What if The Empire Strikes Back Was a Silent Film?

Have you ever wondered what a movie like The Empire Strikes Back may have looked like if it were made in the 1920's? Well, wonder no more. Actually, I am not sure how many of you actually thought about it. I honestly cannot say I ever thought about it, but it is definitely an intriguing concept.



This clip takes one of the most pivotal scenes of the film and the series and works it up to look like an old silent film. It has been converted to black and white, marked up to appear aged, had its sound removed, the aspect ratio has been adjusted to full frame, had dialogue cards inserted, and piano music added. The overall effect is as if you are watching a vintage film from a bygone era. It is a fascinating 3.5-minutes. The whole seen has a very different look and feel. The pacing is also different as it seems that frames have been taken out to add to the authenticity.

I have to say that it is an incredible piece. There have been many times while watching older films and commenting on how they would never get made today int he current Hollywood climate which favors the whiz bang and a dumbed down intelligence level as a general rule in their blockbusters. It is not often that I can think of where we talk about taking films in the reverse. Maybe we should do it more often.





Article first published as What if The Empire Strikes Back was a Silent Film? on Blogcritics.