Silent Film Restoration Is an Act of Love
To experience restored silent films – even just salvaged bits of them – is to be dazzled and intrigued by a window into the past and to be lit by a desire to see more.
silent film
To Save and Project 2026 Nails Cutting-Edge Film Restoration
To Save and Project’s 2026 offerings include an early talkie that rivals Alfred Hitchcock and an overall fascinating glimpse of film and real history.
‘He Who Gets Slapped’ Gets Its Slap-Happy Revenge
Lou Chaney-starring He Who Gets Slapped gives viewers a macabre melodrama with a taste of serious literature – until it ends in bloody revenge.
Pokes & Jabbs’ Surreal Silent Comedies
Silent film comedy duo Pokes & Jabbs were no Laurel & Hardy, no Fatty Arbuckle & Buster Keaton, and no Three Stooges – they were something else.
Erich Von Stroheim and Cecil B. DeMille’s Fetishistic Films
Erich Von Stroheim’s films fetishised a scandalous poke to the public’s eye, whereas Cecile B. DeMille’s films obsessed over middle-class verities.
Hobart Bosworth’s Edgy Strong Silent Type Clings to Life
What remains of Hobart Bosworth’s edgy strong silent type characters and his directing achievements cling to life in the few silent-era Hollywood films left to us.
Silent Film ‘The Bat’ Begat Comics Dark Superhero Batman
Murder, secret rooms, and a man in a bat suit are among the shenanigans in silent film The Bat, a seminal work that begat comics dark superhero Batman.
MoMA’s To Save and Project Film Restoration Fest Ranges from Classics to Avant-Garde
MoMA’s To Save and Project film restoration festival shows silents, exploitation films, avant-garde jokes, and the first Mexican film awarded at Cannes.
International Film Buffs Should Pounce on MoMA’s To Save and Project Festival
From silent classics to Thai melodrama, home movies to Brazilian sambas, MoMA’s To Save and Project festival is catnip for international film buffs.
The Best Film of 2024
Our Best Film of 2024 commemorates intriguing films, emerging voices and celebrated doyens searching for stranger narratives and new angles on existing legends.
When Sessue Hayakawa Took Hollywood by Smoldering Storm
Sessue Hayakawa was the first Asian male star in Hollywood, became a “foreign” silent film sex symbol, and ran his own company while the “natives” remained uptight.
Silent Film Restorations ‘The Craving’ and ‘Annie Laurie’ Radiate the Medium
Francis Ford was an important silent film actor and director, and not just for being John Ford’s brother. Star Lillian Gish had the clout to get what she wanted.