Zach’s Favorite Films of the Silent Era (1890s-1920s)

1929

1. H2O (Ralph Steiner, USA)
2. BLACKMAIL (Alfred Hitchcock, UK)
3. PANDORA’S BOX (G.W. Pabst, Germany)
4. UN CHIEN ANDALOU (Luis Buñuel, France)
5. THUNDERBOLT (Josef von Sternberg, USA)
6. PERFECT DAY (James Parrott, USA)
7. RAIN (Joris Ivens, Netherlands)
8. MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Dziga Vertov, USSR)
9. THE LOVE PARADE (Ernst Lubitsch, USA)

• QUEEN KELLY (Erich von Stroheim, USA)
• DIARY OF A LOST GIRL (G.W. Pabst, Germany)
• A STRAIGHTFORWARD BOY (Yasujirō Ozu, Japan)

1928

1. THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK (Josef von Sternberg, USA)
2. STEAMBOAT BILL JR. (Charles Reisner and Buster Keaton, USA)
3. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Carl Theodor Dreyer, France)
4. GRASS: A NATION’S BATTLE FOR LIFE (Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack , USA)
5. IMPATIENCE (Charles Dekeukeleire, Belgium)
6. FOUR SONS (John Ford, USA)
7. PASS THE GRAVY (Fred Guiol and Leo McCarey, USA)
8. THE FARMER’S WIFE (Alfred Hitchcock, UK)

• OCTOBER (TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD) (Sergei Eisenstein and Grigori Aleksandrov, USSR)
• RILEY THE COP (John Ford, USA)

1927

1. SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS (F.W. Murnau, USA)
2. THE STUDENT PRINCE IN OLD HEIDELBERG (Ernst Lubitsch, USA)
3. METROPOLIS (Fritz Lang, Germany)
4. THE LODGER: A STORY OF THE LONDON FOG (Alfred Hitchcock, UK)
5. COLLEGE (Buster Keaton and James W. Horne, USA)
6. THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY (Clyde Bruckman, USA)
7. UNDERWORLD (Josef von Sternberg, USA)
8. SEVENTH HEAVEN (Frank Borzage, USA)

• THE LOVE OF SUNYA (Albert Parker, USA)
• IT (Clarence G. Badger, USA)

1926

1. THE GENERAL (Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton, USA)
2. MÉNILMONTANT (Dimitri Kirsanoff, France)
3. THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED (Carl Koch and Lotte Reiniger, Germany)
4. MOTHER (Vsevolod Pudovkin, USSR)
5. SO THIS IS PARIS (Ernst Lubitsch, USA)

1925

1. LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN (Ernst Lubitsch, USA)
2. SEVEN CHANCES (Buster Keaton, USA)
3. THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Sergei Eisenstein, USSR)
4. THE BIG PARADE (King Vidor, USA)
5. THE GOLD RUSH (Charlie Chaplin, USA)
6. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Rupert Julian, USA)
7. THE SALVATION HUNTERS (Josef von Sternberg, USA)
8. POIL DE CAROTTE (Julien Duvivier, France)
9. LAZYBONES (Frank Borzage, USA)

• STRIKE (Sergei Eisenstein, USSR)

1924

1. SHERLOCK, JR. (Buster Keaton, USA)
2. THE LAST LAUGH (F.W. Murnau, Germany)
3. GIRL SHY (Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, USA)
4. MICHAEL (Carl Theodor Dreyer, Germany)
5. BALLET MÉCANIQUE (Fernand Léger and Dudley Murphy, France)
6. THE IRON HORSE (John Ford, USA)

• MANHANDLED (Allan Dwan, USA)
• SYMPHONIE DIAGONALE (Viking Eggeling, Germany)

1923

1. NORTULLSLIGAN (Per Lindberg, Sweden)
2. RHYTHMUS 21 (Hans Richter, Germany)
3. THE FIRST DEGREE (Edward Sedgwick, USA)
4. RETURN TO REASON (Man Ray, France)

• ZAZA (Allan Dwan, USA)

1922

1. HÄXAN (Benjamin Christensen, Denmark/Sweden)
2. NOSFERATU (F.W. Murnau, Germany)
3. COPS (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline, USA)
4. NANOOK OF THE NORTH (Robert J. Flaherty, USA)
5. SALOMÉ (Charles Bryant and Alla Nazimova, USA)

