HISTORICAL CINEMATIC MASTERPIECES OF THE SILENT ERA 1895-1929
FILMMUSEUM HOME VIDEO releases of historical cinematic masterpieces of the silent era, include exceptional treasures, including multiple reel motion pictures in the USA and other countries as early as 1895.
Frankenstein 1910
Producer: Thomas A. Edison Script/Director: J. Searle Dawley Cinematography: James White Production: Edison Manufacturing Co. CAST: Charles Ogle, Augustus Phillips, Mary Fuller Release: March 18, 1910. 16 min. Inter-titled. Color tinted w/music score.
The first screen version of the literary classic "Frankenstein" by Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley in 1818.
Camille 1921
Producer: Alla Nazimova Script: June Mathias Director: Ray C. Smallwood Cinematography: Rudolph J. Bergquist CAST: Alla Nazimova, Rudolph Valentino, Rex Cherryman, Arthur Hoyt, Patsy Ruth Miller Production: Nazimova Prods. Release: September 26, 1921 70 min. B/W.
American silent drama based on the stage adaptation "La Dame aux Camelias" (The Lady of the Camellias) by Alexandre Dumas.
FAUST - A GERMAN FOLKTALE 1926
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Hans Kyser Director: Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Cinematography: Carl Hoffmann CAST: Emil Jannings, Goesta Ekman, Camilla Horn, Wilhelm Dietrerle, Frida Richard, Yvette Guilbert Production: Ufa Release: October 14, 1926 106 min. B/W. inter-titled.
Silent fantasy film, produced by Ufa, directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, drawing on older German traditions of the legendary tale of Faust as well as on Goethe's classic 1808 version.
Underworld 1927
Producers: Hector Turnull, B.P. Schulberg Script: Ben Hecht, Charles Furthman, Robert N. Lee Director: Josef von Sternerg Cinematography: Bert Glennon CAST: Clive Brook, Evelyn Brent, George Bancroft, Larry Semon, Fred Kohler Production: Paramount Pictures Release: August 20, 1927 80 min. B/W inter-titled.
American silent crime film directed by Josef von Sternberg which launched the director's eight-year collaboration with Paramount Pictures. Ben Hecht was honored with the Academy Award for "Best Original Story" at the Oscars in 1929.
Child of the Ghetto 1910
Producer: Edwin S. Porter Director: D.W. Griffith Script: Stanner E.V. Taylor Cinematography: G.W. Bitzer, Arthur Marvin CAST: Dorthy West, Kate Bruce, Dell Henderson, Charles West Release: November 3, 1910 15 min. B/W inter-titled.
Vintage short film directed by D.W. Griffith tells the story of a Jewish girl whom after her mother's death struggles to support herself as a seamstress. While Ruth delivers shirts to the factory owner, the boss's son steals money from the factory and Ruth is accused of the crime.
A Page of Madness 1926
Producer: Teinosuke Kinugasa Script: Yasunari Kawaata, Minoru Inuzuka, Banko Sawda Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa Cinematography: Kohei Sugiyama, Eiji Tsuuraya CAST: Masao Inoue, Yoshie Nakagawa, Ayako Iijima Production: Kinugasa Motion Pictures League Release: July 10, 1926 71 min. B/W sound version (1975) English subtitled.
Vintage Japanese silent experimental horror film, a product of an avant-garde group of artists in Japan known as the Shinkankakuha (School of New Perceptions) who tried to overcome naturalistic representation. The story is set in a mental institution in 20th Century Japan. This rare film was once lost for forty-five years until rediscovered by its director in a storehouse in 1971.
The Charm of Dynamite 1968
Producer: Barrie Gavin Script/Director: Kevin Brownlow CAST: Lindsay Anderson, Albert Dieudonne, Abel Gance Release: May 28, 1968 51 min. B/W sound version.
Documentary film on the lengthy flamboyant career of French master filmmaker Abel Gance, who was a great influence on contemporary European and Hollywood movie directors.
A Christmas Carol 1910
Producer: Thomas A. Edison Script/Director: J. Searle Dawley Cinematography: James White Production: Edison Studios CAST: Charles S. Ogle, Marc McDermott Release: December 23, 1910 13 min, B/W silent w/music score.
American silent holiday drama produced at Thomas Edison's studios in the Bronx in NYC in 1910. Following similar festive holiday-themed movies following the 1901 release of "Marley's Ghost" and "Scrooge," this U.S. version of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella is the second oldest surviving screen adaptation of the famous literary work.
Aelita, Queen of Mars 1924
Producer/Director: Yakov Protazanov Script: Fedor Ozep Cinematography: Emil Schuenemann, Yuri Zhelyauzhsky Production: Mezhrabpom-Rus CAST: Nikolai Tseretelli, Valentina Kuindzhi, Yuila Sointseva, Pavel Pol Release: September 25, 1924 B/W silent w/music score.
Soviet silent Sci-Fi film based on Alexei Tolstoy's 1923 literary work and one of the earliest full-length movies about space travel.
Alice in Wonderland 1903
Producers: Cecil M. Hepworth, Herman Casler, Elias Koopman, Harry Marvin Script: Cecil M. Hepworth Director/Cinematography: Cecil Hepworth, Percy Stow CAST: May Clark, Cecil M. Hepworth, Mrs. Cecil Hepworth, Norman Whitten Production: Hepworth Picture Plays Release: October 17, 1903 8:10 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score.
British silent fantasy film based on Lewis Carrolls' "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" & "Through the Looking-Glass" in 1865. Only one single film copy of the original film is known to exist. This rare film has recently been painstakingly restored to its original theatrical release version.
Alice in Wonderland 1923
Producer: Walt Disney Script/Director: Walt Disney, Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising Animation: Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising, Ub Iwerks, Carman Maxwell, I. Freleng Layouts: Ub Iwerks Backgrounds: Carman Maxwell CAST: Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks, Rudolf Ising, Virginia Davis, Hugh Harman, Margaret Davis Production: Laugh-O-Gram Studio Release: October 16, 1923 12 min. B/W silent w/music score.
