Silent films (filming, Hollywood, scene, comedies)
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Looking to expand my viewing into some good silent movies. Any recommendations on silent movies for comedies, drama, and quality of filming? I’ve already seen Metropolis and it was decades ahead of time.
Definitely check out Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928).
Hitchcock's The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1928) is another good one.
A few other great ones to seek out:
Sunrise (1927)
Safety Last! (1923)
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
The Last Laugh (1924)
Un Chien Andalou (1929)
Pandora's Box (1929)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Movies from the silent era are best viewed after reading a little background on them. Some are commonly known because of their historical importance in the industry, some are just good films, and some... well... maybe not so good.
The German expressionist films are important both for content, and because many of the people involved had to leave Germany for Hollywood because of Nazi intolerance, and became big names there.
"M" is classic.
Caligari has been digitally restored, so some versions are far better than others.
"The Blue Angel" is a little simplistic, but worth seeing.
Potemkin (Russian) is famous for the Odessa Steps scene of a baby carriage going down the steps. That scene has been paid homage to / ripped off innumerable times in more recent films.
"Wings" is an American film that has been restored and holds up quite well.
"Birth of a Nation" and "Intolerance" get a lot of play because of Griffith and the hot water he got in. Best to read from a few different sources before coming to any conclusions there, as biases are flung from all sides.
"The General" (Keaton) is quite good.
"City Lights" and "Modern Times" are worth the watch.
"The Paleface" is decent.
"Napoleon" is one that had special effects that are now lost. I'd be interested in seeing a FULLY restored version.
"A Sunday Afternoon" shows pre-war Germany looking much like an affluent American city of the 1950s. As such, and the fates of its cast and creators serve as a warning on how quickly fascism and jingoism can take hold in a seemingly free society.
With any of the above, at least go to Wikipedia and read a little there about the film before watching. It is worth it.
I'm sure I could think of many more, but those are a good start.
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