noun
- Plural of photoplay; early films or motion pictures, especially those made in the silent film era.
Usage: dated; historical
Examples
- The museum's collection includes rare photoplays from the 1920s.
- Early photoplays relied heavily on title cards to convey dialogue.
- Charlie Chaplin starred in many beloved photoplays during the silent era.
- Film historians study photoplays to understand the development of cinema.
- The restoration project brought several forgotten photoplays back to life.