Call: Speechless Blogathon

Isn't it difficult sometimes to settle down to finally watch that movie that has been on your watchlist for what seems like forever? And isn't hundredfold difficult to pluck up your courage to eventually get acquainted with a silent treasure? Sometimes we do need an incentive, and that's when and why my little effort comes into the game.

I have never hosted real blogathons like this one, but I hope you'll consider it as a good idea and will be interested enough to participate.

The aim of the Speechless Blogathon is to encourage you to watch a silent film that you have never seen before and review it at your blog on August 16, 17 or 18 this year. If you have never watched a silent classic yet, it's a perfect opportunity. If you're literate about silent films, there is still that one that would help you to expand your knowledge.

The rules are pretty much basic (except for the fact that your choice must be a new movie for you):

1. Decide upon which film you would like to review and let me know via email. We'll have a list of participants and films, which are going to be covered, below in this post to know what to look forward to. You can choose a film that has already been picked by someone else. If you are not sure about your choice yet, anyway, let me know. Your blog name will appear on this page even without a movie title.

2. Watch the film. Enjoy it.

3. Write something about it. It can be a review, article or vague rambling about the film.

4. Publish your piece at your blog on August 16, 17 or 18. Send me its link. You can send me the link beforehand, if you have that chance.

5. You can review as many films as you wish.

6. Your work is done here. On August 18, 2012, I will publish the post that will include all the links to your reviews.

As simple as that!

Participants so far:

Eternity of Dream: The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917), Safety Last (1923), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Being Norma Jeane: Metropolis (1927)
Film Flare: Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Movie Labyrinth: The General (1926)
Film Rebellion: Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler (1922)
At The Back: Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
Manalishi Films: It (1927), Diary of a Lost Girl (Tagebuch einer Verlorenen, 1929), Spies (Spione, 1928)
A Potpourri of Vestiges: The Kid (1921), Battleship Potemkin (Bronenosets Potyomkin, 1925), Nosferatu (Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, 1922)
The Devil's Manor: Au Secours! (1924), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
Pretty Clever Films: Cabiria (1914)
Brucewaynebrady: City Lights (1931)
Cinematic Catharsis: The Penalty (1920)
Lets Misbehave: A Tribute to Precode Hollywood: Wings (1927)
Lasso The Movies: Strike! (Stachka, 1925), Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl (1919), Go West (1925)
Critica Retro: The Wind (1928)
What Happened to Hollywood: The Cameraman (1928)
A Mythical Monkey Writes about the Movies: J'accuse! (1919)
Margaret Perry Movies: It (1927)
Northwest Movies: Brand Upon the Brain! A Remembrance in 12 Chapters (2006)
Not This Time, Nayland Smith: Frankenstein (1910), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1912), The Haunted Castle (Le manoir du diable, 1896), The Cat and the Canary (1927), Waxwork (Das Wachsfigurenkabinett, 1924)
Can You Dig It?: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
The Most Beautiful Fraud in the World: Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924), Tih Minh (1918)
Cinema Train: Faust (Faust - Eine deutsche Volkssage, 1926)
Le Mot du Cinephiliaque: Our Hospitality (1923)

PLEASE, share this blogathon however you can! I doubt that there are many people who are interested in almost forgotten silent gems and I don't have many regular readers. That's why any of your tweets or plugs will be really helpful and appreciated.

I have made a few banners, but yet again, I'm at odds with style and design, so they may be not that good looking. Anyway, I tried to make them different to appeal to various tastes.

Lillian Gish banner and code

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          <a href='http://eternityofdream.blogspot.com/2012/07/call-speechless-blogathon.html'

          target='_blank'><img src='http://i.imgur.com/T98Cu.jpg'

          border='0' alt='Speechless Blogathon' /></a><br/>

     </div>

Nosferatu banner and code

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          <a href='http://eternityofdream.blogspot.com/2012/07/call-speechless-blogathon.html'

          target='_blank'><img src='http://i.imgur.com/nyQXh.jpg'

          border='0' alt='Speechless Blogathon' /></a><br/>

     </div>

Mary Pickford banner and code

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          <a href='http://eternityofdream.blogspot.com/2012/07/call-speechless-blogathon.html'

          target='_blank'><img src='http://i.imgur.com/FiC5d.jpg'

          border='0' alt='Speechless Blogathon' /></a><br/>

     </div>

The Kid banner and code

     <div align="center">

          <a href='http://eternityofdream.blogspot.com/2012/07/call-speechless-blogathon.html'

          target='_blank'><img src='http://i.imgur.com/dYyvn.jpg'

          border='0' alt='Speechless Blogathon' /></a><br/>

     </div>

I hope you're all visiting the Archive soon to pick your film. Looking forward to your emails!