7 Underrated Gems of Silent Cinema
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By Erin Gold
Sure, silent films are important for cinematic history and feigning time travel. But they’re also just as entertaining and artistically satisfying as the talkies that came after them.
We’ve all heard the cursory nods towards the truly great ones like The Kid, Sunrise, Metropolis, and more. But what about the epic titles lurking below the surface? There's an entire subset of excellent silent movies—most of which are in the public domain and available for free on YouTube—just waiting to be seen.
Here are seven that stand out.
7. The Crowd
When asked why they don’t make films about ordinary people, legendary French director Jean-Luc Godard responded: “The Crowd has already been made, so why remake it?” Although somewhat maudlin, complete with existential despair and real downer moments, 1928’s The Crowd is overall engrossing. Director King Vidor used innovative film techniques such as hidden cameras around New York City.
6. Girl Shy
As a romantic comedy pioneer slash stuntman, leading man Harold Lloyd is most famous for hanging from a giant clock in Safety Last! (you’ve definitely seen the picture), but in 1924’s Girl Shy he’s a real charmer as, um… Harold, a quiet guy who desperately wants to be a ladies’ man. There’s also an excellent chase sequence that’s a bit too long but still worth seeing. If you like saccharine romance with a bit of lime, this one’s perfect.
5. Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages
Such a weird movie in the best way! A mockumentary before the term existed, 1922’s Haxan is a Danish/Swedish fever dream of a film that combines real-life accounts of witch trials with dramatic/hilarious scenes of occult maleficence. Primitive special effects abound, including flying witches and demonic puppets. The director Benjamin Christensen stars as Satan. Chaotic Scandi excellence.
4. Moral
This 1928 picture is such a delight. Weimar German cinema is often perceived as experimental and odd, but it also had a sense of brevity and laughter—you know, before all the fascism took hold. Star Ellen Richter shines and carries a masterful comedic performance of an actress battling against hypocritical moral authorities. A crowd favorite when I saw it at the 2023 Denver Silent Film Festival, it’s a relevant picture that still mightily holds up.
3. Suspense
The earliest entry on this list, this 1913 short film about a home invasion is simple enough, but terrifying and effective. Although it only lasts 10 minutes, the camerawork makes you feel a deep sort of tension. Director Lois Weber also wrote and starred in this short, which sets the blueprint for later psychological thrillers and makes me wish Weber had directed more horror movies.
2. The Adventures of Prince Achmed
Nothing else looks like this movie. For fans of avant-garde animation, 1926’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed has detailed paper-cutting, gorgeous color tinting, and frame-by-frame animations that director Lotte Reiniger spent three years working on. It also has one of cinema’s first queer love stories, which shows that sometimes animation can be more revolutionary than live action.
1. Within Our Gates
Oscar Micheaux, the pioneering Black director of Within Our Gates, is well-regarded to say the least. While his other movies are more well-known, this 1920 movie deserves to be in the conversation too as an artistic response to the overrated and frankly gross The Birth of a Nation. Within Our Gates pulls no punches in showing violence against Black folks amidst lynching and race riots. Due to controversy over these scenes, it wasn’t as widely viewed in the 1920s.
Erin Gold is an educator in Colorado. Her first job was at a mom and pop video store. Besides writing, old movies, and education, she enjoys baseball, trivia, and seeing new places. You can find her on Substack.