I’m frequently asked by many of our readers to recommend the greatest movies ever produced. A daunting task which I’ve put off time and again.
But finally, I’ve picked up the gauntlet.
This week I’ve compiled a list of movies from the 20’s that I love, movies that strike powerful emotional and intellectual chords. The list is, obviously, deeply personal and kind of quirky.
There are some notable absences: no films by Fritz Lang or Erich von Stroheim. I know that Metropolis is considered a classic, but I find Lang’s work confusing, and tediously Teutonic. As for von Stroheim, I recognize his brand of brilliance, but ultimately his films are so cynical that I find myself viewing his work with a clinical detachment. You’ll also notice that Birth of a Nation and Intolerance are not listed. Look, D.W. Griffith invented our cinematic language, he was the pioneer on whose shoulders we all stand, but I prefer his more lyrical films where simplicity of narrative dominates.
Finally, this is not film school where aesthetic elitists take pleasure in appreciating works that fly past the average movie goer. This lesson was driven home to yours truly several years ago when I screened Citizen Kane—considered the greatest American movie evuh—for members of my synagogue and you could actually hear eyelids slamming shut one after the other.
So, consider this an informal and incomplete guide to the greatest movies ever made. I tried narrowing down the list to ten, but ultimately judged it an impossible task.
In no particular order, we start with the 20 greatest movies of the silent era:
1. Sunrise, 1927.
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc, 1928.
3. The Thief of Bagdad, 1924.
4. The Trail of ’98, 1929.
5. The Last Command, 1928.
6. Broken Blossoms, 1919.
7. The Crowd, 1928.
8. Wings, 1927.
9. Show People, 1928.
10. Safety Last, 1923.
11. Piccadilly, 1929.
12. The Kid, 1921.
13. Our Hospitality, 1923.
14. Souls for Sale, 1923.
15. The Godless Girl, 1929.
16. The Big Parade, 1925.
17. He Who Gets Slapped, 1924.
18. Stella Maris, 1918.
19. Desert Nights, 1929.
20. Seventh Heaven, 1927.
Next week, the greatest movies of the 1930’s.
Charlie Chaplin cover of Film Fun magazine, 1915.
Not only did I not know about Lloyd’s missing fingers, I had never even heard of Lloyd.
I am generally not a fan of silent pictures. They make me impatient. But not this clip. Every movement counts. It actually had me on the edge of my seat and laughing, simultaneously.
Kishke:
Of the three great silent comedians, Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd, I have always admired Lloyd as the one who worked with the best, tightest scripts and whose stunts were completely motivated.
Did you know that Lloyd lost several fingers in an accidental stunt bomb explosion. If you look carefully you can see he’s wearing a flesh-colored glove on one hand. Lloyd’s’s doing these incredible stunts—though he did have a stunt man for the really dangerous stunts, as does every Hollywood star—with just three fingers on one hand!
Rena:
Citizan Kane is most notable for its innovative use of sound. But I agree, unless you are a film school geek, CK can feel like a long slog.
I just watched the Safety Last clip. Brilliant!
The first time I viewed Citizen Kane was in a college cinema course, so I was afforded the opportunity to appreciate the technical innovations of the movie. The second time, forty years later, I started watching it at home with my husband – who walked out after half an hour. I patiently continued, and then watched it again against the audio commentary. I actually preferred the commentary version.
PJ:
Now’s your chance to catch up on great silent films. I’m pretty sure that you’ll enjoy every one of my picks. Especially The Passion of Joan of Arc, which can be viewed entirely on you tube. Carl Dreyer was a very great director.
Barry:
Tune in next week to view my choices.
Sal:
LOL! I have to admit, Nosferatu is, for me, a film school film. Much like The Cabinet of D. Caligari.
Generally-speaking, I’m not a silent film fan. I do know a little bit about some of these films, but most of it comes from learning about the actors, directors, etc. not from actually having seen the films.
Ironically, there are only 3 silent movies that I can recall wanting to see and they are 8-9-10 on your list! I’ve always wanted to see Wings — I’m a sucker for bi-planes!
PJ
Robert:
When compiling your favories list for the thirtie and forties I hope you wont neglect some of Louis Hayward’s great films. Starting with Saint In New York, through And Then There Were None. In between, Man In The Iron Mask, and maybe The Duke of West Point. All three of the guys, Louis, Tom Brown and Richard Carlson went on to real life heroics during WWII. And that future happening definitely resonates througout the film.
Barry
No complaints about Pickford herself, and I did admire the dual role- just that the plot of ‘Stella Maris’ gave me the willies.
