Beyond Silence: Sound Effects, Animation and 3D in the Silent Era

ABOUT THE EVENT: A look at commercial 3-D images created during the silent era. Promotional stereo photographs featured behind the scenes looks at movie stars and productions, such as Lon Chaney in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. And stereo cards for penny arcade machines featured many silent movie actors including Ben Turpin, Snitz Edwards, and Chaplin impersonator Charles Amador, who performed on screen as Charlie Aplin. Harold Lloyd and Douglas Fairbanks even commissioned their own personal stereo photographs during the filming of their movies. The presentation will also offer the first public exhibition of recently discovered 3-D photos taken on the set of a 1920 western picture. ABOUT THE FILMS: “Gugusse and the Automaton,” 1897, Dir. Georges Méliès, 1 Min, France, UCLA Gugusse, a clown, is both astounded and bewildered upon seeing the mechanical movements of an automaton. FORMAT: DCP “Felix In Love,” 1922, Dir. Otto Messmer, 6 Mins, USA, UCLA While serenading Kitty, Felix is knocked off the fence by a lamp that is thrown at him. It turns out to be a magic lamp, and when the genie of the lamp appears and grants Felix a wish, he decides to make a trip to Africa, which he believes will make Kitty love him even more. FORMAT: 35mm “Do Women Pay?,” 1923, Dir. Paul Terry, 6 Mins, USA, Thad Komorowski A mouse’s girlfriend is kidnapped by a vicious cat. The boy mouse sets out to rescue his sweetheart from the clutches of the evil feline. FORMAT: DCP “Fifteen Minutes,” 1921, Dir. Charley Chase, 9 Mins, USA, UCLA While his wife is shopping, Snub attempts to take a fifteen minute break. Starring Snub Pollard. FORMAT: DCP “Koko’s Earth Control,” 1928, Dir. Dave Fleischer, 6 Mins, USA, UCLA Koko the Clown and his dog Fitz walk into a building where levers that control various aspects of the Earth are located. After Fitz presses a particular lever, the world goes topsy-turvy and out-of-control. FORMAT: 35mm “Alice Rattled By Rats,” 1925, Dir. Walt Disney, 7 Mins, USA, UCLA Alice leaves her home and has asked her cat to take care of the house. But the rats are trying to keep the cat out of their way, especially, when they discover Alice’s home-brew, it is not that difficult… FORMAT: 35mm