Silent film

A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible spoken dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when necessary, be conveyed by the use of intertitles.

The term "silent film" is something of a misnomer, as films were almost always accompanied by live sounds. During the silent era, which existed from the 1890s to the 1920s in most countries, a pianist, theater organist—or even, in larger cities, an orchestra—would play music to accompany the films. Pianists, organists, and orchestras would play either from sheet music, or improvisation. Sometimes a person would even narrate the inter-title cards for the audience. Though at the time the technology to synchronize sound with the film did not exist, music was seen as an essential part of the viewing experience. "Silent film" is typically used as a historical term to describe an era of cinema prior to the invention of synchronized sound, which was the 1890s to the 1920s, but it also applies to sound-era films of the 1920s and 1930s, such as City Lights and Modern Times, which are accompanied by a synchronized music-only soundtrack in place of spoken dialogue.