How to trick yourself into liking silent films.

For contemporary audiences, it can be incredibly difficult to get people to watch any films in black and white, let alone a silent film. Silent films require a level of attention that modern viewers can really struggle with. With so much short form and second screen content, our attention spans are shot. Watching a silent film can feel excruciating.

And the thing is, I get it! Even as a total movie girl since… I don’t know, forever, I struggled to get into silent films. It isn’t your fault that so much of the media we consume is designed to distract you. A former professor of mine once told us he was shocked that any of us are able to get anything done, just because of the sheer number of distractions we face daily. It takes so much extra effort to focus on anything because of the addictive nature of social media, the constant notifications from our phones, and the social pressure of missing out on new information.

However, if you don’t give silent films a chance, you will miss out on so many incredible stories. It may seem difficult, but you can train your mind into having the focus necessary to appreciate these films. You just need to know where to start.

Now, I started watching silent films in kind of an intense way. I had already grown up with plenty of films in black and white, so I was accustomed to the pacing of an older film, but the silence was really tough to deal with. You really can’t look away much.

The way our professor got us all to pay attention during screenings was to dock an entire letter grade from us each time he saw us with a device. That meant taking notes with good ol’ pen and paper, and leaving the phone locked up tight and silent in my purse. The fear of failing the class kept us all in line.

Now, that’s a tough to try and recreate at home, partially because you can’t create those kinds of stakes yourself. You can, however, still create a similar environment at home. You need to get rid of that phone.

The best thing to lower my screen time was to download an app blocker. I use Opal, and yes, they have a free version, they just do a great job of making it look like they don’t.

Basically, it helps me restrict the really distracting apps. like social media, games or other content, but you can choose any app to restrict that might get you distracted. You can also set timers that block the danger apps until the timer is up. That means, you can set the timer for the entire duration of the film, then it will go back to normal.

Once your phone is gone, you’ll realize how much easier it is to focus without distractions.

Part of tricking yourself into liking silent films has to do with the films you choose to watch. You don’t have to start out watching Skyscraper Symphony, you can choose works that feel closer to what you already enjoy. Stuff that isn’t so… boring. I’m sorry!!! But some of them are genuinely kind of hard to watch.

You don’t really have to watch Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory. The name pretty much explains it all to you. And yes, it’s important to film history, and sure, it’s cool to see when you think of the context in which it was shot, but at this point, we aren’t trying to get a degree in film, we’re just trying to get through one of these films. There are so many more engaging films with incredible storytelling.

If you haven’t watched any older films at all, I’d first suggest starting with talkies and working your way backwards, so you can at least get accustomed to the pacing of an older film. Some of my favorite talkies are Grand Hotel (dir. Edmund Goulding), You Only Live Once (dir. Fritz Lang), and Applause (dir. Rouben Mamoulian), if you’re interested in more dramas. I also adore Bringing up Baby (dir. Howard Hawks), Gold Diggers of 1933 (dir. Mervyn LeRoy), and It Happened One Night (dir. Frank Capra), if you’re interested in more lighthearted, rom-com style films.

I have other examples in this article if you’re interested, it includes more foreign films.

Once you’ve grown accustomed to how an older film tends to differ from more modern cinema, you’ll be able to easily transition into watching silent films. Here’s a quick list based on genre of films you can start with.

• If you like comedies, you’ve got to watch Buster Keaton! Check out One Week (dir. Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline), Cops! (dir. Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline), or The Boat (dir. Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline). These three are my favorites, but there are so many to choose from. I would also recommend Never Weaken (dir. Fred C. Newmeyer).

• If you’re into fantasy and magic, try watching A Trip to the Moon (dir. Georges Méliès), or The Golden Beetle (dir. Segundo de Chomón). There’s also The Cabbage-Patch Fairy (dir. Alice Guy-Blaché).

• If you mostly watch art films, try Ballet Mécanique (dir, Fernand Léger, Dudly Murphy).

• If you like documentaries, Nanook of the North (dir. Robert Flaherty) is considered one of the first documentary-style films (although it’s not depicting true events like we expect modern documentaries to be). I would also suggest Man With a Movie Camera (dir. Dziga Vertov). You also might enjoy some of the historical examples of the first films ever created, like The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (dir. Louis Lumière), Annie Oakley (dir. William K.L. Dickson, William Heise), or The Kiss (dir. William Heise).

• If you like sci-fi, you definitely have to see Metropolis (dir. Fritz Lang).

• If you want to see some animation, watch Gertie the Dinosaur (dir. Winsor McCay). You should also check out The Adventures of Prince Achmed (dir. Lotte Reiniger)

• If you’re interested in social commentary, you should watch The Life and Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra (dir. Robert Florey, Slavko Vorkapich), The Kleptomaniac (dir. Edwin S. Porter) is a great option for discussing class separation. It can be difficult to find silent films that tell Black stories, but I’d recommend Within Our Gates, the oldest surviving film with a Black director, Oscar Micheaux, who also wrote and produced it.

