It is impressive to consider the many great directors, actors and actresses who existed solely in the silent era or who got their start during those early years of cinema. The dashing Rudolph Valentino, the athletic Douglas Fairbanks and the man of a thousand faces, Lon Chaney, were all stars of the silent film era. Even later stars we associate with the sound (talkies) era like Jean Harlow and Greta Garbo made their debuts in silent film. D.W. Griffith, Cecil B. DeMille and Josef von Sternberg all directed early silent masterpieces.
Funded through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the AFI Catalog of Silent Films accounts for over 25,000 entries and 750 films made from 1893‐1930 Each film entry includes the producer, director, writers, cast, plot summaries, historical notes and genres. Searches can be done on the title, personal name, music source, character name, genre, literary source and song source. Searches can be performed using the exact phrase, all of the words or any of the words. Searches can be limited to video availability, and advanced searches allow for Boolean operators and combinations of search variables in a single form.
The AFI does not have the actual films in its catalogue, and their mission is not to provide the films for viewing. Rather, it is the goal of the AFI to provide an historical record for each film. If films are available in DVD or VHS formats, links are provided in the record for each film. The AFI has not even viewed every film. In fact, most films from 1893‐1930 were not viewed by AFI researchers. For actors, producers, directors, and others who may have made sound movies (talkies) as well as silent films, these later works are distinguished by a volume icon. When searching by personal name, the person's credits are all available in the same search. For example, Charlie Chaplin is identified as a producer, director, writer, film editor, and music and dance coordinator. The results for Chaplin, or any person, can be displayed in chronological order, reverse chronological order, or by title A‐Z or Z‐A. The AFI Catalog of Silent Films may cause viewers to hark back to the days of the flickers; the Mighty Wurlitzer in the loft of an ornate theatre, the organ playing wildly while cowboy heroes like Tom Mix, William S. Hart or Hoot Gibson, comedians like Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd or Chester Conklin, beautiful damsels like Mary Pickford, Norma Shearer, or Lillian and Dorothy Gish or steamy vixens such as Theda Bara, Clara Bow and Louise Brooks dominated the screen and thrilled audiences with their silent stardom.