1921

1. THE HIGH SIGN (Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, USA)

• THE KID (Charlie Chaplin, USA)

1920

1. NEIGHBORS (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline, USA)
2. ONE WEEK (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline, USA)
3. WAY DOWN EAST (D.W. Griffith, USA)
4. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Clarence Brown and Maurice Tourneur, USA)

• WITHIN OUR GATES (Oscar Micheaux, USA)
• THE DAUGHTER OF DAWN (Norbert A. Myles, USA)
• JUST PALS (John Ford, USA)

1919

1. NERVES (Robert Reinert, Germany)
2. BROKEN BLOSSOMS (D.W. Griffith, USA)

1918

1. A DOG’S LIFE (Charlie Chaplin, USA)
2. BREAD (Ida May Park, USA)

• FATHER SERGIUS (Alexandre Volkoff and Yakov Protazanov, Russia)

1917

1. EASY STREET (Charlie Chaplin, USA)
2. THE DYING SWAN (Yevgeni Bauer, Russia)
3. STRAIGHT SHOOTING (John Ford, USA)

1916

1. SHOES (Lois Weber, USA)
2. INTOLERANCE (D.W. Griffith, USA)

• A LIFE FOR A LIFE (Yevgeni Bauer, Russia)

1915

1. FILIBUS (Mario Roncoroni, Italy)
2. AFTER DEATH (Yevgeni Bauer, Russia)

• ALIAS JIMMY VALENTINE (Maurice Tourneur, USA)
• THE CASE OF BECKY (Frank Reicher, USA)

1914

1. FANTÔMAS: FANTÔMAS AGAINST FANTÔMAS (Louis Feuillade, France)
2. IN THE LAND OF THE HEAD HUNTERS (Edward S. Curtis, USA)
3. THE LAST OF THE LINE (Jay Hunt, USA)

1913

1. FANTÔMAS: JUVE AGAINST FANTÔMAS (Louis Feuillade, France)
2. FANTÔMAS: IN THE SHADOW OF THE GUILLOTINE (Louis Feuillade, France)
3. SUSPENSE (Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley, USA)
4. FANTÔMAS: THE DEAD MAN WHO KILLED (Louis Feuillade, France)

• TWILIGHT OF A WOMAN’S SOUL (Yevgeni Bauer, Russia)
• THE INSECTS’ CHRISTMAS (Wladyslaw Starewicz, Russia)
• GERMINAL (Albert Capellani, France)

1912

1. HOW A MOSQUITO OPERATES (Winsor McCay, USA)
2. AN UNSEEN ENEMY (D.W. Griffith, USA)

1911

1. TK

1910

1. RAMONA (D.W. Griffith, USA)

1909

1. A CORNER IN WHEAT (D.W. Griffith, USA)

1908

1. TK

1907

1. TK

1906

1. TK

1905

1. NEW YORK SUBWAY (Billy Bitzer, USA)

1904

1. TK

1903

1. MARY JANE’S MISHAP (George Albert Smith, USA)
2. THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (Edwin S. Porter, USA)

1902

1. THE FLYING TRAIN (Uncredited, Germany)
2. A TRIP TO THE MOON (Georges Méliès, France)

1901

1. THE BIG SWALLOW (James Williamson, UK)

1900

1. ATTACK ON A CHINA MISSION (James Williamson, UK)

1899

1. TK

1898

1. SOMETHING GOOD — NEGRO KISS (William Nicholas Selig, USA)

1897

1. LAVEUSES SUR LA RIVIÈRE (Louis Lumière and Auguste Lumière, France)

1896

1. THE ARRIVAL OF A TRAIN AT LA CIOTAT (Louis Lumière and Auguste Lumière, France)
2. DEMOLITION OF A WALL (Louis Lumière and Auguste Lumière, France)

1895

1. BOAT LEAVING THE PORT (Louis Lumière, France)
2. WORKERS LEAVING THE LUMIÈRE FACTORY (Louis Lumière and Auguste Lumière, France)

• TABLES TURNED ON THE GARDENER (Louis Lumière and Auguste Lumière, France)