American silent short film, produced in Kansas City, Missouri by Laugh-O-Gram Studio. The black & white short was the first in a series of Walt Disney's famous "Alice Comedies" and had a working title of "Alice in Slumberland." The film was never exhibited theatrically.
Alice in Wonderland 1915
Producer/Script/Director: W.W. Young Production: American Film Manufacturing Co. CAST: Viola Savoy Release: January 19, 1915 53 min. B/W silent w/music score.
American silent film adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic 1896 novel was the first version to combine the chapters from "Through the Looking-Glass" with those of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."
America 1924
Producer/Director: D.W. Griffith Script: Robert W. Chambers Cinematography: George Bitzer, Marcel Le Picard, Hendrik Sartov, Harold S. Sintzenich CAST: Carol Dempster, Neil Hamilton, Lionel Barrymore Production: D.W. Griffith Productions Release: February 21, 1924 141 min. Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American historical colonial war/romance film describing the heroic story of the events during the American Revolutionary War, in which controversial director D.W. Griffith created a film adaptation of Robert W. Chambers' 1905 novel "The Reckoning."
American Aristocracy 1916
Producer/Director: Lloyd Ingraham Script: Anita Loos Cinematography: Victor Fleming CAST: Douglas Fairanks, Jewel Carmen Production: Fine Arts Film Co. Release: Novemer 12, 1916 52 min. B/W silent w/music score.
American silent adventure/comedy film starring the great Douglas Fairbanks.
Different than Others 1919
Producer/Script (co-writer)/Director: Richard Oswald Script: Richard Oswald, Magnus Hirschfeld Cinematography: Max Fassbender CAST: Conrad Veidt, Fritz Schulz, Reinhold Schuenzel, Anita Berber, Magnus Hirschfeld, Karl Giese Production: Richard Oswald-Film Produktion Release: June 30, 1919 Inter-titled 50 min. B/W silent w/music score.
German silent melodrama produced during the chaotic period of the Weimar Republic dealing with early Gay issues. Magnus Hirschfeld had co-written the screenplay with Oswald, who had a minor role i n the production partially funded the film through his Institute for Sexual Science. The film was intended as a polemic against the then-current laws such as Paragraph 175, which made homosexuality a criminal offense in Germany. This was one of the very first sympathetic cinematic portrayals of Gay men in cinema.
Anna Boleyn 1920
Producer: Paul Davidson Script: Norbert Falk, Hanns Kraely Director: Ernst Lubitsch Cinematography: Theodor Sparkuhl CAST: Henny Porten, Emil Jannings, Paul Hartmann Production: Pagu Release: December 3, 1920 118 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German historical film concerning the fate of Anne Boleyn, one of the wives of Henry VIII of England.
A Romance of the Redwoods 1917
Producer/Script (co-writer)/Director: Cecil B. DeMille Cinematography: Alvin Wyckoff CAST: Mary Pickford Production: Famous Players-Lasky/Artcraft Release: May 14, 1917 91 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille starring Mary Pickford.
Arsenal 1929
Producer/Script/Director: Oleksandr Dovzhenko Cinematography: Danylo Demutsky CAST: Semyon Svashenko, Nikolai Nademsky, Amvrosy Buchma, Les Podorozhnij Production: Odessa Film Factory of VUFKU Release: February 25, 1929 92 min. B/W inter-titled silent w/music score.
Soviet silent drama by Ukrainian director Oleksandr Dovzhenko which depicts the events following the 1917 October Revolution and the subsequent Russian Civil War, and is regarded as a highly symbolic and poetic depiction of the revolutionary spirit and struggle for power. The production is known for its expressionist imagery, camerawork and the story goes far beyond the usual Soviet propaganda and made it one of the most important pieces of Ukrainian avant-garde cinema.
Asphalt 1929
Producer: Max Pfeiffer, Erich Pommer Script: Joe May, Hans Szekely, Rolf E. Vanloo Director: Joe May Cinematography: Guenther Rittau CAST: Gustav Froehlich, Betty Amann Production: Ufa Release: March 11, 1929 85 min. B/W silent w/music score.
German silent crime film concerning a young woman in Berlin who is driven into poverty and steals a valuable piece of jewelry. She is caught by a police officer which leads to the woman's attempt to seduce him into letting her go free.
At the Edge of the World 1927
Producer/Script (co-writer)/Director: Karl Grune Co-writer: Hans Brennert Cinematography: Fritz Arno Wagner CAST: Alert Steinrueck, Wilhelm Dieterle, Brigitte Helm, Victor Janson Production: Ufa Release: September 19, 1927 104 min. B/W silent w/music score.
German silent drama pertaining to a mill situated on the border between two unnamed nations and the residents therein become pawns in a future military conflict.
Back to God's Country 1919
Producer: James Oliver Curwood, Ernest Shipman Script: Neil Shipman Director: David Hartford Cinematography: Dal Clawson, Joseph Walker CAST: Neil Shipman, Charles Arling, Wheeler Oakman, Wellington A. Playter Production: Canadian Photoplays Ltd Release: October 27, 1919 73 min. B/W silent w/music score.
Canadian silent drama film directed y David Hartford and one of the earliest Canadian film productions.
Battleship Potemkin 1925
Production: Jacob Bliokh Script: Sergei Eisenstein, Nina Agadzhanova Director: Sergei Eisenstein Cinematography: Eduard Tisse, Vladimir Popov CAST: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov Production: MosFilm Release: December 21, 1925 74 min. B/W silent w/music score.
