Welcome to the Cinema of Silence
So you are one of those keen movie watchers, who like to travel back in time to experience the glamour of earlier cinematic eras. So are we!
The Silent Era may be a thing of the distant past, but thanks to an enthralling, good old invention called Film, it will never be really gone.
Whenever you feel like traveling back in time to relive the glamours of the era, all you have to do, is to watch one (or more) of its movies.
But which ones should you watch?
Well, if that’s the very question lurking in your mind right now, then you came to the right place. We’re just about to present 30+1 of the greatest cinematic gems of the Silent Era.
However, if you’re not a first-timer, then there’s a fair chance you already saw most movies of this Top 30+1 List, and you may want to dive a little bit deeper. No worries!
In that case, you should go and check out the Top 100+1 List at the end of this article.
If this is your first ride on the time-travelling FrameTrek Wagon, here’s what this is all about:
We choose a topic, in this case: “Best Silent Films”, and we set sail for a journey, where the bricks of the trek are made of movie frames, and each stop represents a magnificent achievement in Film.
The Best Movies of the Silent Era is an episode of FrameTrek’s Best Movies of All Time. A mega-journey dedicated to identify the greatest films of cinematic era, chronologically. It starts with the Dawn of Cinema and goes all the way to our ever moving present.
So what was Cinema like in the Silent Era?
Films were nothing but a series of pictures on a reel back then, without the now indispensable recorded sound.
Was that a bad thing? Not necessarily. The lack of words increased the emphasis on a well-designed visual experience, where communication was primarily based on body language, gestures and mime.
How did they tell stories without words?
Well, they did use words here and there, but only in their written form. Inter-title cards were used to explain the more complex parts of the story, and to enhance the experience, sometimes a person would even narrate them for the audience.
Furthermore, the lack of recorded sound doesn’t mean that people were sitting around in total silence, while watching a silent film.
The onscreen events were emphasized by live background music usually played by an orchestra, and their performance was actually an essential part of the viewing experience.
What period are we actually talking about?
The Silent Era spans from the dawn of Cinema, all the way to 1936, the year in which the last silent movie, Chaplin‘s Modern Times was released.
The arrival of talkies in 1927 shook the foundations of Silent Cinema, so the following years (between 1927 and 1936) offered a mix of both silent and talking pictures, although the former was taken over quickly and brutally by the latter.
Let’s cut to the chase by identifying the best silent films ever made.
After all, a cinematic era is as good as its greatest achievements. Thus, the finest way to explore an era in film history, is through watching its finest films as a marathon.
Ready? Buckle up then, and let the best silent films carry you to the Cinematic era they came from!
Revealing the Top 30+1 Movies of the Silent Era
A chronological presentation of the Best Silent Films
The ‘+1’ is a Bonus Movie. Wait for it!
A Trip to the Moon (1902)
Le voyage dans la lune (original French title)
French adventure fantasy film directed by and starring Georges Méliès.
Story: A group of astronomers build a giant cannon that can shoot a capsule full of men directly to the moon. It’s important to keep in mind, that this story comes from a time, when landing on the moon was only a dream for fools.
The story is loosely inspired by Jules Verne‘s 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon. Would you like to read the book?
Why is A Trip to the Moon among the best silent films?
✓ Its unusual length, lavish production values, innovative special effects, and emphasis on storytelling were markedly influential on other film-makers and ultimately on the development of narrative film as a whole.
✓ It is widely regarded as the earliest example of the science fiction film genre and, more generally, as one of the most influential films in cinema history.
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
American epic historical drama film directed and co-produced by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish.
The story takes place during the American Civil War. It is based on the groundbreaking historical novel The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan, first published in 1905, written by american author Thomas F. Dixon Jr. Would you like to read the book?
Racial depictions aside, The Birth of a Nation is a landmark film whose achievements and pioneering techniques remain fully relevant today.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is The Birth of a Nation among the best movies of the Silent Era?
