I ran across The Public Domain Review today, which is a website that creates collections of items that are now in the public domain. The Public Domain Review showcases everything from painting to audio to film, even including an early film from Thomas Edison’s studio. The really interesting thing with the film collections is that the silent movies don’t have any sound connected to them. That sounds funny writing, but most silent movies we watch or buy or download have some kind of soundtrack. With these, it’s completely silent, which means you get to play your own personal soundtrack advisor. I was watching Stella Maris with Mary Pickford while I had some Django Reinhart playing. Though, it would be even more entertaining to play some current music, like rap or indie, for some intriguing contrast, don’t you think?

When I was 13, I read Gone With the Wind and visited Atlanta, GA not long after in an attempt to find remnants of Margaret Mitchell’s Southern tale. I waited until I was finished with the book before I would watch the movie version. After which, I proudly reported that the Hollywood adaptation diverged from Mitchell’s version when Scarlett O’Hara had only one child, not three. Nevertheless, it was my gateway film to a deeper appreciation for old movies. The detailed costumes, the spunky characters with a penchant for sarcasm, those amazingly Technicolor pink cheeks.