Silent Film -- telling a story and expressing emotion without the use of words

This week, we begin our unit on Silent Film. The above short silent film was made by George Melies, a French filmmaker whose life and work is showcased in the film Hugo and the graphic novel that it was based on, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Melies is a fanciful filmmaker who uses some advanced cinematic techniques to create a feeling of magic in his films, such as the way he duplicates one man into a whole "band" of men here. This short differs from other silent films that are well known in the U.S. in that it does not have music playing. Imagine this scene set to music. How would it be different?

In gathering some background information on the genre of silent film, you might look at the examples contained at this website: "Six Essential Silent Short Films". Also, you might look at the movie The Artist.
In looking at these examples, pay attention to the way that the actors use face and body to convey ideas. Also look at the use of props and staging (and sometimes) cue cards used with words on them) to tell the story. Finally, pay close attention to the role played by music and how it creates an emotional setting in scenes.