Why You Should Watch Silent Movies With Your Child
I’m not sure what this says about my parenting aspirations, but there is one exciting thing about my child getting older: we can now watch more TV together. We find more and more shows that the whole family can get to – for example, when the time comes for MasterChef Junior , the three of us will immediately stop what we are doing, move to the sofa, cuddle with the blanket and get ready. watch a group of tiny home chefs dazzle us with their culinary creations. Television is now more like real-time communication than a please-sit-and-watch-this-animated-bullshit-so-I-can-do-something .
A genre that we recently added to our TV lineup is silent films. I first read the recommendation on Reddit – parents commented on how good some classic comedies are for kids. Charlie Chaplin’s films. Buster Keaton’s stunt masterpieces. Anything with Laurel and Hardy. Children are attracted to these performances because the stories are relatively simple and told exclusively through physical theater – they can immerse themselves in them without much context. Many of them are shorts, so they are perfect for people with limited attention. And since there is little or no dialogue, films challenge children to develop their imaginations. Their brains have to fill in everything they don’t talk about: how the characters feel, why they made certain decisions, and what they think will come next. Parents can also add their own prompts and dialogs, making the entire viewing experience remarkably interactive.
My five-year-old daughter and I started off with Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 silent talk hybrid about the factory worker who became a cog in the grinding wheels of the Industrial Revolution. It’s absurdly hilarious – I thought the girl might check because the movie is black and white, but she didn’t. She couldn’t take her eyes off Chaplin and giggled at his antics for a good 45 minutes. Throughout the show, I read the written words that came up and it felt like we were moving through an interactive book. At some point, she shrewdly remarked: “Mom, this is not a silent movie at all – there is music.” She was right. It was great to see together how music can make things more exciting. When it was finally time to turn off the TV, she asked, “Can we watch this show again later?” We can and will.
As some viewers have noted, it is important to guide children through the adult themes that may appear in these old silent films – some films feature smoking, drunkenness, vandalism and theft. There was one scene in Modern Times where I thought to myself, “Yes, this is definitely workplace sexual harassment,” and muttered to my child, “Should we harass people who don’t want to be chased?” (She said no.) Still, I think it’s great to give your kids the opportunity to appreciate dying artistry, flaws and all. The great thing about watching these movies right now is that there is all sorts of behind-the-scenes content that you can also show your kid if interested – for example, you can see them filming the famous roller skating scene in Modern Times. (it’s so neat!) .
If you’re interested in watching silent movies with your child, here are some classic films to get you started.
Modern Times (1936) – Charlie Chaplin
Iconic feeding machines.
Circus (1928) – Charlie Chaplin
Children will never forget Chaplin in the lion’s cage.
Sherlock Jr. (1924) – Buster Keaton
This 44-minute film with chase scenes and many surprises flies by.
One AM (1916) – Charlie Chaplin
Chaplin alone carries the film in this grand showcase of his physical comedy.
In Freedom (1929) – Laurel and Hardy
The construction set is fun (and intense!) For both kids and adults.