Soviet silent propaganda epic written and directed y Sergei Eisenstein, presenting a dramatization of the Russian naval mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the Imperial Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against the ship's officers. In 1958, "Potemkin" was voted on Brussels 12 list at the 1958 World Expo. Eisenstein's film is widely considered one of the greatest (propaganda) films of all time, and it had been placed in the top ten in many previous editions.
First Movie Director: The Early Cinema of Edwin S. Porter 2024
Producer/Director: Charles Fursten Script: Larry Reicht, Charles Fursten Narrator: Blanche Suess Production: First Light Films Release: 1982 61 min. B/W sound.
American compilation sound documentary film chronicling the history of early cinema focusing on Hollywood's first movie director Edwin S. Porter. This unique documentary film reviews many countless vintage productions directed by Porter, including, his 1903 classic "The Great Train Robbery."
Ben-Hur 1907
Producer: Frank J. Marion, George Kleine, Samuel Long Script: Gene Gautier Director: Sidney Olcott Cinematography: Max Schneider Production: Kalem Co. Release: December 7, 1907 silent w/music score 10 min. B/W.
American silent historical drama set in ancient Rome, the screen's first adaptation of Lew Wallace's popular 1880 novel of the same title. Co-directed y Sidney Olcott and Frank Oaks Rose, this "photoplay" was produced by the Kalem Company in New York City, and its scenes, including the climatic chariot race, were filmed in the city's borough of Brooklyn.
Berlin, Symphony of a Great City 1927
Producer/Script (co-writer)/Director: Walter Ruttmann Script: Karl Freund, Carl Mayer, Walter Routtmann Cinematography;: Robert Baberske, Reimar Kuntze, Laszlo Schaeffer, Karl Freund Production: Fox-Europa Release: September 23, 1927 61 min. B/W silent w/music score.
German silent documentary film on everyday life in the capital of the Weimar Republic directed by Walter Ruttmann, co-written by Carl Mayer and Karl Freund. Much of the movement in the production, and many of the scene transitions, were constructed around the motion of trains and streetcars. According to the film's director, "a hypersensitive film stock" was developed foe usage in this film, to solve lighting difficulties during the nighttime scenes.
Birth of a Nation 1915
Producer/Script (co-writer) /Director: D.W. Griffith Cinematography: Billy Bitzer CAST: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry . Walthall, Miriam Cooper, Ralph Lewis, George Siegmann, Walter Long Prodiction: Dasvid W. Griffith Corp. Release: February 8, 1915 180 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent epic melodrama co-written, produced and directed by David W. Griffith and starring Lilian Gish. The original screenplay had been adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s racist novel and play "The Clansman." Griffith had co-written the script with Frank E. Woods and produced the film with Harry Aitken. "Birth of a Nation" had been controversial even before its theatrical release and has remained so ever since as it has been referred to as "the most controversial film ever made in the United States." The production, however, has been lauded for its technical virtuosity as it was the first non-serial American 12-reel film ever produced. In 1992, the Library of Congress deemed Griffith's film as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Blackmail 1929
Production: John Maxwell Script (co-writer)/Director: Alfred Hitchcock Cinematography: Jack E. Cox CAST: Anny Ondra, John Longden, Cyril Ritchard Production: British International Pictures Release: July 28, 1929 85 min. B/W sound.
British thriller co-written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock was based on the 1929 play of the same title by Charles Bennet, concerning a London woman who is blackmailed after murdering a man who tried to rape her.
Blood and Sand 1922
Production: Fred Niblo, Jessie L. Lasky Script: June Mathis Cinematography: Alvin Wyckoff CAST: Rudolph Valentino, Lila Lee, Nita Naldi, Rosa Rosanova, Walter Long Production: Famous Players-Lasky Release: August 5, 1922 80 min. B/W silent w/music score.
American silent melodrama starring the great Rudolph Valentino, based on the 1908 Spanish novel "Sangre y arena" (Blood and Sand) by Vincente Blasco Ibanez and the play "Blood and Sand" by Thomas Cushing which had been adapted from Ianez's novel.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1920
Production: Adolph Zucker, Jesse L. Lasky Script: Clara Beranger, Thomas Russell Sullivan Director: John S. Robertson Cinematography: Roy F. Overbaugh CAST: John Barrymore, Martha Mamsfield, Charles W. Lane, Nita Naldi Production: Famous Players-Lasky Release: March 28, 1920 83 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score.
American silent horror film starring the great John Barrymore in the title role, is the first screen adaptation based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Set in late Victorian London, England, the film portrays the tragic consequences of a doctor's experiments in separating the dual personalities he thinks define all human beings - one good, the other evil.
The Life and Works of Richard Wagner 1913
Producer: Oskar Meester Script: William Wauer Director/Cinematography: Carl Froelich CAST: Giuseppe Beece, Olga Engl, Manny Ziener, Ernst Reicher, Miriam Horwitz Production: Meester-Film Release: November 20, 1913 Colorized silent w/music score.
German historical biography of composer Richard Wagner which is dramatized with Giuseppe Beece in the role of Wagner.
The Phantom of the Opera 1925
Production: Carl Laemmle Script: Walter Anthony, Elliot J. Clawson, Bernard McCormack, Tom Reed, Raymond L. Arthur, Schrock, Jasper Spearing, Richard Wallace Director: Rupert Julian, Ernst Laemmle, Lon Chaney, Edward Sedgwick CAST: Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Nary Philin, Arthur Edmund, Carwe, Gibson Gowland, Snitz Edwards, Bernard Seigel Cinematography: Charles Van Enger, Milton Bridenbecker, Virgil Miller, Carla Laemlle Production: Universal Pictures Release: September 6, 1925 91 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent horror film adaptation of Gaston Leroux's famous novel of the same title directed by Rupert Julian and starring the great Lon Chaney in the title role of the horrific deformed phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House. The production remains most famous for Lon Chaney's ghastly, self-devised make-up, which was kept a studio secret at Universal until the official premiere at the Astor Theatre in New York in 1925.
Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror 1922
Production: Enrico Dieckmann, Albin Grau Script: Henrik Galeen Director: F.W. Munau Cinematography: Fritz Arno Wagner, Guenther Krampf CAST: Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schroeder, Alexander Granach, Ruth Landshoff, Wolfgang Heinz Production: Prana-Film Release: March 4, 1922 92 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent Expressionist horror film directed y Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, the vampire who rings a vampiric plague to the city of Bremen,, Germany. "Nosferatu" is regarded as an influential horror masterpiece of world cinema as well as the horror film genre.
Phantom 1922
Production: Erich Pommer Script: Thea von Harbou Director: F.W. Murnau Cinematography: Axel Graatkjaer, Theophan Ouchhakoff CAST: Alfred Abel, Grete Berger, Lil Dagover, Lya De Putti, Anton Edthofer Production: Decla-Bioscop/UCO-Film GmbH Release: November 13, 1922 117 min. Color-tinted Intertitled silent w/music score.
German romantic fantasy Expressionist silent film directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau was known to contain a most surreal, dreamlike cinematic quality.
The Phantom Carriage 1922
Production: Charles Magnusson Script/Director: Victor Sjostrom Cinematography: Julius Jaenzon CAST: Victor Sjostrom, Hilda orgstrom, Tore Svennberg Production: AB Svensk Filmindustri Release: January 1, 1922 107 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
Swedish silent fantasy film directed by Victor Sjostrom, based on Selma Lagerloef's 1912 novel "Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness." The story concerns a drunkard named David Holm who, on the night of New Year's Eve, is compelled y the ghostly driver of Death's carriage to reflect on his past mistakes. The film is known for its special effects, its innovative narrative structure with flashbacks within flashbacks, and for having been a major cinematic influence on the works of Ingmar Bergman.
Police Report 1928
Producer/Script (co-writer)/Director: Ernoe Metzger Script: (co-writer): Grace Chiang Cinematography: Eduard von Borsody 21 min. B/W silent w/music score.
German silent crime short film directed and co-written by Ernoe Metzger centering on the struggles of a Berlin citizen who happens upon a counterfeit coin lying in a gutter. The opening scene describes the possibility that the coin may be cursed, as another passerby is struck down by an automobile while reaching for the coin in the middle of the road. Although the finder of the coin is at first pleased, he soon regrets ever having picked the coin up in the first place.
The Adventures of Prince Achmed 1926
Producer/Script/Director: Lotte Reiniger Cinematography: Carl Koch Production: Comenius-Film Gmbh Release: September 23, 1926 65 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent animated fairytale film created by Lotte Reiniger and is the oldest surviving animated feature film. Reinger's production features silhouette animation technique she had invented involving cutouts made from cardboard ad thin sheets of lead under a motion picture camera. This original 35mm printing materials were used for the mastering of this version. The director had also used the first form of a multiplane 35mm camera in making the film, one of the most important devices in pre-digital animation. Several famous avant-garde animators worked on the production with Reiniger, among them Walter Ruttmann, Carl Koch, and Berthold Bartosch. The story had been based on literary motifs from "One Thousand and One Nights" written by Hanna Diyab, including, "Aladdin," "The Story of Prince Ahmed" and the "Fairy Peri-Banu," and "The Ebony Horse."
The Cinematic Art of Vsevolod Pudovkin 1958
Production: GosFilm/Documentary Film Studio Script/Director: V. Tisse Narrative: Boris Vosnetsky Release: August 3, 1958 29 min. B/W sound.
Soviet era documentary film on the artistic contribution of filmmaker Vsevolod Pudovkin, who developed influential cinematic theories of montage work. Pudovkin's cinematic masterpieces are often confused with those of his contemporary director Sergei Eisenstein, whereas Eisenstein utilized montage to glorify the power of the masses, Pudovkin preferred to focus on the courage and resilience of the individual instead. Pudovkin was honored with the title of "People's Artist of the USSR" in 1948.
Ravished Armenia 1919
Producer: William Nicholas Selig Script: Harvey Gates, Aurora Mardiganian, Nora Wain, Frederic Chapin Director: Oscar Apfel CAST: Aurora Mardiganian, Irving Cummings, Anna Q. Nilsson, Henry Morgenthau, Lillian West Production: First National Pictures Release: January 19, 1919 24 min. B/W silent w/music score Inter-titled.
American silent film docu-drama based on the autobiographical literary work by Arshaluys (Aurora) Mardiganian, who essays the lead role in the production. The film depicts the 1916 Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire from the viewpoint of Armenian survivor Mardiganian, who plays herself in the film, survives in this uncut version produced from an original 35mm film print.
Romance of a Jewess 1908
Producer/Script/Director: D.W. Griffith Cinematography: G.W. Bitzer CAST: Florence Lawrence, George Gebhardt, Gladys Egan Production: American Mutoscope/Biograph Co. 13 min. B/W silent w/music score.
American silent short drama film written and directed by D.W. Griffith, who was considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, pioneering many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the narrative film.
Romeo and Juliet in the Snow 1920
Producer: Paul Ebner, Maxim Galitzenstein Script: Hanns Kraely, Ernst Lubitsch Director: Ernsr Lubitsch Cinematography: Theodor Sparkuhl CAST: Lotte Neumann, Julius Falkenstein, Gustav von Wangenheim Production: Maxim-Film 46 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent comedy film directed by Ernst Luitsch. The film's title plays off of the William Shakespeare play, "Romeo and Juliet."
Melody of the World 1929
Producer: Guido Bagier, Heinrich Mutzenbecher Script/Director: Walter Ruttmann Cinematography: Reimar Kuntze, Wilhelm Lehne, Rudolph Rathmann, Paul Holzki Production: Tonbild-Syndikat AG Release: July 27, 1929 48 min. B/W silent w/music score.
