Ten Great Silent Movies
Posted by Dirty Harry on Saturday, August 9th, 2008
Louise Brooks, Pandora’s Box (1929)
Robert Avrech, my great friend and fellow platinum cardholder in the Vast Right-Wing Hollywood Conspiracy, has compiled an intriguing list of great silent films, none of which I’ve seen. He does, however, have a number of rules for the list. Here’s my favorite:
I won’t list propaganda films—no matter how technically brilliant—in service to totalitarian, genocidal regimes. Thus Soviet Communist Sergei Eisenstein and German Nazi Leni Riefenstahl are absent. Movies are a moral landscape and I will not have anything to do with films that justify and enable mass murder.
Check it out here and here, and get your Netflix queue humming.
Filed in Classic Films |
mido505on 09 Aug 2008 at 8:29 am 1A great list, but I have a few additions and alterations:
1. Broken Blossoms, instead of Orphans of the Storm.
2. Although Gish is in Broken Blossoms, can I count that one as the Griffith picture and use The Wind for Gish?
3. The silent Ben Hur - most of us are so familiar with the sound version that the silent masterpiece is forgotten. Some folks think the earlier chariot race is better.
4. Where the hell is Buster Keaton? Throw The Steamboat Bill, Jr. in there.
5. I never understood Garbo’s appeal until I saw her in silent film. Flesh and the Devil will do nicely.
6. Paul Leni may be on of the most unjustly neglected directors in film history. The Man Who Laughs is a stunning film.
7. What, no German expressionism? There would be no horror movies or film noir or Orson Welles without it. Director Paul Wegener’s 1920 version of The Golem may be the highlight of an extraordinary genre.
8. We forget that Joseph Von Sternberg has an incredible silent career in Hollywood before he made Dietrich a star during the sound years. The Docks of New York may be the most visually opulent of all silent films.
9. King Vidor’s The Crowd influenced everyone from Orson Welles to Billy Wilder. Don’t miss it!
10. Abel Gance’s Napolean. Not available on DVD to my knowledge (paging Francis Ford Coppola!) but out on VHS.
Father Caligarion 09 Aug 2008 at 8:48 am 2I agree on German expressionism, mido. I’d add “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.”
Cecil B. Demille’s “The King of Kings” is quite stunning and very moving.
“Nosteratu” is another that comes to mind.
“Cabiria” is a must-see silent film. Absolutely captivating.
Dirty Harryon 09 Aug 2008 at 9:03 am 3Sunrise — Sherlock jr. — The Unknown — Phantom of the Opera — The Kid.
What I like about Robert’s list is that it has so many unknown films on it. But yet, they’re on some form of home video.
Matt Helmon 09 Aug 2008 at 9:04 am 4There’s a DVD of silent Christmas-themed shorts that TCM used to show on Silent Sunday Night before Christmas. It contains Thomas Edison’s, A Christmas Carol.
Helenon 09 Aug 2008 at 9:23 am 5Clara Bow in “It”. Absolutely hilarious.
Murnau’s “Nosferatu”
“Piccadilly” is a revelation and Anna May Wong is stunning
Several other German expressionist films around that should be mentioned. I agree that the whole film industry would have been considerably poorer without that movement.
blackhawk12151on 09 Aug 2008 at 9:58 am 6Harry…you’ve never seen City Lights?
I’m shocked…this is the first time I know of a movie I’ve seen and you haven’t. Well, I’m giving YOU a TCM Recommendation next time its on
rightwingprofon 09 Aug 2008 at 11:40 am 7I was glad to see Pandora’s Box there. Louise Brooks’s performance was nothing less than stunning — after you see her in that film, you know exactly what Gloria Swanson meant when she said, “We didn’t need dialogue — we had faces!”
Mike18xxon 09 Aug 2008 at 2:38 pm 8Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (The Adventures of Prince Achmed) — Absolutely mesmerizing.
Bartlessthescriveneron 09 Aug 2008 at 3:20 pm 9And no one mentions Charlie Chaplain?
His earlier ones are very nearly better than the later ones.
I have seen The Circus at least three times. The Gold Rush in incomparable.