✓ It’s one of the most controversial movies of all time, due to its racist overtones and for being responsible for the revival of the long-dead Ku Klux Klan.
✓ It pioneered close-ups, fade-outs, and a carefully staged battle sequence with hundreds of extras made to look like thousands.
✓ The earliest feature-length film among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and it’s also on Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
Intolerance: Love’s Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916)
American epic historical drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish.
The movie tells four parallel stories of intolerance in four different historical eras. These stories revolve around a mountain girl of ancient Babylon, Jesus Christ, two Huguenots in 1572 and a young couple in modern America.
A pioneering classic and one of the most influential films ever made, D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance stands as the crowning jewel in an incredible filmography.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is Intolerance among the best silent movies?
✓ Regarded as one of the great masterpieces of the Silent Era, that strongly influenced European film movements.
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and selected by the Vatican in the “values” category of its list of 45 “great films”.
✓ It was one of the first films to be selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”
Broken Blossoms (1919)
American drama romance film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish.
It is based on the romantic short story The Chink and the Child written by British author Thomas Burke, in his collection of Chinatown tales, entitled Limehouse Nights, first published in 1916. Would you like to read the book?
The heartbreaking story of a waterfront waif from the Limehouse district of London who escapes the abuse of her father through a doomed relationship with a Chinese immigrant. (Amazon)
Thought-provoking and beautifully filmed, D.W. Griffith’s Broken Blossoms presents a master at the top of his form.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is Broken Blossoms among the best films of the Silent Era?
✓ Selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
German horror fantasy film directed by Robert Wiene, starring Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss.
Arguably the first true horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari set a brilliantly high bar for the genre – and remains terrifying even a century after it first stalked the screen.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari among the best silent films?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s The Great Movies list.
✓ Modern film critics and historians have largely praised it as a revolutionary classic, calling it the cinema’s first cult film and a precursor for arthouse films.
The Kid (1921)
American comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin.
Story: The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy. (IMDB)
Charles Chaplin’ irascible Tramp is given able support from Jackie Coogan as The Kid in this slapstick masterpiece, balancing the guffaws with moments of disarming poignancy.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is The Kid among the best movies of the Silent Era?
✓ The Library of Congress selected The Kid for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
✓ Innovative in its combination of comedic and dramatic elements, it is widely considered one of the greatest films of the Silent Era.
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
Swedish fantasy horror film directed by Victor Sjöström.
Story: The last person to die on New Year’s Eve before the clock strikes twelve is doomed to take the reins of Death’s chariot and work tirelessly collecting fresh souls for the next year. It looks like David Holm, an alcoholic, abusive ne’er-do-well will become that person.
Why is The Phantom Carriage among the best silent movies?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
✓ Generally considered to be one of the central works in the history of Swedish cinema.
✓ Notable for its special effects, its advanced (for the time) narrative structure with flashbacks within flashbacks, and for having been a major influence on the works of Ingmar Bergman.
Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (1922)
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (original German title)
German Expressionist fantasy horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck.
The movie is an unauthorized adaptation of the classic gothic horror novel Dracula, first published in 1897, written by Irish author Bram Stoker. Would you like to read the book?
One of the silent era’s most influential masterpieces, Nosferatu‘s eerie, gothic feel – and a chilling performance from Max Schreck as the vampire – set the template for the horror films that followed.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror among the best films of the Silent Era?
✓ It is selected by the Vatican in the “art” category of its list of 45 “great films”.
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ The first true vampire movie ever made.
Safety Last! (1923)
American slapstick comedy film starring Harold Lloyd.
Story: Lloyd, the store clerk talks his manager into offering $1000 for a publicity stunt, in which a man called “human fly” would climb the face of the 12-storey store building, thus bringing customers nearby.
Persuasive enough to give audiences acrophobia when they aren’t laughing at Harold Lloyd’s antics, Safety Last! is a marvel of visual effects and slapstick comedy.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is Safety Last! among the best silent films?