German silent film directed by Walter Ruttmann who structured the production like a symphony and consists of documentary material from all over the world, contrasted and juxtaposed to show a number of human activities as they take form in different cultures. Ruttmann's film was promoted as Germany's first feature-length sound film when re-released at the German Music Festival on May 10, 1930.
Salome 1922
Producer/Director (co-director): Alla Nazimova Script: Natacha Rambova Cinematography: Charles Van Enger CAST: Alla Nazimova, Mitcgell Lewis, Rose Dione, Earl Schenk, Arthur Jasmine Nigel De Bruller, Frederick Peters, Louis Dumar Production: Nazimova Productions 73 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent drama film directed by Alla Nazimova and Charles Bryant. The story is adapted from the 1891 Oscar Wilde play, which is a loose retelling of the biblical story of King Herod and his execution of John the Baptist at the request of Herod's stepdaughter, Salome, whom he lusts after.
Santa Claus 1912
Producer/Director: Walter R. Booth, R.H. Callum, F. Martin Thorton Script: Leedham Bantock, Harold Simpson, Alfred de Manby Production: Kinematograph Co. Release: December 23, 1912 28 min. B/W silent w/music score.
British silent fantasy film in which a little girl dreams that she goes to Toyland where she helps Santa Claus in his workshop in the North Pole. The film was based on a play with the same title that played with the original cast at the Scala Theatre in London where it ran from December 1912 to January 1913 .
Secrets of a Soul 1926
Producer/Script: Hans Neumann Director: G.W. Pabst Cinematography: Guido Seerber, Curt Oertel, Walter Robert Lach CAST; Werner Krauss Production: Neumann-Film-Produktion GmbH 75 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent psychological drama directed y G.W. Pabst creating "a reasonably compelling psychological thriller." (Troy Howarth, "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era," 2016).
Seduction 1929
Producer/Script: Gustav Machaty Cinematography: Vaclav Vich CAST: Karel Schleichert. Ita Rina Production: Geem-Film/SlavisFilm Release: February 27, 1929 85 min. B/W silent w/music score. (Czech Inter-titled version).
Czech silent erotic melodrama film directed by Gustav Machaty concerning a young woman who is seduced and abandoned by a man who was invited to stay at his home by her father on a stormy night. Noticing that she is pregnant, the woman decides to leave home and start a new life.
Homage to the Cinematic Work of Segundo De Chomon 1905-1912
Production: Filmmuseum Productions Script/Director: Segundo De Chomon 32 min. Release: 1905-1912 Color-tinted silent w/music score.
Rare film collection of the cinematic work of pioneering Spanish film director Segundo Victor Aurelio Chomon y Ruiz who had created many short silent films in France while working with Pathe Feres and was often compared to Georges Melies, due to his frequent camera tricks and optical illusions. He ia regarded as the most significant Spanish silent film director in an international context. Complete film prints of the director's productions are included in this collection, including, "El Hotel Electrico" (1905), "Les Kiriki acroabates Japanoneses" (1907), "Excursion Dan La Lune" (1908)," "Le Papillones Japanais" (1908), and "Superstition andalouse" (1912).
Sex 1920
Producer: J. Parker Read, Thomas H. Ince Script: C. Gardner Sullivan Director: Fred Nilo Cinematography: Charles J. Stumar CAST: Louise Glaum, Irving Cummings Production: J. Parker Read, Jr. Productions Release: March 29, 1920 80 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent drama film directed by Fred Niblo in this morality story on the evils of marital infidelity. The release of the film at the time, with its provocative title and explicit scenes of seduction and debauchery, made it the subject of much controversy among film censors and journalists.
Shattered 1921
Production/Script (co-writer)/Director: Lupu Pick Script: Carl Mayer, Lupu Pick Cinematography: Friderich Weinmann CAST: Werner Krauss, Edith Posca, Hermine Strassmann-Witt Production: Rex-Film GmbH Release: May 27, 1921 61 min. B/W silent w/music score Inter-titled.
German silent 'Kammerspielfilm' directed by Lupu Pick, is considered to be the earliest example of the 'Kammerspielfilm' genre. Set during the winter, the story tells the tale of a track checker and his family who live like a poverty-stricken life next to the train station. They receive a telegram announcing the arrival of the section inspector, who is to live with his family.
The Rough House 1917
Producer/Script/Director (co-director with Buster Keaton): Roscoe Arbuckle Co-Script: Joseph Anthony Roach Cinematography: Frank D.. Williams CAST: Roscoe Arbuckle, Buster Keaton Production: Famous Players-Lasky Corp. Release: June 25, 1917 19 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American two-reel silent comedy film produced, written, directed (co-direction with Buster Keaton) and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and comic genius Buster Keaton. This was Buster Keaton's first production as director.
The Sinking of the Lusitania 1918
Producer: Winsor McCay Animation: Winsor McCay, John Fitzsimmons, William A. Adams Production: Jewel Productions Release: July 20, 1918 10 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score
American silent animated short film by cartoonist Winsor McCay is a cinematic work of propaganda re-creating the never filmed 1915 German sinking of the British liner RMS Lusitania. The production is regarded as the longest work of animation at the time of the film's release in 1918. The film is the earliest surviving animated documentary and serious, dramatic work of animation. Selected y the National Registry for preservation in 2017.
Sins of the Tropics 1927
Producer: Louis Aubert Script: Maurice Dekobra Director: Mario Nalpas, Henri Etievant Cinematography: Paul Cotterei, Albert Duverger, Maurice Henneains CAST: Josephine Baker, Pierre Batcheff, Regina Dalthy, Regina Thomas Production: Estalissements Louis Aubert Release: December 30, 1927 86 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score Inter-titled.
French silent film starring Josephine Baker set in the West Indies, tells the story of a native girl named Papitou (Josephine Baker) who falls in love with a French man named Andre Berval.
