“Creepy Stories,” a silent horror film starring Anita Berber and Conrad Veidt Photo: Getty Images
By Oliver Ohmann
2nd day of the Berlinale. Have you been to the cinema? Today another little story from the history of the film city of Berlin. Keyword silent film.
It is always said that early film was silent. But that’s not entirely true. Before the sound film conquered the screen at the end of the 1920s, cinema audiences only saw moving images flicker. On the screen, the actors moved their lips but you couldn’t hear what they were saying.
In order to understand an action, short texts were displayed in subtitles. It said, for example, “Don’t leave me lover!” or “Get away from me, you bastard!”.
But not being able to hear the voices also had advantages. Films could be understood internationally and did not have to be dubbed. All you had to do was translate and exchange a few subtitles and an Asta Nielsen film could be shown in Berlin, London, Chicago, Moscow or Shanghai.
It wasn’t quiet in the cinema either. The cinema piano player strummed to the film. There were also “film narrators” who explained what was on the screen. In addition, cinema was a popular amusement and there were heckling and even applause.
More about cinema and film in “Klappe! – History of the Film City Berlin” by Oliver Ohmann, published by Elsengold.