# Recommend a SILENT feature film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 18, 2021, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880 "2021-09-18T18:33:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/1 "2021-09-18T18:33:42Z")
Do you have a favorite feature film from the early days - the days before “talkies” were a thing? I am mainly interested in feature-length films, but if there is a “short” that you really like, feel free to add it. I’ll start off with: Robin Hood (1922) with Douglas Fairbanks Our Hospitality (1923) with Buster Keaton The Big Parade (1925) by King Vidor. The Gold Rush (1925) by and with Charlie Chaplin. The Wind (1928) with Lillian Gish. And - stretching the definition of “silent”: Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953) with Jacques Tati. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/2 "2021-09-18T18:47:18Z")
Mel Brooks’ “Silent Movie” wasn’t bad. Of course, it did have one spoken word in it. As for genuine silent movies from the earlier era, I enjoyed “Wings” from 1927 ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/3 "2021-09-18T18:52:48Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > favorite feature film from the early days The Mark of Zoro The General Intolerance and another vote for Wings ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/4 "2021-09-18T18:53:56Z")
Besides the standards: The Golem, Nosferatu, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, there’s other weird German stuff: [Homunculus, 1916](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l4xcZOqsvnQ) From Japan: [A Page of Madness, 1926](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GTc-CE8NWPw). ETA for the artsy mavens: [Meshes of the Afternoon, 1943](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YSY0TA-ttMA) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/5 "2021-09-18T19:15:54Z")
[Metropolis.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(1927_film)) If you don’t know it, it’s the one used in that Queen video. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/azdwsXLmrHE/hqdefault.jpg "Queen - Radio Ga Ga (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azdwsXLmrHE) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/6 "2021-09-18T19:16:50Z")
I’m here to second _The General_. It’s a comedy version of the Great Locomotive Chase and the name refers to Buster Keaton’s beloved engine, not some guy in epaulets. To add to the list, [_Nosferatu, the Vampire_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosferatu) (In case that’s not what **Slithy** meant) and _Metropolis_, the ultimate German Expressionist film. Watch the 2001 restoration if you can. The 2010 restoration is over twice as long and may be a bit much even for the deepest cinephile. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/7 "2021-09-18T19:46:07Z")
Thirding _The General_ (1926), one of my favorites among all movies, silent or not. The ending entailed what was the most expensive stunt in movie history up to that time. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/8 "2021-09-18T20:04:45Z")
My favorite silent film, and one of my favorite overall films, is [Broken Blossoms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Blossoms), starring the fabulous Lillian Gish. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/9 "2021-09-18T20:04:51Z")
_Woman in the Moon_, 1929 _Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse_, 1921 _Battleship Potemkin_, 1925 (It’s commie propaganda, but it’s still a good film.) The 1926 version of _Faust_ is worth a look ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/10 "2021-09-18T20:32:46Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > My favorite silent film, and one of my favorite overall films, is [Broken Blossoms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Blossoms), starring the fabulous Lillian Gish. To add to this, Orphans of the Storm, with both Gish sisters, and Intolerance. All three of these were by DW Griffith. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/11 "2021-09-18T20:51:55Z")
_ **Pandora’s Box.** _ “Degenerate art” at its finest! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PMFKib_Byb8/maxresdefault.jpg "Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Pandora's Box") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMFKib_Byb8) ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/12 "2021-09-18T22:15:51Z")
Among others not previously mentioned: _A Trip to the Moon_ (1902 - short) Any film by Émile Cohl (1907-21 - shorts) _Easy Street_ (1917 – short) _Victory_ (1919) _Cops_ (1922 - short) _Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler_ (1922) _Häxan_/_Witchcraft Through the Ages_ (1922/reedited in 1968 with added narration by William Burroughs) _The Toll of the Sea_ (1922) _Siegfried_ (1924) - NOTE: the sequel, _Kriemhild’s Revenge_, is not recommended _The Thief of Bagdad_ (1924) _Don Q, Son of Zorro_ (1925) _The Adventures of Prince Achmed_ (1926) _The Beloved Rogue_ (1927) _The Cat and the Canary_ (1927) _Old San Francisco_ (1927) _The Unknown_ (1927) _The Last Command_ (1928) _The Man Who Laughs_ (1928) _Steamboat Bill, Jr._ (1928) _West of Zanzibar_ (1928) _Un Chien Andalou_ (1929 - short) _The White Devil_ (1930) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/13 "2021-09-18T23:17:27Z")
**Nanook of the North** , a 1922 film about a Canadian Inuit family and how they survive in their environment. It was the first documentary film to have box office success and was among the first 25 films to go to the National Film Registry. I found it to be intriguing and informative. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/14 "2021-09-19T00:02:18Z")
Another vote for **The Gold Rush**. When that bear comes out of the one cave right behind Chaplin then goes into another cave further on (Charlie is unawares), I thought I’d die! 😄 ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/15 "2021-09-19T00:11:21Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > _Un Chien Andalou_ (1929 - short) That’s the one with the eyeball-cutting scene. Pass. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/16 "2021-09-19T00:20:24Z")
_City Lights_. Chaplin’s masterpiece for the final scene alone. _[Blancanieves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blancanieves)_ A silent take on Snow White, except she is a toreador, the evil queen is a dominatrix, and the dwarves are the equivalent of rodeo clowns. ---
**Author:** ![ralfy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ralfy/32/600_2.png) [@ralfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralfy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/17 "2021-09-19T02:45:45Z")
My favorites are _Haxan_, _The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari_, _The Golem_, _Nosferatu_, _The Phantom Carriage_, the _Nibelung_ films, _Battleship Potemkin_, and _Napoleon_. For shorter works, many featuring Chaplin and his contemporaries. Finally, due to lack of time, I’ve not seen _Sunrise_, but I’ll be watching it soon. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/18 "2021-09-19T03:21:23Z")
Harold Lloyd’s **The Freshman**. Or **Grandma’s Boy**. Or **Why Worry?** ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/19 "2021-09-19T03:34:54Z")
It was actually a cow eyeball. And of course, there’s “The Artist”, which came out about 10 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880/20 "2021-09-19T03:59:29Z")
- Abel Gance’s _Napoleon_ - _Intolerance_ - _Speedy_ (Harold Lloyd) - _Judex_ (12-part 1916 serial) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-silent-feature-film/950880.md?page=2)