• If you enjoy romcoms I’d suggest you watch A Muddy Romance (dir. Mack Sennett). There’s also Wilful Peggy (dir. D.W. GRiffith). Mary Pickford is the lead, and is considered one of the biggest stars of silent film.

• If you like monster movies and dinosaurs (which I guess isn’t really a genre, but who cares, I love dinosaurs), watch The Lost World (dir. Harry O. Hoyt) or The Dinosaur and the Missing Link: A Prehistoric Trategy (dir. Willis H. O’Brien).

• If you mostly watch action films, you will love The Hazards of Helen (dir. Leo D. Maloney), which is actually a series! I really like episode 13, The Escape on the Fast Freight. You would also probably enjoy The Great Train Robbery (dir. Edwin S. Porter).

• If you like horror, you have to check out the classics of horror cinema, like Nosferatu (dir. F.W. Murnau), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (dir. Robert Wiene), and The Man Who Laughs (dir. Paul Leni). There’s also Suspense (dir. Lois Weber, Philips Smalley) but that’s more akin to a thriller.

• If you like dramas or films based on intimate personal relationships, you MUST see The Last Laugh (dir. F.W. Murnau). It’s one of my favorite silent films ever, and the cinematography is just incredible in it. There’s also The Big Parade (dir. King Vidor), which is another one of my favorites. There’s also Flesh and the Devil (dir. Clarence Brown) and Sunrise (dir. F.W. Murnau). Can you tell I like Murnau?

Now, this isn’t an exhaustive list, there are so many more out there to see, but this could be a great place to start. Make sure you aren’t watching in complete silence, always find a version that has a musical accompaniment.

Ok, so you’ve picked a great film, you’ve put the phone away, and yet you’re still having trouble focusing. Don’t worry, we’re going to get through this.

If you’re still having trouble focusing, what worked for me was doing a mindless little task so something occupied my hands. This can be tough, because you can’t choose something that will take too much of your attention away form the film itself. My option was always crochet. I had gotten good enough at it that I could do it without looking down at my fingers, and I’d make sure it wasn’t a complicated project, or at least a project I didn’t mind messing up.

I’ve also tried those silly little fidget toys for children. I’m not gonna lie, they work really well. They’re kind of awesome.

I found it useful to create a nice ambiance for my viewing experience. Although I didn’t have a TV, I set up my laptop and my room like a little movie theater. I would make popcorn, turn off the lights, set up a little movie chair. It was so fun. Plus, then you have the mindless little task of eating popcorn and your hands feel busy.

In the same vein of treating your home like a movie theater, try bringing in some other cinephile friends to watch these films with you! I was chatting with Lydia-Renee Darling the other day, and she called it an “accountabili-buddy.” Someone to hold you accountable and for you to hold accountable in return so you both can get something done.

It’s also been studied that people tend to change or improve their behavior when they’re being observed. Funnily enough it’s called the Hawthorne Effect (that’s my name!). So, if you’ve noticed you focus better in a public place, the Hawthorne Effect might be the reason. Why not make it work for you to get things done?

This might SEEM like it would be boring, but it’s actually really helpful.

If you’re anything like me, you kind of need a deadline or else it doesn’t get done. You know, it helps me watch new films every week when I know I need something to share for Letterboxd Friday, it helps me get my writing done when I know I have to have a post ready for Substack every Sunday morning. This is kind of the same thing, if you know you’re going to have a test afterwards, you might pay attention to the movie better.

Try taking notes and quiz yourself afterward. Who are the major characters, what is a plot synopsis, what was the turning point in the film? Or, if that feels like too much work, open a journal and just write a thoughtful review afterwards. Write about how you felt while watching, what you thought of the characters, things you liked, disliked, anything you want.

You can also try putting those reviews on Letterboxd, and since it’s a bit more public, it might help you keep yourself accountable.

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“Surrealist vision.” Ballet Mécanique. Director Fernand Léger, Dudly Murphy, 1924. IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014694/mediaindex/

“Buster Keaton and Sybil Seely covering their faces.” One Week. Directed by Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, Joseph M. Schenck, 1920. IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011541/mediaindex/

“The man in the moon.” A Trip to the Moon. Directed by Georges Méliès, Star Film Company, 1902. IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000417/mediaindex/?ref_=mv_close

“At the cinema.” Man With a Movie Camera. Directed by Dziga Vertov, All-Ukrainian Photo Cinema Administration (VUFKU), Dovzhenko Film Studios, 1929. IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019760/mediaindex/?ref_=mv_close

“Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, and Lars Hanson drinking together.” Flesh and the Devil. Directed by Clarence Brown, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1926. IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016884/mediaindex/?ref_=mv_close