Sleeping Beauty 1908
Producer/Direction: Albert Capellani, Lucien Nonguet Script: Charles Perrault Cinematography: Segundo de Chomon CAST: Julienne Mathieu Production: Pathe 12 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score Inter-titled.
French silent fairy tale fantasy film which is a colorful, elaborately staged, but straightforward first screen version of "Sleeping Beauty."
Spies 1928
Production: Erich Pommer Script: Thea von Harbou, Fritz Lang Director: Fritz Lang Cinematography: Fritz Arno Wagner CAST: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Gerda Maurus, Willy Fritsch, Georg John, Lion Deyers Production: Ufa 123 min. B/W silent w/music score Inter-titled.
German silent espionage thriller directed by Fritz Lang from a co-written story by Theavon Harbou (the director's wife). "Spies" weaves together recurrent Lang themes of fear, fate, power and paranoia into a dynamic conspiracy thriller. The film's tone has been described as "somewhere between true pulp fiction and pure expressionism."
The Star of Bethlehem 1912
Producer: Edwin Thanhouser, Charles J. Hite Script: Lloyd Lonergan Director/Cinematography: Lawrence Marston CAST: Florence La Badie, William Russell, James Cruze Production: Thanhouser Co. Release: December 24, 1912 8 min. B/W silent w/music score Inter-titled.
American silent biblical story produced y Edwin Thanouser presenting the retelling of historical events preceding the Nativity of Jesus. This is an extremely are archival film treasure.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. 1928
Producer: Joseph M. Schenk Script: Carl Harbaugh, Buster Keaton Director: Charles Reisner, Buster Keaton Cinematography: Dev Jennings, Bert Haines CAST: Buster Keaton Production: MGM 70 min. B/W silent w/music score Inter-titled.
American silent comedy film co-written and directed y comic genius Buster Keaton. The production is known for what is regarded as Keaton's most famous stunt: the façade of a house falls around him while he stands in the precise location of an open window to avoid being flattened. In 2016, "Steamboat Bill, Jr." was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Storm over Asia 1928
Producer/Director: Vsevolod Pudovkin Co-Scriptwriters: O. Brik, I. Novokshonov Cinematography: Anatoli Golovnya CAST: I. Inkkizhinov, A. Tchistakov, L. Dediseff, A. Sudkavreich Production: MosFilm 125 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
Soviet propaganda silent feature film directed y Vsevolod Pudovkin is the final production in the director's "revolutionary trilogy," alongside "Mother" (1926) and "The End of St. Petersburg" (1927) (all available from FILMMUSEUM).
Strike 1925
Producer: Boris Nikhin Script: Grigori Aleksandrov, Ilya Kravchunovsky, Sergei Eisenstein, Valerian Pietnev Cinematography: Eduard Tisse, Vladimir Popov, Vasili Khvatov CAST: Grigori Aleksandrov, Maksim Shtraukh, Mikhail Gomorov Production: First Goskino Factory 94 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
Soviet silent propaganda film directed by Sergei Eisenstein resulting in a seven-part series titled "Towards Dictatorship of the Proletariat," "Strike" was a joint collaboration between the Prolecult Theatre and the Goskino film studio. Assembled in six parts, the production depicts a strike in 1903 by the workers of a factory in pre-revolutionary Russia, and their subsequent suppression. During its original theatrical release, the film received praise from critics, but many audiences were confused by its eccentric style. Today "Strike" is recognized as one of Eisenstein's more accessible cinematic works and a major influence on many of the director's contemporaries.
Sunrise, A Tale of Two Humans 1927
Producer: William Fox Script: Carl Mayer Director: F.W. Murnau Cinematography: Charles Rosher, Karl Struss CAST: Janet Gaynor, George O'Brien Production: Fox Film Corp. Release: November 4, 1927 95 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American synchronized sound romantic drama directed by expressionist German director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (his U.S. debut). "Sunrise" won the Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Picture at the first Academy Awards in 1929. Janet Gaynor won the first Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The film's legacy has endured, and it is now widely considered a cinematic masterpiece and one of the greatest films of the silent era. In 1989, the film was one of the first twenty-five films selected by the U.S. Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Diagonal Symphony 1924
Producer/Cinematography: Viking Eggeling Animation: Viking Eggeling Production: Viking-Filmproduktion Release: 1923 7 min. B/W silent w/music score.
German experimental animated silent film short created by Viking Eggeling. The director started work on "Symphonie Diagonal" in 1921. The final version was completed in 1923 and was first exhibited publicly in 1922 in Berlin. Yet another cut was shown in 1925 at the first avant-garde film show at Ufa's Kurfuerstendamn in Berlin. The film project originated from Eggeling's scroll drawings created from fellow Dadaist Hans Richter from 1921.
Tannhauser 1913
Producer/Script/Director: Lucius Henderson CAST: James Cruze, Marguerite Snow, Florence La Badie, William Russell, Burton Law Production: Thanhouser Film Corp. 40 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent operatic drama created by Lucius Henderson tells the story of German composer Richard Wagner's classic musical composition "Tannhauser."
Tartuffe 1926
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Carl Mayer Director: F.W. Murnau Cinematography: Karl Freund CAST: Emil Jannings, Lucie Hoeflich, Lil Dagover, Werner Krauss, Rosa Valetti, Hermann Picha Production: Ufa Release: July 24, 1926 64 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent produced by Erich Pommer for Ufa and directed by expressionist director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and starring Emil Jannings in the title role. Based on the play "Tartuffe," the production retains the basic plot, but Murnau and Mayer pared down Moliere's vision, eliminating most of the secondary characters and concentrating on the triangle of Orgon (Werner Krauss), Elmire and Tartuffe.
