The Top 25 Films of the 1920s

25. Orphans of the Storm (D.W. Griffiths, 1921)
2 things; D.W. Griffith and the Gish sisters. Ok, I guess that’s three but you can’t go wrong. This is one of Griffith’s most under seen films. Just like Griffith, this film is filled with epic sweeping drama, international intrigue, and romance.

24. The Phantom of the Opera (Rupert Julian, 1925)
Anyone that likes the story of the Phantom of the Opera needs to see this film. This is the definitive phantom of the opera film. Lon Chaney as incredible as always and It definitely holds up when viewed today.

23. The Cameraman (Buster Keaton, 1928)
The first of many Buster Keaton films on this list. This is a great example of Keaton’s ability to take a very simple boy after girl storyline and turn it into a comedic masterpiece. Boy wants girl, boy gets camera, boy empresses girl.

22. Ben-Hur (Fred Niblo,1925)
The classic story in it’s original form. This is some great silent film making. It combines furious action along with greatly acted drama. If you know about the Kirk Douglass version, do yourself a favor and check this one out.

21. Der Golem (Carl Boese and Paul Wegener, 1920)
This is a rather overlooked horror film. Partly because is a German silent film from 1920 and partly because it is slightly laughable in parts. But this film was one of the first major horror films to come out and was a pioneer in it’s field. It’s anything but subtle and has great imagery. It’s just very much overshadowed by another foreign horror film that came out the same year, which you’ll find way down my list.

20. The Man With the Movie Camera (Dziva Vertov, 1929)
So this isn’t the best movie you’ll ever see. It really isn’t a movie. It’s just a random collection of shots of things and place. It’s experimental film-making at it’s core and Vertov was way before his time with some of the techniques he used here. If you’re into the history of film check it out.

19. Nanook of the North (Robert J. Flaherty, 1922)
This was a documentary that broke all boundaries. What an example of why I love the 20s and why I love silent films. It was brand new territory in film-making. With the limitations that these filmmakers had in the 20s Flaherty and his crew film in the actual arctic and capture some of the most amazing footage of indigenous life I have ever seen.

18. Our Hospitality (Buster Keaton, 1923)
Another Keaton gem here. He loves the girl, the only problem is that her family has vowed to kill his whole family. It’s like Romeo and Juliet and crack and with Buster and the middle man you can just imagine how zany this gets!

17. Big Parade (King Vidor, 1925)
A Couple other Vidor movies just missed the list, but I chose this to represent him on here. A World War One Love story as an American soldier falls in love with a French woman. This is one of the most romantic silent films out there.

16. Napoleon (Abel Gance, 1927)
Another war film, but this is entirely different. It’s a brilliant telling of Napoleon’s childhood and early military career. And it isn’t just a little silent film. This thing is a honkin’ 4 hours long.

15. Faust (F.W. Murnau, 1926)
The story of Faust meets Murnau, this is awesome. God and Satan war over the soul of a pious Faust. Symbolic, fantastic, and horrific.

14. Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
Chaplin finally takes his place on my list. This is probably the first of his films recognized as a masterpiece. A man in search of a new life and gold finds so much more than he ever bargains for. There isn’t a genre that Chaplin doesn’t touch in this.

13. October (Sergei Eisenstein, 1928)
A Eisenstein silent film is a rare and unique thing. It’s completely different than anything you’ve ever seen.  Filmed documentary style this follows the strategy of war that ended that Petrograd monarchy in 1917. Beautifully shot and an absolute visionary film.

12. Sunrise (F.W. Murnau, 1927)
If all you know Murnau from is from his German horror films, you’re really missing something. This is a lyrical and moving love story. Well, okay, it’s is dark with some disturbing surface stories, but the love the shines through it all is meaningful.

11. The Last Laugh (F.W. Murnau, 1924)
Yet again a Murnau film. This was maybe one of the first films that felt truly cinematic. It’s a simple story told in a big way using arc, iron and the plot twist. It’s a story about loneliness, rejection, and revenge.

