Mel Brooks's comic tribute to the golden days of the silent screen. A movie within a movie, Mel Funn is a filmmaker who has seen better days, when his best friends rescue him from despair and convince him to make another attempt at moviemaking, Mel comes up with an idea for a silent picture. Alas, this is the 1970s, and in order to get backing the three pals have to get lots of celebrities to agree to appear, however briefly, in their picture. 'Silent Movie' is, in fact, silent, and all the celebrities Mel and his friends try to win over play themselves (or parodies of themselves). Funny, warm, and packed with sight gags galore, the film evokes the days of Chaplin, Keaton, Pickford and Fairbanks while remaining oddly, and wondrously, contemporary. Something of a missed gem from the Brooks CV.