Think of silent cinema and chances are a number of images will come to mind. Count Orlok’s shadow on the stairs in Nosferatu (1922), perhaps, or the cityscapes of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927). But sooner or later you’ll likely imagine a scene from one of the era’s many comedies.
Given that silent films rely on visual storytelling and the odd intertitle, it makes sense that comedy was so central to cinema’s creation. Clowns and mimes knew the power of a good sight gag, so it was only natural that such traditional forms of performance translated to the screen, with iconic results.
