The 10 Best Movies of the Silent Era According to Reddit
In the weeks leading up to its release, Babylon is being touted as an Oscar contender with appearances by Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. Set in Hollywood’s silent era, the film captures both the brilliance and decadence of the industry at the turn of the 20th century.
Screening a film like this is a great way to introduce today’s fans to a groundbreaking era. Viewers can also reminisce about the silent era by watching some of the era’s biggest releases. For redditors looking back, some silent films shine.
Cabinet of Dr. Cagilari (1920)
Watch at Classic Movie Vault
The horror film is about a hypnotist who uses a puppet of a sleeping man to commit murder. Jskidmore1217 says they’ve “never seen anything like it even in modern times”.
Aside from the silence that often accompanies horror, several other things make The Cabinet of Dr. Cagilari one of the greatest horror films of all time. Puzzle-like backgrounds create an eerie, surreal feel throughout. In addition, director Robert Weine makes good use of shadows to foreshadow futures, some of which even appear in front of the character. The forced twist at the end is also better executed than in other such offerings.
Metropolis (1927)
Stream on Tubi TV
The groundbreaking sci-fi film imagines a 21st century future where the rich citizens live above ground and the poor live below. Fireflyfanboy1891 writes: “It’s one hell of a movie and it’s remarkable how well it holds up today. »
Many class warfare movies have been made, but few match Metropolis, a visually satisfying film that uses unique camera angles to reveal the joys and sorrows of those on the opposite side of the divide. As the Redditor points out, many of the capitalist angles explored in the film continue today.
Wings (1927)
Stream on Paramount+
Two friends enlist in the military and become fighter pilots, but soon realize that they underestimated how difficult the job is. Redditor aidan0b says the “dogfight scenes are impressive even by today’s standards.”
As the first film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, there’s almost no disputing Wings’ brilliance. Most warplane movies say a thing or two about it, but Wings is unique when one of the dudes is shot down at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and robs a German plane only to be shot down by another. deal. mistaken identity.
The General (1926)
Stream on Tubi TV
Inspired by the real-life “Great Locomotive Hunt” set during the Civil War, The General follows a railroad engineer who meets the love of his life and goes after soldiers who take advantage of his train. On this thread, Redditor jimmy-fallon1 writes: “The General by Buster Keaton… great movie.
Many action movie directors are guilty of cutting sequences short, leaving the audience unhappy. This does not happen in The Buster Keaton Project, where the audience is constantly fed stunts and confrontations. Underlying all this is a heartwarming love story.
Robin Hood (1922)
Watch at Classic Movie Vault
The story of the English robber who robbed the rich and gave to the poor is well known, and it is told for the first time on the big screen by the film of Douglas Fairbanks. NathanSizemore 8 thinks it has “great action and good storytelling”.
Fairbanks takes pride of place among the Robin Hood films because they reimagine many of the villain’s events rather than reenacting scenes that audiences are familiar with. Its brilliance also comes from familiarity. Fairbanks and director Allan Dwan had not only worked together many times before, but had also done similar projects such as The Mark of Zorro and The Three Musketeers. Everything feels so effortless.
Napoleon (1927)
Stream on Prime Video
A young army lieutenant goes from fighting in the French Revolution to become one of the most legendary leaders of all time. Onedayfourhours says of the film that it is “absolutely brilliant and pretentious, but still focused”.
Napoleon is still held in high regard because it was a game changer for cinema. The first includes smooth camera movement at a time when most filmmakers relied on static shots. The use of covers, close-ups, and split-screens has also become very common since the film’s release. The only bad thing about it? It lasts for 5 hours. Still, it’s understandable at a time when filming a miniseries isn’t possible.
Intolerance (1916)
Stream now on EPIX
The film tells four different stories: King Belshazzar’s war against Cyrus the Persian, Jesus Christ’s last moments in Judea, Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in France; and the life of the American working class man. Aaron). Chen-Geller calls it “one of the most breathtaking, groundbreaking and innovative films of all time.”
Anyone reading the synopsis might feel like the movie has a lot on its plate, but even so, every event makes sense. All four stories eventually come together in a climax that has one of the best montages ever seen in cinema. There are also thousands of extras that give the film a grand event feel.
Nosferatus (1922)
Stream to YouTube
One user thinks: “Nosferatu is 100 years old and still relevant and a lot of fun. An unofficial adaptation of Bram Stroker’s 1897 fantasy book Dracula renames Count Dracula to Count Orlok.
The version of Dracula depicted here is more about his real estate agent’s wife than chaos, leading some to conclude that the film isn’t scary, but the story is rich. A lot of effort is also put into the sets and costume design, which makes for an overall satisfying film.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Stream on HBO Max
Redditor’s Waywithwords writes: “What a phenomenal performance. The Carl Theodor Dreyer project covers the persecution and execution of the French saint Joan of Arc.
It’s a movie that makes it great to use multiple close-ups and movies together. And there is no happiness even for a moment. Melancholy pervades the proceedings and his audience is outraged that such a good man has been overlooked.
City Lights (1931)
Stream on the Criterion channel
When a caring man tries to raise money for a blind florist’s eye surgery, he meets a drunken millionaire who can give him the funds he needs. GoldenAgeSubscriber thinks this is the best Silent Era movie ever.
No list of Silent Era films would be complete without a Charlie Chaplin film, and while the actor has many masterpieces, City Lights is the most influential. Mixing buffoonery with humane concern is no easy task, but Chaplin pulls it off with ease in a film he directed and edited.