✓ The Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
✓ It features one of the most memorable scenes of the Silent Era (Lloyd hanging from the hour hand).
✓ Included in Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
Our Hospitality (1923)
American slapstick comedy film co-directed by and starring Buster Keaton.
Story: Buster falls in love with a girl on the train to his hometown and accepts her dinner invitation, only to find out that her family has vowed to kill every member of his family.
Why is Our Hospitality among the best movies of the Silent Era?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
✓ It was a groundbreaking work for the comedy film genre, as Keaton included “careful integration of gags into a dramatically coherent storyline”, “meticulous attention to period detail” and “beautiful cinematography and extensive location shooting”.
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
American swashbuckler adventure fantasy film starring Douglas Fairbanks.
Story: A recalcitrant thief vies with a duplicitous Mongol ruler for the hand of a beautiful princess. (IMDB)
It requires some viewing commitment, but this beautifully assembled showcase for Douglas Fairbanks’ acting offers some splendid treats for classic film fans.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is The Thief of Bagdad among the best movies of the Silent Era?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
✓ Selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
✓ Widely considered one of the greatest silent films and Fairbanks’s greatest work.
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
American slapstick comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton.
Buster Keaton stars as a movie theater projectionist who dreams of becoming a super-sleuth and, in one breathtaking sequence, literally steps into the screen to bring his fantasies to life. (Amazon)
Why is Sherlock Jr. among the best silent movies?
✓ The Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
✓ It is included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and it is also in the American Film Institute’s list of the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.
The Last Laugh (1924)
German drama film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Emil Jannings.
Story: An aging doorman, after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious Hotel is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbors and society.
Why is The Last Laugh among the best films of the Silent Era?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ The film was a major critical and financial success, critics praised the film’s style and artistic camera movements.
✓ For the first time in film history, the camera moves together with the actors through the room, setting a new benchmark in movie-making technique.
Greed (1924)
American dramatic thriller film directed by Erich von Stroheim.
Powerful even in its incomplete form, Erich von Stroheim’s Greed is a spoil of cinematic riches and a harrowing treatise on the corrupting allure of money.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is Greed among the best silent films?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ Regarded as one of the greatest films ever made; filmmakers and scholars have noted its influence on subsequent films.
The Gold Rush (1925)
American slapstick comedy adventure film written by, produced by, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin.
Story: A prospector goes to the Klondike in search of gold and finds it and more. (IMDB)
A delightful blend of slapstick humor, poignant emotion, and social commentary, The Gold Rush encapsulates Chaplin’s strengths as a writer, director, and star.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is The Gold Rush among the best movies of the Silent Era?
✓ Included among the American Film Institute’s 1998 list of the Top 100 Greatest American Movies and the 2000 list of the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.
✓ It is included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
✓ One of Chaplin’s most celebrated works, and he himself declared several times that it was the film for which he most wanted to be remembered.
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Soviet historical drama film directed by Sergei M. Eisenstein.
Story: Based on the historical events of 1905 Russia, this is the story of a mutiny that had its roots on the Battleship Potemkin, but ignited a citywide revolution in Odessa. This resulted in the massacre of civilians, including women and children.
A technical masterpiece, Battleship Potemkin is Soviet cinema at its finest, and its montage editing techniques remain influential to this day.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is Battleship Potemkin among the best silent movies?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ The film was chosen by Premiere magazine as one of the “100 Movies That Shook the World” in the 1998 issue. The list ranked the most “daring movies ever made”.
✓ Named the greatest film of all time at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958, and in 2012, the British Film Institute named it the eleventh greatest film of all time.
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
American dramatic horror film starring Lon Chaney.
Story: A mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer. (IMDB)
A century later, it still retains its ability to scare – and Lon Chaney’s performance remains one of the benchmarks of the horror genre.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is The Phantom of the Opera among the best films of the Silent Era?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ Added to the United States National Film Registry, having been deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.