Scene: the B. den
Offspring #4: Mom, did you record ‘Nosferatu’ again?
Me: Yes. And don’t delete it.
Offspring #4 [widens eyes, curls fingers into claws, hunches back and minces across the room.]
There- now you’ve seen it. Can I take if off?
Me: Okay- fine.
I love me some silents, but sometimes people need to record “Dr. Who”…
Johnny:
Sunrise is a deeply moving film. I remember the first time I saw it, I left the theater in a kind of fog. Janet Gaynor also gives an extraordinary performance in Street Angel, 1927. Excluding confirmed classic film buffs, few remember Gaynor today, but she was a huge star in the silent era and her career continued into sound when she starred in the very fine 1937 version of A Star is Born.
Kishke:
Yes, I will be doing a decade by decade list of the 20 greatest. I’m working on the 30’s now, my very favorite decade, and choosing is giving me a migraine. I could easily list 100 favorites from that richest of eras.
Amy:
I like Citizen Kane, but that’s because I admire the complex structure, the deep-focus photography and the stunning use of sound. But ultimately it’s a movie geek’s admiration. I never get emotionally involved as I do with say, The Seven Samurai, my favorite film.
We hope you have recovered from your illness.
Lots of great movies on the list. Sunrise deserves a top spot. I remember the first time I watched it I forgot it was a silent. Such lyricism in a silent is a tribute to what the they could do in the era and to Murnau.
And I agree about the reputation of CK. I’ve watched it many times and never saw any cane as part of the plot.
So will you be doing “Best of” decade by decade?
I rented Citizen Kane when I was doing chemo and had time to lie around and catch up on the ‘great’ movies I had never seen. I don’t know which was worse – the chemo or the movie. I hated it.
But then, I don’t like It’s A Wonderful Life either. So maybe I’m a contrarian.
In general, I’d rather read a book.
Jackie:
Yup, all silent movies.
Bill:
Show People and Souls for Sale are two of the best Hollywood movies about Hollywood, both are movie materpieces.
Academy Award winning films, generally, do not fare well in history. But that’s to be expected. It takes a few years for a movie to find its proper place in the popular imagination.
Are any of those silent ? Until I can learn to change the font size on my TV my eyes roll back in my head if I have to read a movie.
Sal:
Merry Widow is the one von Stroheim movie that almost made the list. I think it’s his best film.
King of Kings is a very fine film, but I opted for the lesser known DeMille, Godless Girl, which is a particularly amazing film that got lost in the shuffle because it was released just as sound came in.
Orphans of the Storm is also wonderful, but again, I prefer the narrative simplicity of Broken Blossoms and Way Down East. Broken Blossoms has one of the most amazing scenes in the history of the movies where Gish is locked in the closet by her father (Donald Crisp) and goes crazy with fear. I melt every time I watch this sequence.
Stella Maris. Amazing technical feat where Pickford acts with Pickford, and let’s face it, stunning double performance. But I understand why it’s not a favorite of some movie goers. Pickford was brilliant and it was hard not including more of her movies, especially Daddy Long Legs and Poor Little Rich Girl.
Robert – I m so glad you included “Show People” on your list!
Admittedly my knowledge of movies is minuscule compared with yours, but one definition of mine for movie “immortality” is viewer enjoyment 50-80 years (and more as time goes on).
Show People is just as funny today as it was in 1928.
I would like to think that Marion Davies smiles whenever someone from 2010 – 82 years later – is still laughing.
Since all good humor is based on truth – and there are just as many Peggy Peppers coming to Hollywood from around the country seeking their fame and fortune – it is just as timely today.
I think that many times those in the Academy Awards do not think of this component when voting for a “Best Picture” – who enjoys “out of Africa” today (winner Best Picture) vs Back to the Future or Silverado? (runners up)
Finally I was talking with my friend Larry on Casablanca – and it was interesting that for about 20 years nobody really appreciated it. It was just a “B Movie”.
So perhaps this timeless component is not always recognized at the time.
If so, I am still waiting for “Out of Africa” 😉
I’d have to add ‘King of Kings’ (1927), ‘Orphans of the Storm’ (1921) and ‘The Merry Widow’ (1925).
Other than ‘Stella Maris’- great choices! How much am I loving TCM this month?
Something that always amazes me is that so many people think all silent movies are shorts, or are still the old herky-jerky excerpts we used to see before they were re-calibrated or digitized. It’s sad to me that the whole genre is dismissed because of that.