10. Greed (Erich Von Strohiem, 1925)
This is a big picture that spans so much ground and emotion. It is ultimately about what it says, greed. The final scene is one that sticks with me and I will always conjure it up when I think of the idea of greed. It’s a great visual.

9. Un Chien Andalou (Luis Bunuel, 1929)
So this is only 16 minutes long and can only be called a short film, but it’s impact is still being felt today. There may be no more important or talked about piece of film history than this. It is the father of surreal and bizarre cinema. Made from the collective dreams of Bunuel and Salvador Dali it has storyline or sensical parts and is shocking, disturbing, and just plan weird. But it was groundbreaking.

8. Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924)
A lesser known Keaton film but one of my favorite. There are a number of scenes that I remember from this one. Keaton was so clever and was a non stop riot of physical humor.

7. Strike (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)
The story of Russian Factory workers striking against the demands of the factory. Doesn’t sound great, but one of the first silent films that I saw that offered something different in the way it was shot and acted. It is really visual and really great.

6. The General (Buster Keaton, 1927)
Buster Keaton was a genius, pure and simple, and this is his masterwork. For my money Keaton wins out over Chaplin any day. The General is one of the greatest silent films of all time and for good reason. It’s amazing how funny it is for being a silent film and the stunts are something to behold. I don’t even know how many times Buster risked his life to get the shot in this one. If you haven’t been introduced into Buster Keaton cinema, this is where to start!

5. Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922)
A landmark in film. Nosferatu is so frighteningly real and terrifying it’s hard to believe it was made in 1922 Max Shreck is so completely brilliant as the famous vampire that he ranks as one of the most scary screen creatures in history. Murnau was a master at lighting and camera work with limited resources. And although he does even more impressive things with “Vampyr” this is his best film. See this piece alongside Herzog’s complementary remake “Nosferatu: The Vampyre”.

4. Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Seisenstein, 1925)
Another landmark in film history following the story of a naval mutiny which brought on a police massacre in the streets. It’s scope is huge and the sets where amazing. IT was daring, provocative, and certainly visionary. The staircase scene is one you will never forget. It has also been stolen and used in countless other films.

3. Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)
Metropolis is the best science fiction film of all time. Period. Yeah, that sounds weird but it’s not. Considering the year in which it was made the special effects are absolutely amazing. Fritz Lang has always been a visionary director, but never more so in this film. It is a story of injustice, power struggle and the danger of unequal treatment. It is a powerful movie with a powerful message that is one of the most easily watchable silent films today. If I made a film about the future it may look pretty similar to how Metropolis looks. That’s how great Lang’s vision was realized here. It deserves its spot amongst the best of all time. It is also interesting to check out the 2002 anime version.

2. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1920)
This is the oldest film on my list and is the second best silent film ever made. “Cabinet” is a mesmerizing and very scary film about a man who has someone hypnotized under his spell in order for him to fulfill his murderous acts. It is German expressionism at it’s finest with its surreal and visionary settings. This film broke new ground for cinema world wide. I would credit it for being the first to truly capture the use of art in its story telling. The mood in which this sets is so creepy that the landmark that this film is, can be set aside to actually get sucked into a simply great movie watching experience. And p.s. this revolutionized the “plot twist”, sheesh.

1. The Passion Of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dryer, 1928)
This film is my 2nd favorite film of all time and it is spiritual and powerful. The Passion of Joan or Arc holds a special place in film history. This film was considered banned and burned when it was made. For years it was thought to have been destroyed but miraculously an original reel was found in a closet in an old institution. Criterion has done a marvelous job restoring it and putting it to the most amazing silent film score I’ve ever heard. It is the story of the trial of Joan of Arc and is told truthfully and beautifully. Dreyer is a master of lighting and camera angles and ‘Passion’ is his masterpiece. The close ups in this film are breathtaking and Maria Falconetti is amazing. She gives one of the best performance of all time as the tragic Joan of Arc. The death scene is one of the most impactful and perfectly done that I have ever scene. The Passion of Joan of Arc is simply an experience and film that you will never forget.