The General (1926)
American slapstick comedy film co-directed by and starring Buster Keaton.
Story: When Union spies steal an engineer’s beloved locomotive during the American Civil War, he embarks on a lone-wolf rescue mission that takes him behind enemy lines.
Brilliantly filmed and fueled with classic physical comedy, The General captures Buster Keaton at his timeless best.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is The General among the best movies of the Silent Era?
✓ It is included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ Selected into the National Film Registry in 1989 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
✓ In 2007 the American Film Institute ranked this as the #18 Greatest Movie of All Time.
Faust (1926)
German fantasy horror film directed by F. W. Murnau.
Story: The demon Mephisto wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man’s soul. (IMDB)
Why is Faust among the best silent movies?
✓ Featured in Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ Perfectly captures the intensity of a medieval universe steeped in religious fanaticism and pagan alchemy.
✓ Widely considered to be an influential classic, and one of the best horror films of all time.
Metropolis (1927)
German expressionist science-fiction drama film directed by Fritz Lang.
The story is based on the classic sci-fi novel of the same title, first published in 1925, written by Fritz Lang’s wife Thea von Harbou. Would you like to read the book?
Story: Set in 2026, Metropolis is a city where an underground community of overworked labourers run the machinery that maintains the existence of the Utopian world above ground.
A visually awe-inspiring science fiction classic from the silent era.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is Metropolis among the best films of the Silent Era?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ Chosen by Premiere magazine as one of the “100 Movies That Shook the World” and selected by the Vatican in the “art” category of its list of 45 “great films”.
✓ Considered to be the world’s first feature-length science fiction movie.
Sunrise (1927)
American romantic drama film directed by German director F. W. Murnau.
Story: An allegorical tale about a man fighting the good and evil within him. Both sides are made flesh – one a sophisticated woman he is attracted to and the other his wife. (IMDB)
Boasting masterful cinematography to match its well-acted, wonderfully romantic storyline, Sunrise is perhaps the final – and arguably definitive – statement of the silent era.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is Sunrise among the best silent films?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ Winner of 3 Oscars, including the “Best Picture of the Year” Academy Award.
✓ In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #82 Greatest Movie of All Time.
Wings (1927)
American romantic action-war film set during the First World War
Story: Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I. (IMDB)
Subsequent war epics may have borrowed heavily from the original Best Picture winner, but they’ve all lacked Clara Bow’s luminous screen presence and William Wellman’s deft direction.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is Wings among the best movies of the Silent Era?
✓ Winner of 2 Oscars, including the “Best Picture of the Year” Academy Award.
✓ Acclaimed for its technical prowess and realism upon release, the film became the yardstick against which future aviation films were measured, mainly because of its realistic air-combat sequences.
✓ Selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)
British crime mystery film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Referred to as “the first true Hitchcock film” by the monumental director himself, The Lodger is a moody thriller that follows a series of murders – all young blonde women – committed by “The Avenger,” a Jack the Ripper-like serial killer in early 20th century London. (Amazon)
Why is The Lodger among the best silent movies?
✓ This was Hitchcock’s first commercial hit, and he himself considered this to be his first true suspense film.
✓ Beginning with this movie, Hitchcock helped shape the modern-day thriller genre in film.
✓ Widely considered to be one of the greatest crime films of the Silent Era.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
La passion de Jeanne d’Arc (original French title)
French historical film based on the actual record of the trial of Joan of Arc.
Story: In 1431, Jeanne d’Arc is placed on trial on charges of heresy. The ecclesiastical jurists attempt to force Jeanne to recant her claims of holy visions. (IMDB)
The Passion of Joan of Arc is must-see cinema for Renée Maria Falconetti’s incredible performance alone – and an all-time classic for innumerable other reasons.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is The Passion of Joan of Arc among the best films of the Silent Era?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ It is widely regarded as a landmark of Cinema, especially for its production, Dreyer’s direction and Falconetti’s performance, which is often listed as one of the finest in Cinema history.
