Lady of the Night

I've got a deadline tomorrow and I have sinned.  I have indulged in a lil procrastination... not the bad, Facebook kind but rather the cultured Turner Classic Movie kind :)

image from brightlightsfilm.com

I'm not a big silent film fan... I have to admit, it's difficult for me to watch silent films because I get creeped out by the heavy makeup... especially the dark eye makeup... and the sometimes super fast running... weird, yes, but it freaks me out!  I always wondered why such heavy make-up was needed... it probably had something to do with ensuring the images were caught on film... yo que se??   But in the wee pre-dawn hours today, I sat through the first silent film that I actually followed and enjoyed!  Lady of the Night stars the glamorous Queen of MGM, Norma Shearer, who was awesome (with moderate makeup).  She was one of the few silent film stars that made a successful transition into talkies.  In the film, Shearer plays two roles and appears in a scene as both characters (see pic below).  This must have been so impressive in 1925! 

I love classic film because it provides me with a very clear window into the past... and most of the times, the people and issues of the past aren't so different from those of today (for instance, this film dealt with love, longing, the desire to move up the social ladder, being from the wrong side of the tracks, etc).  I may become a silent film fanatic after all :)