Golden Silents: Iconic Photographs of 1920’s Movie Stars

Bebe Daniels, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Bebe Daniels.

The great film director Alfred Hitchcock considered silent movies to be the purest form of cinema. Talkies were just bad theatre or as Hitchcock said:

In many of the films now being made, there is very little cinema: they are mostly what I call photographs of people talking. When we tell a story in cinema we should resort to dialogue only when it’s impossible to do otherwise. I always try to tell a story in the cinematic way, through a succession of shots and bits of film in between.

The pioneers of cinema worked in a world without sound. These actors, writers and directors produced movies which succeeded on the skill of producing narrative without talking. These individuals also established the world of PR and celebrity which now dominates our culture.

Once-upon-a-time, a celebrity was famous for a specific talent or skill rather than ambition or ego. The stars of silent movies like Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, or Gloria Swanson had exquisite talents to express thought and emotion without language. In some respects these performers trump today’s screen stars. Names like Louise Brooks, Buster Keaton, John Gilbert, and even Charlie Chaplin live on because of their ability to communicate without dialogue.

The following is a short list of the actors who shaped cinema and the world of celebrity through sheer talent.

 

Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, United Artists, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.

 

Rudolph Valentino, Natacha Rambova, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Rudolph Valentino and Natacha Rambova.

 

Clara Bow, It Girl, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Clara Bow.

 

Buster Keaton, Stone Face, Comedy actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Buster Keaton.

 

Gloria Swanson, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Gloria Swanson.

 

Charlie Chaplin, Comedy, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Charlie Chaplin.

 

Louise Brooks, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Louise Brooks.

 

Harold Lloyd, Comedy, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Harold Lloyd.

 

Pola Negri, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Pola Negri.

 

John Gilbert, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

John Gilbert.

 

Katherine Perry, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Katherine Perry.

 

Lon Chaney, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Lon Chaney.

 

Colleen Moore, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Colleen Moore.

 

John Barrymore, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

John Barrymore.

Greta Garbo, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Conrad veidt, Germany, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Conrad Veidt.

 

Joan Crawford, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Joan Crawford.

 

Laurel and Hardy, actors, 1920s, films, silent movies, movie stars, photography, Hollywood

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

Portraits and more movies and movie stars in the shop.

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