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…
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…
Sex in Chains (1928)

Sex in Chains (1928)

[7] William Dieterle (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Devil and Daniel Webster) directs and stars in this transgressive German silent film about a married couple who endure prolonged, maddening abstinence after the husband (Dieterle) is sentenced to three years…
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

[7] Near the end of the silent film era, Carl Theodor Dreyer (Vampyr) would deliver one of the medium's most powerful titles -- The Passion of Joan of Arc. Maria Falconetti stars as the nineteen-year-old French heroine who fought to…
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

[8] In this seminal silent classic, a doctor showcases a fortune-telling sleepwalker to a crowd of spectators. One man asks, "When will I die?" The sleepwalker says, "By dawn tomorrow." And then the doctor sets out to fulfill the premonition…
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

[7] Some of the most enduring films from silent cinema were directed by F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu). One of those classics is Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, about a man (George O'Brien) who is coerced by a lascivious city girl…
Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu (1922)

[7] Of the handful of silent films that still have shelf life, Nosferatu is perhaps the most popular. It's the cornerstone of the entire horror genre, as well as the first time audiences ever saw a vampire on film. It's…
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)

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

[5] A London couple begin to suspect their new lodger might be a serial killer who preys on blonde women. And it just so happens their daughter is blonde. And dating one of the detectives on the case. Even though…
The Broadway Melody (1929)

The Broadway Melody (1929)

[4] To give credit where credit is due, The Broadway Melody was the first sound film from MGM Studios, the second-ever Best Picture Oscar winner (the first with sound), and the first film in history to feature dance numbers filmed…
The Cocoanuts (1929)

The Cocoanuts (1929)

[4] The Marx Brothers made their feature film debut with The Cocoanuts, a filmed version of their popular vaudeville act of the same name. The scenario is centered around a Florida hotel where the brothers try to swindle people in…