Tarzan of the Apes 1918
Producer: William Parsons Script: Fred Miller, Lois Weber Director: Scott Sidney Cinematography: Enrique Juan Vallejo CAST: Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, George B. French, Gordon Griffith Production: National Film Corp of America Release: January 27, 1918 10 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent action/adventure film directed by Scott Sidney was the first Tarzan film ever produced and is based on Edgar Rice Burrough's original 1912 novel of the same title. The production is considered the most faithful to thr novel of all film adaptations.
The Beloved Rogue 1927
Producer: Joseph M. Schenk Script: Paul Bern, Walter Anthony (interttles) Director: Alan Crossland Cinematography: Joseph H. August CAST: John Barrymore Production: Art Cinema Corp/Feature Productions Release: March 12, 1927 98 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent romantic adventure film, loosely based on the life of 15th century French poet, Francois Villon, who is essayed by John Barrymore in the production.
Metropolis 1927
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Thea von Harbou Director: Fritz Lang Cinematography: Karl Freund, Guenther Rittau CAST: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Froehlich, Rudolf RKlein-Rogge, Heinrich George Production: Parufamet Release: January 10, 1927 148 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent expressionist sci-fi film directed by Fritz Lang. "Metropolis" is regarded as a pioneering science-fiction film, being among the first feature-length ones of the genre. Lang's cinematic masterpiece is regarded one of the greatest and most influential films ever produced, ranking 67th in Sight and Sound's 2022 critics poll, and receiving wide critical acclaim. In 2001, the film was inscribed on UNESCO's 'Memory of the World Register,' the first motion picture thus distinguished.
The Eyes of the Mummy Ma 1918
Producer: Paul Davidson Script: Hanns Kraely, Emil Rameau Director: Ernst Lubitsch Cinematography: Theodor Sparkuhl, Alfred Hansen CAST: Pola Negri, Emil Jannings, Harry Liedtke, Max Laurence, Margarete Kupfer Producrtion: Pagu Release: October 3, 1918 19 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent horror film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. The production was a success upon its initial release in Germany and is regarded as a timeless cinematic classic of the classic German cinema.
The Forbidden City 1918
Producer: Joseph M. Schenck Script: Mary Murillo, George Scarorough Director: Sidney Franklin Cinematography: H. Lyman Broening, Edward Wynard CAST: Norma Talmadge, Thomas Meighan Production: Selznick Pictures Release: October 6, 1918 62 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent drama directed by Sidney Franklin concerning an inter-racial romance between a Chinese princess and an American..
The Haunted Castle 1921
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Carl Mayer Director: F.W. Murnau Cinematography: Fritz Arno Wagner, Laszlo Schaeffer CAST: Arnold Korff, Lulu Korff-Mehnert, Paul Hartmann Production: Uco-Film Release: April 7, 1921 81 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent horror/mystery film directed by expressionist filmmaker Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau who created a highly atmospheric, moody mystery film and certainly one of the classics of the classic German cinema during the Weimarian period.
The Last Command 1928
Producer: Adolph Zucker, Jesse L. LaskyScript: Lajos Biro, Josef von Sternberg, John F. Goodrich, Herman J. Mankiewicz (titles) Director: Josef von Sternberg Cinematography: Bert Glennon CAST: Emil Jannings, Evelyn Brent, William Powell Production: Famous Players-Lasky Release: January 22, 1928 88 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent romantic drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg starring German actor Emil Jannings ("The Blue Angel"), who won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 1929 Oscar ceremonies for his performances in this film and "The Way of All Flesh" (1927). In 2006, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for the National Film Registry.
The Last Days of Pompeii 1913
Producer/Script: Arturo Frusta Direction: Eleuterio Rodolfi, Mario Caserini Cinematography: Giuseppe Paolo Vitrotti CAST: Fernanda Negri Pouget, Eugenia Tettoni Fior Production: Societa Anonima Ambrosio Release: August 24, 1913 30 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
Italian silent historical film directed by Eleuterio Rodolfi was based on the 1834 novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton was set during the final days leading up to the Mount Versuvius eruption in Pompeii in 79 AD.
The Last Laugh 1924
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Carl Mayer Director: F.W. Murnau Cinematography: Karl Freund CAST: Emil Jannings, Malay Delschaft, Max Hiller Production: Ufa Release: December 23, 1924 87 min. B/W inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent drama film directed by expressionist filmmaker Friederich Wilhelm Murnau. "The Last Laugh" is a cinematic example of the 'Kammerspielfilm' or 'chamber-drama' entertainment genre, which follows the style of short, sparse plays of lower-middle class life that emphasized the psychology of the characters rather than sets and action. The film was voted number eleven on the prestigious Brussels twelve list at the 1958 World Exposition.
The Last Warning 1929
Producer: Carl Laemmle, Jr. Script: Alfred A. Cohn, Robert F. Hill, J.G. Hawks, Tom Reed Director: Paul Leni Cinematography: Hal Mohr CAST: Laura Ka Plante, Montagu Love, Roy D'Arcy, Margaret Livingston, John Boles, Bert Roach, Burr McIntosh Production: Paul Leni Productions Release: December 25, 1928 77 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent (part "talkie") mystery film directed by German expressionist director Paul Leni. Originally conceived as a follow-up to Paul Leni's immensely successful 1927 production "The Cat and the Canary", the film was produced by Universal Pictures under Carl Laemmle, Jr. Response by film critics at the time to "The Last Warning" varied, with many praising its dramatic performances and brilliant cinematography, though some had commented on its mysterious plot. In 2016, Universal selected the film for restoration.
The Light of Faith 1922
Producer: Hope Hampton Script: Charence Brown, William Dudley Pelley Director: Clarence Brown Cinematography: Alfred Ort;ie, Ben Carre CAST: Lon Chaney, Hope Hamilton Production: Hope Hamilton Productions Release: September 3, 1922 33 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent religious drama directed by Clarence Brown and starring the world famous actor Lon Chaney. This rare film is fifty per cent lost, some scenes mostly depicting the Holy Grail were filmed in color. The FILMMUSEUM edition of this rare film is the only version that has survived to this day, since the full-length version no longer exists despite serious research by film historians and cinema scholars.
