The successful commercialization of synchronized sound films in the late 1920s was arguably the medium's most important technological achievement since its invention. But often neglected is how the costly conversion to sound systematically put thousands of silent film musicians out of work.

In Toronto, sound films first arrived at the Tivoli, at Richmond and Victoria Sts., when the Fox Movietone film Street Angel premiered on October 5, 1928. As Luigi Romanelli's  orchestra sat silently in the pit, the whirring strings and woodwinds from New York's Roxy Orchestra emanated from loudspeakers in the Famous Players theatre.

Theda Bara ads from the Toronto Daily Star, 1914-1921

With the inaugural Toronto Silent Film Festival currently underway, it’s safe to say that a healthy silent film renaissance is underway in Toronto the Good. The last year has been rife with various celebrations of silent celluloid: Nuit Blanche, Luminato, the Danforth Music Hall’s 90th anniversary, outdoor screenings during TIFF, the Cinematheque’s various offerings — not to mention the semi-monthly Silent Sundays retrospective I run at the Revue Cinema – have all contributed to an amazing revival of the genre.