How to Celebrate Silent Movie Day With Kino Lorber
September 29th is Silent Movie Day, an annual celebration of the earliest form of cinema and the groundbreaking films of the silent era. Before filmmakers were able to record synchronized sound, they relied on intertitles to convey dialogue, exaggerated performances to demonstrate action, and musical scores to evoke emotion. These early techniques of visual storytelling essentially wrote the language of cinema and paved the way for filmmaking as we know it today.
According to The Library of Congress, approximately 11,000 silent movies were made between 1894 and 1931, but, sadly, only a fraction have survived due to deterioration. A major part of Kino Lorber’s mission is to restore and preserve silent films in order to make them available to the masses. While we celebrate silent movies every day, September 29th is a chance to amplify our love for these early cinema classics and share it with the world.
If you’re curious about silent film and interested in celebrating Silent Movie Day, here are three ways to participate.
Watch a Silent Movie in Theaters
Every year on Silent Movie Day, participating theaters across the country will show silent films to celebrate the holiday. Kino Lorber is working with dozens of theaters to bring our restorations to audiences nationwide. See our full screening schedule below.
Extend the celebration with a screening of Rupert Julian’s 1925 classic The Phantom of the Opera through November 3rd. In commemoration of its 100th anniversary, Kino Lorber has restored the film from its original 35mm elements for this special theatrical presentation. Check the graphic below to see if the film is coming to a city near you.
Stream a Silent Film
Don’t feel like leaving your couch? You can stream an entire weekend-long silent movie marathon at home with Kino Film Collection. We’re proud to have over a dozen silent classics in our catalog, including iconic films like F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul. Take a look at our entire silent film library below.
Start Your Own Silent Film Collection
As part of our preservation mission, we’ve restored over 100 silent classics for release on physical media, remastering archival elements for 4K and Blu-ray while staying faithful to filmmakers’ original visions. Browse our physical media library, add these silent films to your collection, and own a piece of cinema history.