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The years before sound came to the movies are known as the "silent era" among film scholars and historians. The art of motion pictures grew into full maturity before silent films were replaced by " talking pictures" or "talkies", and a number of film buffs believe the quality of the cinema actually decreased for a few years, before the new medium of sound was adapted to the movies.

Since silent films could not take advantage of synchronized sound for dialogue, titles were edited in to clarify the on-screen situation to the cinema audience or to add critical dialog.

Showings of silent films usually were not actually silent: they were commonly accompanied by live music, frequently improvised by a piano or organ player. Early in the development of the motion picture industry, music was recognized as an essential part of any movie, as it gave the audience emotional cues for the action taking place on the screen. Small town and neighborhood movie theaters usually had a pianist accompany the film; large city theaters would have organists or entire orchestras, who were able to provide some sound effects.

The medium of silent film required a greater emphasis on body language and facial expression, so that the audience could better understand what an actor was feeling and portraying on screen. Modern-day audiences who are not used to this form of acting may be uncomfortable watching some films from the silent era, because the actors in these films may seem to be overacting to an outrageous degree. Partly because of this, silent comedies tend to be more popular in the modern era than drama, because overacting is more natural in comedy. However, some silent films are quite subtly acted, depending on the director and the skill of the actors. Overacting in silent films was often a habit that actors transferred from the stage, and directors who understood the intimacy of the new medium discouraged it.

Most silent films were also shot at slower speeds than sound films (typically 16 to 20 frames per second as opposed to 24), so that unless special techniques are used to show them at their original speeds they can appear unnaturally fast and jerky, which reinforces their unnatural appearance. However, some silent films were intentionally undercranked in order to accelerate the action; this form of stylization was done with comedies far more often than with dramas.

Literally thousands of silent films were made in the years leading through the introduction of sound, but a considerable number of those films (some historians estimate between 80 and 90 percent) have been lost forever. Movies of the first half of the 20th century were filmed on an unstable, highly flammable nitrate film stock, which required careful preservation to keep it from decomposing over time. Most of these films were not preserved; over the years, their prints simply crumbled into dust. Many of them were recycled, and a sizable number were destroyed in studio fires. As a result, silent film preservationThe film preservation movement is an ongoing project among filmmakers, historians, archivists, museums, and non-profit organizations to rescue aging film stock and preserve recorded images. Literally thousands of silent films were made in the years leadin has been a high priority among movie historians.

Several filmmakers have done homage to the comedies of the silent era including Jacques TatiJacques Tati ( October 9 1908 November 5 1982) was a French film-maker. He was born Jacques Tatischeff in Le Pecq, Yvelines, France, and died in Paris, France. Originally a mime, in the late 1930s he recorded some of his early sporting cameos on film with with his Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953), Mel BrooksMel Brooks (born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, writer and director, best known as a creator of broad film farces and parodies. Born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York, Brooks served in the US Army during World War II as an engineer. He started o who starred in Silent MovieSilent Movie is a 1976 feature-length comedy directed by and starring Mel Brooks. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, Sid Caesar, Anne Bancroft, Liza Minnelli, Burt Reynolds, James Caan, and Paul Newman. As its title (1976), and The DeserterThe Deserter is a modern, silent, historical comedy-drama film about a bumbling British Revolutionary War drummer who accidentally deserts his regiment during the American Revolution. Eric Bruno Borgman who stars in the movie also, wrote, directed and pro (2004) by Eric Bruno BorgmanEric Bruno Borgman (born June 23, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. Eric began making films at age 14 when he made a 13 minute film spoof of Mad Max called Mad Maxxy with his pet guinea pig and neighborhood cats. His love for Laurel and Hardy, Bus.