# Doper Film Mavens: Must-See Silent Flicks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152 "2004-12-10T16:51:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/21 "2004-12-11T02:06:45Z")
I forgot to add _Potemkin_ to my list of viewed films. Hey, it was only one of the best propaganda movies I’ve seen, not an unforgettable classic like _Cheerleader Ninjas._😃 Now, is there any way to determine if the film I’m watching has the correct musical score? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/22 "2004-12-11T02:18:38Z")
> [@Balle\_M](#): > > I forgot to add _Potemkin_ to my list of viewed films. Hey, it was only one of the best propaganda movies I’ve seen, not an unforgettable classic like _Cheerleader Ninjas._😃 Is that the _silent_ **Cheerleader Ninjas** , starring Noma, Constance and Natalie Talmadge? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/23 "2004-12-11T02:26:37Z")
My favorites have been listed, but I want to urge you to get _good, restored_ versions. It makes a world of difference. It’s a chore watching the cheap versions, made from many-generation-duped prints. The cheap DVD versions are often such poor prints, not the most complete versions, and often don’t have apropriate music. Fortunately, a lot of previously unavailable silent films are being released in much more complete versions on DVD now. **Metropolis** has been released in a restored print, and the difference between it and the earlier ones is so immense that I wouldn’t even recommend watching the cheap versions. Likewise, there’s a restored version of **The Lost World** , made by combining six searate prints, that is about 95% complete. It’s better than the Eastman House version (previously the best available). There’s a two-disc DV of **Phantom of the Opera** that includes the entire 1925 version, the 1929 version, and as mch as they could scrape together of the added scenes from three other versions (including one with partial sound!) The 1929 version is of extraordinary quality, with the _best_ version of the “Bal Masque” sequence in two-color Technicolor I’ve seen (other versions look very washed out), and with the Phantom’s cape coloed n red for the scenes atop the Opera House – an effect I’ve never seen in any other version. I saw (and taped!) the Rohauer restoration of Douglas Fairbanks’ **The Thief of Baghdad** , and it really is superb – the scenes are all tinted, and the new musical score based on Rimsky=Korsakov’s music (mostly his “Scheherazade”) fits perfectly. I was surprised to hear that this three-hour version _still_ isn’y complete, but I’ve no seen one more complete, and I haven’t seen any on DVD (athough I know that Blackhawk also has a VS version). Other silent films worth seeing: **The Cartoons of Windsor McCay** – on of the first, and best. profound influence on a other animtors. Thi [ihas\* been out on DVD, and I didn’t buy it. Try to find a copy now! **20,000 Leagues Under the Sea** – tries to present both 20,000 Leagues under the Sea _and_ The Mysterio Island (!) Dazzling underwater photography, especially for a circa 1920 movie (when Disney did its version over 30 years later, they shot in the sam spot - the water was so very clear there). It’s also the only version I know that depicts Nemo as an Indian Prince (as in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and as Verne himself made him out to be) **Tarzan of the Apes** - Elmo Lincoln plays the Apeman, ages before Weissmuller. And more faithful to the books. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/24 "2004-12-11T04:28:17Z")
I’m no expert, but I’m lucky enough to live in Seattle, where Dennis James regularly fires up the mighty Wurlitzer house organ (original 1928) at the Paramount Theatre, and shows recently restored prints. My favorites so far: **Safety Last** **The Cameraman** **The Navigator** **The Golem** **Woman in the Moon** **Sally of the Sawdust** **Pandora’s Box** **The Eagle** And I know that **Modern Times** doesn’t quite count as silent, but I thought it was brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/25 "2004-12-11T07:02:25Z")
F.W. Murnau’s _Faust_, starring Emil Jannings as Mephisto. It’s a gorgeous film with incredible special effects. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/26 "2004-12-11T07:55:24Z")
All the really great ones have been mentioned so far (I think)…The Last Laugh, Metropolis, Man With a Movie Camera, etc. I just want to say that you should not skip Battleship Potemkin. Everything leading up to and including the Odessa steps is great. After that is a little “eh”, but don’t cheat yourself out of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/27 "2004-12-11T08:06:00Z")
