I’m about 45 minutes into the movie – the DVD cover at the library looked interesting. It wasn’t until I got home that I found out it was a silent film!

Pros: Intriguing plot line, interesting directing

Cons: Overzealous silent film “acting”, horrible makeup (even in black and white)

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Finished watching this a couple days ago. Must say, the concept and the directing was great for its time. The number of extras and crew must have been huge. Kudos to those who remastered it.

The movie itself is really astonishing. The action starts right away and the music moves you right along. The story line is compelling. The masses of people filling the screen. The light and dark and angles. All remarkable.

If you aren’t enjoying the film itself, you can amuse yourself by watching for the different ways that contemporary scifi pays homage to it. The city scenes of The Fifth Element and Futurama. The cyborg of Terminator. The factory life of Modern Times. Certainly kazillions more than you’ll be able to see.

Finally, some of the over-the-top, silent film star acting will just crack you up. The joy of coincidences, too. “What are my workers doing in the catacombs” the boss man says. “The catacombs just happen to be at the foot of these stairs in my house and I have these flashlights sitting here. Let’s find out!” the inventor seems to say. Too funny.