Definition

Noun: A motion picture film produced without synchronized recorded sound, especially dialogue or music. This term specifically refers to films from the era before the widespread adoption of sound technology in cinema, where the story was conveyed through visual action, intertitles (text cards), and live musical accompaniment during screenings.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Charlie Chaplin was a master of the silent picture.
  • The museum is hosting a festival of classic silent pictures.
  • Understanding the plot of a silent picture requires paying close attention to the actors' gestures and the intertitles.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Cinematic Context: The term is often used to discuss the artistic and technical aspects of early filmmaking.
  • The transition from silent pictures to "talkies" revolutionized the film industry.
• Descriptive Use: Can be used to emphasize the visual nature of a modern work by analogy.
  • The opening sequence was a beautiful, almost silent picture, relying solely on imagery.

Variants and Related Words

• Silent film: A direct synonym.
• Silent movie: A more common modern synonym.
• Silent era: The historical period when silent pictures were the dominant form of cinema.
• Intertitle: The text cards used in silent pictures to convey dialogue or narrative context.

Synonyms

• Silent film
• Silent movie

Related Phrases/Idioms

• "The silents": A colloquial term referring to silent pictures collectively.
  • Many great stars of the silents failed to transition to sound.

Noun

1. a movie without a soundtrack