Retroformat Silent Films

We believe that the time is right for a renaissance in appreciation for silent films, many of which are now available in beautiful digital restorations. Only a small number of people alive today have ever experienced the original form of movie presentation - a silent film in a theater with live music. For knowledgeable silent film fans, lesser known silent films are even harder to access, especially in quality presentations. Further, in today's scholastic environment, where arts programs are notoriously underfunded and underemphasized, education regarding silent film is almost nonexistent. Retroformat Silent Films exists to address all three of these issues.

Retroformat brings some of the best silent films back into Los Angeles movie theaters, where they can be fully experienced the way they were originally intended, often for the first time in generations. The novelty of live, improvised music separates these events from ordinary classic film showings, adding a “folk art” element that gives each screening the appeal of a unique, one-time-only event.

In addition, our free webcasts on Youtube and Facebook present our own scans of rare silent films from private collections. Our sources include 16mm prints from the University of Southern California Hugh M. Hefner Moving Image Archive, and special films restored by the Library of Congress and other archives. However, these webcasts are only the beginning of our online plans. We will make available a wide variety of rare works by well known and little-known silent film artists for our online subscribers, with excellent musical accompaniment by our Musical Director, Cliff Retallick.

We also create special, free presentations for public school students of all ages. Since 2019, we have been screening silent films and presenting special guest speakers to 6th, 7th and 8th grade film students at Laurel Cinematic Arts and Technologies Magnet School in Los Angeles. As we continue to grow, we plan offer our presentations at affordable costs to private schools.

With the help of collaborating film distributors, theaters and other nonprofits, our flagship screening events feature state-of-the-art digital and classic 35mm film presentations in major theaters.

Our online library is composed mainly of digitally scanned 16mm film, Super 8 and 8mm prints from private collections and from the USC Hugh M. Hefner Moving Image Archive. All scans are made on our Retroscan Universal Mark II Scanner.

Retroformat's Educational Initiative addresses today's students' notoriously short attention spans, one of the major problems facing educators. By presenting unique silent movies filled with action, with the added excitement of live keyboard music improvised in real time, the students are trained to focus their attention. Emphasis is placed on the importance of closely watching the action in silent films, as opposed to the passive way we are accustomed to watching our multimedia screens today. At first, we took 16mm and 8mm projectors directly into the classroom. Cliff Retallick accompanied the films live on an electronic keyboard. Most of the students had never seen a movie projector or celluloid film before, much less a silent movie with live music. Due to the advent of Covid-19, beginning in March 2020, these presentations have been continued via Zoom.

Retroformat began by screening "retro" home movie technology - 8mm and 16mm films - in the American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theater. In January 2020, we presented our first 35mm event, a rare screening of Charlie Chaplin's original 1925 version of "The Gold Rush" at the Hollywood Legion Theater. This event included with a live, improvised piano score, with special permission from the Chaplin Estate. Although the advent of Covid-19 has interfered with our ability to continue live screenings, in November 2020 we presented the first drive-in presentation of a silent film in Hollywood history at the Hollywood Legion Theater's new drive-in. Our screening of Harold Lloyd’s “The Freshman” (1923) featured live keyboard accompaniment by Cliff Retallick. We look forward to when we can return to presenting films with live music in theaters on a regular basis.

In April 2020, Retroformat joined the digital age when “Retroformat Live!” premiered on Youtube and Facebook, with a webcast of Harold Lloyd’s “Never Weaken“ and a Q&A with Suzanne Lloyd of the Harold Lloyd Estate. We are continuing to present webcasts of rare silent films to a whole new audience.

In January 2020, we entered into a partnership with Laurel Cinematic Arts and Creative Technologies Magnet School, to provide monthly silent film screenings for dozens of 6th, 7th and 8th grade film students and special education students.