All the great ones…what about [Sunrise](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018455/)? ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/28 "2004-12-11T08:08:22Z")
Or [**City Lights**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021749/)? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/29 "2004-12-11T08:22:49Z")
> [@Achren](#): > > All the great ones…? Eh, I knew as soon as I hit submit that I shouldn’t have worded it like that. Just pretend I said “all my favorites.” ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/30 "2004-12-11T08:34:15Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Eh, I knew as soon as I hit submit that I shouldn’t have worded it like that. Just pretend I said “all my favorites.” No worries! As those are the only two silents (besides **Metropolis** ) I’ve seen, I was amazed that I got to be first to list them! But now I have all those others to start looking for. If nothing else, SDMB helps me put my free time to good use. ---
**Author:** ![Dusty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@Dusty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dusty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/31 "2004-12-12T14:47:35Z")
I thought of another: _The Adventures of Prince Achmed_, the real first animated feature film. Fun, too–I love the Fire Mountain Witch. Other silent Dreyer films besides Jeanne d’Arc you might want to see: _Master of the House_ and _The Parson’s Widow_. ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/32 "2004-12-12T21:24:37Z")
Thanks to your suggestions, my Netflix queue now includes: _La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc_ _Sherlock, Jr._ _The Phantom of the Opera_ _The Lost World_ _Intolerance_ - I’d prefer autogyros, but Babylonians are a close second. I noticed in their new releases the had Fritz Lang’s ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/33 "2004-12-12T21:25:45Z")
That SHOULD be Fritz Lang’s _The First Woman on the Moon._ Any opinion on this one? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/34 "2004-12-15T01:15:17Z")
I’m going to bump the thread to recommend “The Freshman”, which I actually hadn’t seen until this weekend. It’s just funny. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/35 "2004-12-15T02:42:34Z")
> [@Balle\_M](#): > > That SHOULD be Fritz Lang’s _The First Woman on the Moon._ Any opinion on this one? Also known as **Woman in the Moon** ; the original German title is **[Frau im Mond](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019901/)**. The performance I saw had live organ, live English reading of the German intertitles, and live electronica, and it was brilliant. Even the electronics seemed authentic: synthesized crowd noise and such, very tastefully done. The acting is even more, uh, \*\*sincere \*\*than usual, but a lot of the visuals are beautiful and the story is surprisingly melancholy. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/36 "2004-12-15T02:57:29Z")
1. The Phantom Menace. It wasn’t originally a silent film, but it’s so much better that way! ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/37 "2004-12-15T03:27:56Z")
Just about anything with **Fatty Arbuckle** in it. He was a gifted and engaging comedian; it is too bad his career ended in such grubby scandal. The silent version of **Ben Hur** , but only if it had the musical score written by **Cousin Pearl** from **The Beverly Hillbillies**. (Drive them horses, Ben, Ben, drive them horses Ben…) ---
**Author:** ![mrunlucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@mrunlucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrunlucky)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/38 "2004-12-15T06:27:07Z")
_Pandora’s Box_ starring Louise Brooks. Melodramatic and tragic. _Vampyr_ by Carl Theodor Dreyer, for it’s experimental techniques. _Nosferatu_, obviously. _Judex_, a serial by Louis Feuillade, if you like his serial _Les Vampires_. _The Lumiere Brothers’ First Films_. Historical edutainment. _The Magic of Méliès_. Fantasy! ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/39 "2004-12-15T06:53:23Z")
Fairbanks is magnificent in _The Mark of Zorro_. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152/40 "2004-12-15T09:17:22Z")
> [@bup](#): > > **Phantom of the Opera** I can’t believe I didn’t think of that until I saw this, considering it’s the best film version I’ve seen so far(the 1940’s version was just Bleh). Though it might not be the best film by the time 2005 rolls around… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-film-mavens-must-see-silent-flicks/279152.md?page=3)