When I first started thinking about what to send, I was actually leaning towards Peter Pan--a great silent, but would probably be perceived as way too juvenile for a "teenager". Why I hadn't thought of Fairbanks, I don't know. If Zorro didn't have those long introductory titles, that would be perfect. The Three Musketeers has a pretty long setup, too, but that's a contender (I discovered Dumas in my early teens.)

I have always thought that Two Arabian Knights is a good start for a newbie.

I love Two Arabian Knights, but as you noted, the print is merely okay. I'd like to let him start with a pretty nice looking print, and then after igniting his passion for silent film, breaking his heart about the realities.

Lon Chaney in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and/or The Phantom of the Opera. Most boys that age love horror and Chaney's the best.

Chaney is where I started and agree completely. But I wonder what horror means to boys, nowadays. (My nephew hasn't even heard of Karloff or Lugosi!) But Phantom is high on the list. (If only I could include a subscription to Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine, too! Alas...)

I've shown He Who Gets Slapped (1924) to many people who claim not to enjoy silent movies (or black and white for that matter) and always had good results.

Is He Who Gets Slapped available?

THE CAMERAMAN (1928)

The Camerman, yet another perfect Keaton. In many ways, I think this is his best melding of comedy/story and romance. And one I hadn't considered… 'til now.

Sherlock Jr. - which, if you buy the R1 Kino DVD, is paired with another Keaton feature.

That Kino DVD is too perfect. Our Hospitality is one of my all-time favorites (although the start may be too slow for a newbie). Sherlock, Jr., despite being brilliant and consistently funny is also short! Perfect for short attention spans. Kino is actually releasing this collection on Blu-Ray soon, and when they do, I'll send my nephew my old DVD (whether he likes silents, or not!)

Chaplin's Mutual comedies, bite size each one uniquely entertaining.

The Chaplin Mutuals are pretty darn tempting. Shorts may be a good way to start, and you don't get better than the Chaplin Mutuals. And I'm sure that he has actually heard of Charlie Chaplin, despite never seeing one of his films.

I'll be talking with my sister (his mother) later this week and will try and subtly ask about more of his tastes in movies. Thanks again for the suggestions, and please keep 'em coming if you have more ideas.

[charliechaplinfan]

I thought of Peter Pan too but for the same reasons as you, dismissed it. It has a fairytale quality about it that I don't equate with teenage boys.

Fairbanks may go over well, although some of his features are long.

Has he watched Laurel and Hardy? I prefer their silent shorts to the sound ones, Big Business and You're Darn Tootin being my favorites. I'd personally still go with Chaplin but Laurel and Hardy are laugh out loud funny. I guess comedy is always better shared.

[Professional Tourist]

Anyone have a suggestion for a silent movie for a soon-to-be thirteen-year old boy?

As someone who is not a fan of silent films my reply might be useful. I think a good choice might be one that was remade some years later into a talkie. Watch the talkie first, then watch the original silent film upon which it was based. This might mean purchasing two DVDs or else a set that contains both versions.

This approach worked very well for me with The Ten Commandments -- the 50th anniversary edition comes with three discs -- two for the the 1956 color remake and one for the 1923 silent original (in this case, same director for both). The silent version has a commentary track, too, which I found helped to hold my interest.

So I would suggest this two-handed approach, and/or a silent film with commentary track.

[feaito]

What about "The Patsy" (1928)? It's such a fresh and funny film.