Silent Quotes

[Murnau]

Hello you Nitratevillains

Some of you may know that I have written a book about silents (unfortunately in Finnish only). It is named “Kirjoituksia mykkäelokuvista” and it includes 20 essays about Murnau (Der Letzte Mann), Chaplin (The Kid), Keaton (Three Ages), Stiller (Gösta Berlings saga), Pudovkin (Mat) etc. It’s an author’s edition like my second book which will be released in a couple of weeks.

Now I need your help. You know, when people are buying your book they often ask the author to inscribe it. Quite many ask some nice quote of silents, like “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” or “It would have been more logical if silent pictures had grown out of the talkie instead of the other way around” etc. My problem is that I don’t know many of them. That’s why I’m turning to you: do you know some quotes and would you like to help me with this problem? I would appreciate it very much.

Thank you beforehand,

Murnau

[Frederica]

Hello you Nitratevillains

Some of you may know that I have written a book about silents (unfortunately in Finnish only). It is named “Kirjoituksia mykkäelokuvista” and it includes 20 essays about Murnau (Der Letzte Mann), Chaplin (The Kid), Keaton (Three Ages), Stiller (Gösta Berlings saga), Pudovkin (Mat) etc. It’s an author’s edition like my second book which will be released in a couple of weeks.

Now I need your help. You know, when people are buying your book they often ask the author to inscribe it. Quite many ask some nice quote of silents, like “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” or “It would have been more logical if silent pictures had grown out of the talkie instead of the other way around” etc. My problem is that I don’t know many of them. That’s why I’m turning to you: do you know some quotes and would you like to help me with this problem? I would appreciate it very much.

Thank you beforehand,

Murnau

There's always "Let's go over and sit on the sewer," which may work in some cases.

[barry byrne]

Not from a silent but

"Hey sister, how is your tapeworm? "

is a phrase in need of more regular use but perhaps not for book signings.

[Wm. Charles Morrow]

I've always liked the line attributed to Doug Fairbanks, after his first tour of the new sound stages. To give it full meaning, however, you would need to date it:

"The romance of motion picture-making ends here." --Douglas Fairbanks, 1929.

But a lot depends on context, that is, whose book you happen to be signing. If the person is especially attractive, you might take a chance and quote from A Fool There Was: "Kiss me, my Fool!" If, on the other hand, a hated rival feigns politeness and asks you to sign a copy, you could use a different quote from that film: "See what you made of me, and still you prosper, you hell cat!"

Actually, I think the Pickford quote might work best, i.e. the one Kevin Brownlow used for The Parade's Gone By. It's interesting and thought-provoking, and more positive than Doug's sorrowful remark.

[Harlett O'Dowd]

"the original pussy-footer."

[missdupont]

Though it's from a sound film, I think it definitely could refer to silents:
"The stuff that dreams are made of."

[Murnau]

Thank you all for help. You gave me some nice ideas, especially "The stuff that dreams are made of" and "Kiss me my fool", which I'm going to use when my wife is not around. Douglas Fairbanks' quote was new to me, so thank you for this one too.

[Danny]

From de Mille's "King Of Kings":

"Harness my zebras!!!"

Danny

[missdupont]

Thought of two more.

"We are all Beggars of Life," from the film of the same name.

A play on a Clara Bow movie title:

Silents - the films that have "it."

[JFK]

Sunset Blvd
"We (they) had faces then."

[Frederica]

From de Mille's "King Of Kings":

"Harness my zebras!!!"

Danny

The full quote is "Harness my zebras--gift of the Nubian King!" I live by these words.

[Murnau]

A play on a Clara Bow movie title:

Silents - the films that have "it."

That's nice, thanks.

[Rodney]

I can't find the exact quote, but I've always liked the Phantom of the Opera intertitle along the lines of

"No more in these dungeons like a toad shall I secrete my foul poison, for you shall bring me love!"

I can't imagine anyone wouldn't want that inscribed in their book

[filmnotdigital]

There's an intertitle toward the end of Lang's "Doktor Mabuse der Spieler," don't have the original German at hand,
something to the effect of, "Eat cocaine- you weakling!"