THE success of the silent film The Artist has been a surprise to some for it has revived interest in movies that were made without sound.

Very few people alive today can remember the period. However, I do remember and very much enjoyed, the ITV Series Holywood that was made in the 1970s and narrated by James Mason.

It was reportedly said that when Rudolph Valentino’s classic Blood and Sand was shown to a mostly young audience in the 1960s, they laughed at his performance.

But Mary Pickford, one of the greatest names from the silent era, was also present and she cried at the poignancy of it.

LD Wilson, Guisborough.