Sound is an essential part of war movies. From Black Hawk Down to 1917, numerous productions in the genre have won Oscars for Best Sound Mixing. Today, a war film that lacks gunshots, explosions, powerful monologues, and cries of anguish might seem dull. Yet, in the Silent Era (19101927), audiences had to settle for such cinematic servings because synchronized recorded sound hadnt been invented yet. The best they could get was a few short quotes, thanks to intertitle cards.