BillyOon 09 Aug 2008 at 5:14 pm 10I can’t believe Metropolis hasn’t been mentioned.
Phoenixon 09 Aug 2008 at 6:44 pm 11Seconding Metropolis.
“Movies are a moral landscape and I will not have anything to do with films that justify and enable mass murder.”
Struck by the light! Now can the plonk list expand a bit beyond “Hitlers”?
Carolynon 09 Aug 2008 at 9:03 pm 12Personally I wouldn’t have walked across the street to a dog fight with Louise Brooks even if she’d been one of the dogs - and bitch that she was, odds are she probably would have been. But for all that, damn, she could act! She was pure brilliance in “Lulu”. Yes, the film is a masterpiece but it wouldn’t have been so without Louise. Just that one scene where a woman walks in on Louise making love to the woman’s fiance is priceless. I was in an audience watching this film and we all exploded seeing that smile on Louise’s face. It was devastating, cruel, triumphant - and utter, complete brilliance. I can’t think of a single actress who could come close to that level of artistry.
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:34 am 13Mido 505:
My list is highly personal and, as I said, almost random. On another day, another frame of mind, I might have listed “Broken Blossoms.” But here I really tried to list films that are not ordinarily mentioned in such lists.
BTW, I happen to love von Sternberg’s silent films, but they are hard to find, so I didn’t mention them. But yes, Docks of New York, Underworld and The Last Command are excruciatingly powerful and influential.
Paul Leni was great. Really great, but he died so young that his films and reputation have been lost in the shuffle.
German Expressionism gives me a wicked migraine. All that forced perspective and razor sharp angles—ugh, nausea.
King Vidor directed three silent masterpieces: The Crowd, The Big Parade and Show People. My vote goes to the lesser known but lovely and gentle Show People.
I’m not a big Abel Gance guy. I get his innovations. I get his vision. But I have to admit, his films all bore me to tears.
I admit: I am shallow.
Finally: I don’t get Garbo—except in Ninotchka. Sheesh, the woman made 26 films in her career and 25 are mediocre to lousy.
I know, I know, she was all mysterious and “I vant to be alone.”
Soooo obvious.
You know who was really mysterious and truly alone?
Deanna Durbin.
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:37 am 14Father Caligari:
Um, your cyber-name puts the fear of G-d into me. See above for my feelings about German Expressionism.
King of Kings doesn’t speak to me. Sorry, but that’s what comes from 14 years of Yeshiva education.
Never saw Cabiria. Will remedy that oversight. Thanks so much
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:39 am 15Dirty Harry:
Thanks so much for the link, always an honor. Yup, went for films that are lesser kown treasures.
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:41 am 16Matt Helm:
I like all the girls in bikinis in the really terrible Matt Helm films.
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:45 am 17Helen:
I love Clara Bow. I mean really love her. She might be the greatest actress in films—evuh.
I chose Wings because it’s a better film than It and her performance is just magical, thought not a starring role.
You don’t have to sell me on the great Anna May Wong. But I’ll confess that I have not seen Picadilly.
It’s on my list.
Let me repeat: See above for my feelings about German Expressionism.
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:47 am 18Rightwingprof:
Louise Brooks was a nymphomaniac, a dipsomaniac, and a, er, misanthropomaniac—but she’s perfect in Pandora.
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:50 am 19Mike 18xx:
Hey, one more x and you’re like an adult movie.
Never seen Achmed.
Okay, it’s on the list. Thanks so much.
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:52 am 20Bartlessthescrivener:
What do you mean no one mentions Chaplin? City Lights is on my list. On another day I would have listed The Kid.
Didn’t you read my list?
I know, I know, you’d prefer not to.
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:53 am 21BillyO…
Heresy: Metropolis bores me stiff. It’s so, um, Germanic.
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:54 am 22Phoenix:
What is a “plonk list?”
Robert J. Avrechon 10 Aug 2008 at 6:55 am 23Carolyn:
Amen.
Phoenixon 10 Aug 2008 at 8:00 pm 24Robert J. Avrech:
A Plonk List is a filter applied on usenet newsgroups, like filtering spam, a banishment. People use it when they don’t want to even see someone’s posts anymore.