Pretty simple, but I’m having trouble finding it via a search. In silent movies, you’d generally have a musical accompaniment, and the movie would relay dialogue and other information to the audience via printed cards with text on them. My question is, what are/were these cards called? I’ve referred to them as “title cards”, which I think I got by thinking “subtitles”, but I doubt this is correct. Anyone know?
Nowadays they’re usually called “intertitles,” but back in the day they were called (inaccurately, but colloquially) “subtitles” or just “titles.”
They would always have musical accompaniment: either one person whanging away at a piano, or a whole orchestra. Seeing a silent movie without music is like . . . Umm, eating a steak after gargling with Novocaine.
Although I’m not certain this is absolutely correct, I have usually heard them referred to as “intertitles.”