Limite (12 parts). Here
The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl. Th. Dreyer) – It’s pretty amazing. One of my all time favorites.
L’atalante (Jean Vigo) – Another great one.
Look into Buster Keaton’s silent work, it’s almost all really really good. I recommend Pabst’s “Pandora’s Box.” Mornau’s “Faust” and “Sunrise.” And, of course, Eisenstein’s “Battleship Potemkin” and Dreyer’s “The Passion of Joan of Arc.”
A Page of Madness changed the way I saw cinema from that point on.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans is great and historically important.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
L’atalante
Man With A Movie Camera
The Kid
Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler
Les Vampires
Intolerence
Cabiria
Greed
Nanook of the North
The Crowd
Seventh Heaven
Why do people keep calling “L’Atalante” a silent film? Can’t you remember the songs, Michel Simon’s voice, the music boxes? Zheeesh!
Otherwise, I agree with many of the above, but try “The General” with Buster Keaton, or “Pandora’s Box” with the divine Louise Brooks.
THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC
Why do people keep calling “L’Atalante” a silent film? Can’t you remember the songs, Michel Simon’s voice, the music boxes? Zheeesh!
If you wanna get technical, Greg, Sunrise isn’t a silent either.
How about “The Naked Island”? I think it´s as much a silent as “Sunrise” since both films feature an additional musical score.
The Naked Island I saw definitely had sound.
Those women weren’t silent.
Alas, I have yet to see “Sunrise,” Matt. but thanks for the heads up.
Keaton and The Passion of Joan of Arc. The two silent directors I’m most looking forward to getting into are Borzage and Feulliade.
Chaplin is essential. The Kid is a great place to start. The Gold Rush might be his best overall film and the Circus is great and underrated. You have to watch The Great Dictator, Modern Times and if you get around to it.. City Lights. It’s a good film but I’d rank it a bit below the others. I find Chaplin’s films to be really dreamlike so sweet dreams to you. He’s worth the time and the investment.
You started with two of my favorites (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis), but otherwise I’d also recommend: The Passion of Joan of Arc, Sherlock Jr. (which I’m surprised no one’s mentioned so far), Battleship Potemkin and Modern Times.
The Navigator (Keaton),
7th heaven, The River (by Frank Borzage),
anything silent by Fritz Lang,
Pandora’s Box, Diary of a Lost Girl, The White Hell of Pitz Palu (G. W. Pabst),
The Last Laugh, Faust, Tabu (F.W.Murnau),
Eldorado, L’inhumaine (Marcel L’Herbier),
The Fall of the House of Usher (Epstein),
Johan (Mauritz Stiller) / Juha (A. Kaurismäki),
Körkarlen aka
- The Phantom Carriage
- The Phantom Chariot
- The Stroke of Midnight
- Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness (Victor Sjöström)
>>now I’m looking for more pictures from that era… either horrors (like nosferatu)<<
Check out other German Expressionist horrors, such as THE GOLEM, THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE (the Veidt not the Wegener), FAUST, WAXWORKS, WARNING SHADOWS (I guess you could call that a horror) and a few Hollwood productions: THE BAT (though I don’t know of any really good print), THE CAT AND THE CANARY, THE MAN WHO LAUGHS.
If you’ve seen METROPOLIS, you should also check out Lang’s DIE NIBELUNGEN if nothing else, but I’d also recommend DR MABUSE (aready cited) and WOMAN IN THE MOON.
For comedy, there’s Keaton. Period.
My first silent film was actually this film made by Samuel Beckett with Buster Keaton in the 60s.
It may be too avant garde for an introduction to silent film for most. I’d also suggest Young Sherlock or The General.
Patricia: Which silent films have you seen since you started this thread and what do you think?
Fritz Lang’s Spione (Spies)
this one is pretty good-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Call_of_Cthulhu_(film)
The Fantomas serials
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantômas_(1913_serial)
I want to second Josh Ryan’s recommendation and extend it to everybody on this forum. “Film” is a masterwork, a horrifying treatise on the medium of live-action film.
You should try one of those box sets in Amazon with titles like the best of the silent era or German expressionism. Others to try are:
The Son of the Shiek ( and you will fall in love with Rodolfo Valentino)
City Lights and Gold Rush ( for an introduction to Charles Chaplin)
Mother, 10 days that shook the world or Battlefield Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein
Thanks to all of you for the films.
Hi Patricia, if you’re still taking suggestions:
Waxworks
Les Vampires is a fantastic serial that bounces with a good energy
The Circus is my dark horse Chaplin masterpiece
Faust
Our Hospitality, College, The General, Steamboat Bill, Jr. (Buster Keaton stuff)
Cabiria… puts most modern spectacle movies to shame
The Musketeers of Pig Alley
Un Chien Andalous (let’s not forget the silent avant garde!)
The Crowd
The Lodger (Hitchcock)
Safety Last
I saw that it has been posted already, but I would just like to reiterate about The Passion of Joan of Arc. It has amazing accompanying music, it is so surreal. I don’t know if you drink, but the film also goes great with a wine – Beaujolais Villages | Louis Jadot. Check out the review here: http://www.wineandcri.com/viewings.html
Patricia
I have just seen recently Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari. I must say that I have fallen in love with Silent picture, now I’m looking for more pictures from that era… either horrors (like nosferatu) or comedy (chaplin) drama etc etc. The point is that I’d like some the film buffs on this site to please recommend some pictures! Thanks much appreciated. -Patricia