✓ Selected by the Vatican in the “religion” category of its list of 45 “great films”.
The Circus (1928)
American slapstick comedy film written, produced, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin.
A little tramp accidentally falls in with a down-on-its-luck circus and his acrobatic and comedic skills start drawing audiences to the big-top in droves, but not without a bittersweet brush with romance for the gentle clown. (Amazon)
Why is The Circus among the best silent films?
✓ Featured in Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ It became the seventh highest grossing silent film in cinema history.
✓ Chaplin was nominated for four Academy Awards, but the Academy took him out of the running by giving him a Special Award “for writing, acting, directing and producing The Circus”.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
American slapstick comedy film co-directed by and starring Buster Keaton.
Steamboat Bill Jr. (Keaton) is the complete opposite of his father in every way. He is utterly inept as a crew member on the boat and he is dating the daughter of his father’s greatest rival.
Why is Steamboat Bill, Jr. among the best movies of the Silent Era?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
✓ Selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
✓ Over the years, the film has become regarded as a masterpiece of its era.
The Cameraman (1928)
American slapstick comedy film co-directed by and starring Buster Keaton.
Story: Buster is so obsessed with a charming office girl at MGM that he decides to impress her at all costs, so he becomes a cameraman only to photograph the film that would make the girl fall for him.
Why is The Cameraman among the best silent movies?
✓ Added to the National Film Registry as being deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
✓ Upon release, the film was a critical success and a box office hit.
✓ MGM’s writing department used the film to train new writers as a “perfectly constructed comedy” for decades.
Pandora’s Box (1929)
German romantic crime film starring Louise Brooks.
The rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose insouciant eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her. (IMDB)
Why is Pandora’s Box among the best films of the Silent Era?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ Chosen by “Premiere” Magazine as one of the “100 Movies That Shook the World”.
✓ One of the most popular silent films of the 1920s Cinema, and an all-time classic.
City Lights (1931)
American slapstick romantic comedy film written, produced, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin.
Story: The Little Tramp is in love with a sightless flower girl, whose blindness could be cured by an expensive operation. He decides to raise the money, even if that means being a prize fighter or worse.
One of the best underdog romance movies ever, with an ending that will light up any heart.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is City Lights among the best silent films?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.
✓ The American Film Institute ranked this as the #1 Romantic Comedy of All Time, and the #11 Greatest Movie of All Time.
✓ Upon release it became a critical success and a box office hit, and today many critics consider it not only the highest accomplishment of Chaplin’s career, but one of the greatest films of all time.
Modern Times (1936)
American slapstick comedy film written, produced, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin.
Story: The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman. (IMDB)
A slapstick skewering of industrialized America, Modern Times is as politically incisive as it is laugh-out-loud hilarious.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is Modern Times among the best movies of the Silent Era?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
✓ The American Film Institute ranked this as the #78 Greatest Movie of All Time.
✓ Selected by the Vatican in the “art” category of its list of 45 “great films” and it was also deemed “culturally significant” by the Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
…and as promised: The BONUS Movie!
The Artist (2011)
French comedy-drama film starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo.
Why is the a BONUS movie?
Because the Artist is an out-of-the-blue silent film, shot and released in the 2010s, in a time when Silent Cinema was thought to be buried and long-forgotten by the general public.
Story: An egomaniacal film star develops a relationship with a young dancer against the backdrop of Hollywood’s silent era. (IMDB)
A crowd-pleasing tribute to the magic of silent cinema, The Artist is a clever, joyous film with delightful performances and visual style to spare.
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Why is The Artist among the best silent movies?
✓ Included among the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
✓ Winner of 5 Oscars, 3 Golden Globes, 7 BAFTAs and several others awards. Actually it has received more awards than any other French film before.
…end of the reel…
So there you have it: The 30+1 Greatest Movies of the Silent Era
Is there a movie on the list you’d replace with another one? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Ready for another journey?
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