Erich von Stroheim: Greed (From left) Zasu Pitts, Gibson Gowland, and Hughie Mack in the silent film Greed (1924), directed by Erich von Stroheim. (more) silent film era Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/silent-film-era Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: silent movie era Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jan 17, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " When did the silent film era begin and end? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The silent film era began in the mid-1890s and ended in the early 1930s." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was the significance of the Lumiu00E8re brothersu2019 cinu00E9matographe? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The cinu00E9matographe was the first commercially viable projector, functioning as a camera, printer, and projector, and was hand-cranked and portable." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was the impact of the Edison Vitascope? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Edison Vitascope brought projection to the United States, establishing the format for American film exhibition for several years." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How did the nickelodeon boom affect the film industry? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The nickelodeon boom led to the rapid growth of permanent film theaters in the U.S., increased standardization of film length, and contributed to the rise of the story filmu2019s popularity." } } ] } Top Questions When did the silent film era begin and end? The silent film era began in the mid-1890s and ended in the early 1930s.

　　What was the significance of the Lumière brothers’ cinématographe? The cinématographe was the first commercially viable projector, functioning as a camera, printer, and projector, and was hand-cranked and portable.

　　What was the impact of the Edison Vitascope? The Edison Vitascope brought projection to the United States, establishing the format for American film exhibition for several years.

　　How did the nickelodeon boom affect the film industry? The nickelodeon boom led to the rapid growth of permanent film theaters in the U.S., increased standardization of film length, and contributed to the rise of the story film’s popularity.

　　silent film era, period in cinema history before the introduction of synchronized sound in movies. The silent film era began in the mid-1890s when motion pictures became a popular commercial entertainment medium. The transition from silent films to “talkies” started in the mid-1920s and was greatly accelerated by the immense popularity of The Jazz Singer (1927), the first feature-length film with synchronized dialogue. By the early 1930s sound movies had become the industry standard in the United States and Europe, although the silent film era persisted a few years longer in Asian film productions. During the silent film era filmmakers ...(100 of 16697 words)

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