The obvious reason I like silent movies is because this is where the art of film making began. There were no standards or templates to use in making a movie, so the film makers of the time were pretty much on their own in creating works of art.
I’ve praised filmmakers before on making great movies using imagination and limited budgets. Most silent films embody this quality. And, if the filmmakers of the time treated the medium of motion picture as a gimmick and did not take the art form as seriously as they did, it is doubtful that movies and television would be what they are today, or if they would even exist at all.
Here are a few of my favorites.
Metropolis (1927) - This is where science fiction in film begins. Society is sharply divided between the working class and the upper class. The son of the city’s mastermind falls in love with a working class prophet who predicts a peace between the classes, which the upper class perceives as a threat.
Nosferatu (1922) - The first vampire film, loosely based on “Dracula.” I know I’ve mentioned this one before, but it’s a great film.
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) - A strange scientist and his somnambulist friend come into town at the same time as a series of mysterious murders begin.
Phantom of the Opera (1925) - The first, and still the best, translation of Gaston Leroux’s novel. Lon Chaney Sr. designed his own makeup in his portrayal of the Erik, the “opera ghost.”
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) - Lon Chaney Sr. Also designed his own makeup in his role of Quasimodo, the misshapen bell-ringer who falls in love with a gypsy girl.
Those are just a few. Check out anything with Buster Keaton and/or Charlie Chaplin for a good laugh. Also, the films of Thomas Edison are played on the Turner Classic Movies network, so check those out as well.
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