Acting in silent movies is entirely different from what came later. That's why most silent stars didn't make it into the "talkie" era.
Just like aliens in 60s movies speak English and are obviously people in disguise, you just have to adhere to the conventions of the time.
Similarly, the ways to make the script go forward are usually quite different from what came later, because of the constant interruption required by text inserts.
Last, the musical score is important. A bad one can make of break a silent film (versions from archive.org and similar sites often have random music instead of a true score).
So you may need to learn the way of the silent movies before really appreciating them (out of slapstick comedy such as Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton).
Just like aliens in 60s movies speak English and are obviously people in disguise, you just have to adhere to the conventions of the time.
Similarly, the ways to make the script go forward are usually quite different from what came later, because of the constant interruption required by text inserts.
Last, the musical score is important. A bad one can make of break a silent film (versions from archive.org and similar sites often have random music instead of a true score).
So you may need to learn the way of the silent movies before really appreciating them (out of slapstick comedy such as Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton).