Blackmail (1929)

Blackmail (1929)

[5] Alfred Hitchcock directed Blackmail just as synchronized sound was being added to the movies. It has the distinction of being Britain's first sound feature, although it was also released as a silent version. I opted to watch the silent version since…
The Manxman (1929)

The Manxman (1929)

[6] Alfred Hitchcock's last silent film centers on an Irish love triangle between a lawyer (Malcolm Keen), a fisherman (The Ring's Carl Brisson), and a barkeep's daughter (Anny Ondra) who all live on the Isle of Man. Brisson's character confesses his love…
Champagne (1928)

Champagne (1928)

[4] The eighth of Alfred HItchcock's nine silent films is one of his most mundane. Betty Balfour stars as an American heiress who defies her father by chartering a plane to intercept her boyfriend on an ocean liner bound for Paris. The…
The Farmer’s Wife (1928)

The Farmer’s Wife (1928)

[5] In this silent comedy from Alfred Hitchcock, a middle-aged farmer and widower (Jameson Thomas) decides to remarry several seasons after the death of his wife. His maid (Lillian Hall-Davis) helps him create a list of eligible women, but each woman turns…
Easy Virtue (1928)

Easy Virtue (1928)

[4] Alfred Hitchcock's fifth silent film, Easy Virtue, was considered lost for nearly fifty years, until a few abridged 16mm copies were discovered in the 1970s. Those well-worn, compromised prints remain the best available versions of the film. But this is at…
The Ring (1927)

The Ring (1927)

[3] This early silent film from Alfred Hitchcock features some creative photography and editing, but an overly simplistic story and incredulous characters make it a frustrating watch. Carl Brisson stars as 'One Round' Jack, a circus sideshow boxer who takes on any…
Downhill (1927)

Downhill (1927)

[6] Alfred Hitchcock's fourth silent film reunites him with handsome leading man Ivor Novello (The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog). Novello plays a college student who takes the blame for the sexual indiscretions of his best friend (Robin Irvine). After…
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)

[6] Alfred Hitchcock directed two other films prior to this one, but the director regarded The Lodger as the first true 'Hitchcock film'. It's also widely regarded his best from the silent era. The Lodger opens with London in a panic over…
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

[7] Just a few years before sound wiped out the silent cinema, Universal Pictures had one last major hit with The Phantom of the Opera. Based on Gaston Leroux's novel, the film centers on a young opera starlet named Catherine (Mary Philbin)…
The Kid (1921)

The Kid (1921)

[7] Charlie Chaplin made the leap to feature films writing, producing, directing and scoring The Kid, in which Chaplin's famous Tramp character finds and cares for an orphaned child (Jackie Coogan). While The Kid doesn't quite escape the episodic quality of Chaplin's…