"Movies are a complicated collision of literature, theatre, music and all the visual arts." - Yahoo Serious

May 23, 2003

Intertitle-o-Rama

Intertitle-o-Rama is a wild and very interesting collection of the oddest intertitles found in silent movies. Be warned: some of the expressions used in these old (80 to 90 year old) film intertitles are quite quaint and silly, while others would nowadays be quite scandalous and downright insensitive. No doubt, in 90 years time, much of the expressions of our popular culture would seem as dusty and incorrect.

Here's one I particularly like, from Cecil B. DeMille's 1923 version of The Ten Commandments:

"I told you I'd break the Ten Commandments - and look what I've got for it, SUCCESS! That's all that counts! I'm sorry if your God doesn't like it - but this is my party, not His!"

Here's another beauty, from The Thief of Bagdad:

"You shall add joy to the wedding festival by being boiled in oil."