MY TEN FAVORITE SILENTSDec 14 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Blu-ray and DVD Players
The Bottom Line These are my personal favorites as they represent a good cross section of the movies that were produced in the late teens and the twenties. comments welcome.
I love silents and have collected them for years. I find that in the genre, there are either really good movies or really bad ones. But they all have their place in cinema history. My personal favorites are: 1. BLOOD AND SAND with Rudolph Valentino and Nita Naldi. One of Valentino's better films which explores the life of a bullfighter who betrays himself, his wife and his honor for love of another woman. 2. FLESH AND THE DEVIL with John Gilbert and Greta Garbo. Classic Garbo and Gilbert pairing. Excellent cinematography. 3. METROPOLIS a Fritz Lang offering. Great storyline, fantastic sets although a little long. A good example of what becomes of a utopian society that has been mismanaged. 4. THE WOMAN IN GREY a very early serial from the late teens featuring Arline Pretty. A chapter play with exciting cliffhangers, good plot and decent acting. 5. QUEEN KELLY with Gloria Swanson and Erich Von Stroheim. Even tho this film is unfinished, it still ranks up there because of the detail ascribed to Mr. Von Stroheim. I loved it, even with the filler stills. 6. GREED with Zasu Pitts,directed by Von Stroheim, probably my favorite of all silents. Even tho it was chopped and re-chopped over the years and is still fairly long, it is a great film and a must see for any silent movie fan. 7. STEAMBOAT BILL JR. with Buster Keaton. While I like Chaplin, I adore Keaton and think his comedy over the years has been left behind in many ways. This one has a good plot, lots of real comedy and a little less slapstick than some of his others. 8. OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS with Joan Crawford is a good film which really gives insight into the morals of the twenties. Fine performance by Crawford and also by Anita Page. The sequels to this were pretty good also, but this one is the best. 9. PANDORA'S BOX with Louise Brooks. Brooks was really something. She fled America for Germany where this film was made and most of her really prolific work was done there. Interesting character study. 10.THE UNKNOWN with Lon Chaney Sr. I am a huge Chaney fan and have seen very few of his films I did not like, but this one is my favorite. The story of a circus performer who is supposedly armless (but really has arms) he commits the ultimate sacrifice for a woman who in the end he does not get. Superb acting, and although the female lead is played by Joan Crawford, Chaney takes the movie.  |
| Read all comments (1)|Write your own comment |