The Mysterious Club 1913
Producer: Oskar Meester, Franz Vogel Story/Adaptation: Robert Louis Stevenson Director/Cinematography: Joseph Delmont CAST: Fred Sauer, Ilse Bois, Joseph Delmont Production: Oskar Meester Production Release: 1913 40 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent mystery film directed by Joseph Delmont for Oskar Meester Produktion. The story concerns a brother whom is reluctant to believe that his brother has committed suicide, Gerhard Bern travels to Rotterdam with a detective, and helped by the consul and his charming daughter Ilse he'll attempt to discover the truth about a secret society his brother was connected with.
The Oyster Princess 1919
Producer: Paul Davison Script: Hanns Kraely Director: Ernst Lubitsch Cinematography: Theodor Sparkuhl CAST: Ossi Oswaldi, Victor Janson, Harry Liedtke, Julius Falkenstein Production: Pagu Release: Kune 26, 1919 58 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score/
German silent comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. An outrageous comedy in four reels about an American millionaire's spoiled daughter's marriage that does not go well as planned.
The Penalty 1920
Producer: Samuel Goldwyn Script: Charles Kenyon, Philip Lonergan Director: Wallace Worsley Cinematography: Donovan Short CAST: Lon Chane, Charles Clary, Doris Pawn, Jim Mason, Claire Adams Production: MGM Release: August 1920 89 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent psychological thriller crime film directed by Wallace Worsley and starring Lon Chaney released in 1920 by Goldwyn Pictures.
The Sea Hawk 1924
Producer: Frank Lloyd Script: J.G. Hawks, Walter Anthony (intertitles) Director: Frank Lloyd Cinematography: Norbert F. Brodin CAST: Wallace Beery, Milton Sills, Enid Bennett, Llyod Hughes, Wallace MacDonald, Marc McDermott Production: Frank Lloyd Productions Release: June 14, 1924 138 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score
American silent adventure film concerning an English noble sold into slavery who escapes and turns himself into a pirate king. A New York Times film critic said of the film: "Far and away the best sea story that has ever been brought to the screen." (June 3, 1924).
The Student of Prague 1913
Producer: Paul Wegener Script: Hanns Heinz Ewers Director: Stellan Rye Cinematography: Guido Seeber CAST: Paul Wegener, John Gottowi, Grete Berger Production: Deutsche Bioscop Release: August 22, 1913 19 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score/
German silent horror film loosely based on "William Wilson," a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, the poem "The December Night" by Alfred de Musset, and Goethe's "Faust." "The Student of Prague" is considered to be the first German art film, and it helped lift the German cinema from its low-class, fairground origins to a viable art form. The film was a commercial success in Germany. Theatre audiences flocked to see the film, in part because it tapped into a very real sense of dissociation and alienation inherent in a society that was struggling with the burgeoning collapse of the Imperial German Reich.
The Ten Commandments 1923
Producer/Director: Cecil B. DeMille Script: Jeanie MacPherson Cinematography: Bert Glennon, Peverel Marley, Archibald Stout, J.F. Westerberg Production: Famous Players-Lasky Release: December 3, 1923 136 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent religious epic film produced and directed by Cecil . DeMille. The epic production is divided into two parts: a prologue recreating the biblical story of Exodus and a modern story concerning two brothers and their respective views of the Ten Commandments. Lauded for its "immense and stupendous" grand scenes, including the parting of the Red Sea sequence, the expensive production proved to be an instant box-office hit upon release.
The Yellow Ticket 1913
Producer: Paul Davidson Script: Hans Brennert, Hans Kraely Direction: Victor Janson, Eugen Illes Cinematography: Eugen Illes CAST: Pola Negri Production: Pagu Release: November 22, 1918 47 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music.
Polish/German silent film starring Pola Negri essaying a double role as her mother. Directed by Victor Janson and Eugen Illes. According to Ms. Negri's own online fanbase states: "The Yellow Ticket" is 'an enjoyable movie with a great dramatic storyline that involves heartbreak, melodrama with surprise connections amongst the main players, and a positive message about embracing humanity over race.'
The Passion of Joan of Arc 1928
Producer/Script (co-writer)/Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer Script: Joseph Delteil, Carl Theodor Dreyer Cinematography: Rudolph Mate CAST: Renee Jeanne Falconetti, Eugene Silvain, Andre Berley, Maurice Schutz Production: Societe Generale des Films 82 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
French silent historical film based on the actual trial of Joan of Arc. The production was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renee Jeanne Falconetti in the lead role of Joan. The film is widely regarded as a landmark of cinema, especially for is production, Dreyer's direction and Falconetti's dramatic performance, which is often listed as one of the finest in all of cinema history. In fact, despite the objections and cutting of the film by government and clerical authorities, it was a major critical success when first released and has consistently been considered one of the greatest motion pictures ever produced. It has been referenced and praised by countless film directors and musicians. In 1958, the film was voted number 4 on the prestigious Brussels 12 list at the 1958 World Expo.
The Black Pirate 1926
Production: Douglas Fairanks Script: Jack Cunningham Director: Albert Parker Cinematography: Henry Sharp, Arthur Ball (Technicolor camera), George Cave (Technicolor cameraman) CAST: Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Tempe Pigott, Donald Crisp Production: Elton Corp., Technicolor Motion Picture Corp. Release: March 8, 1926 93 min. Color Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent action adventure film filmed entirely in two-color Technicolor concerning an adventurer and a "company" of pirates. Directed by Albert Parker, the film stars Douglas Fairbanks. "The Black Pirate" was included in the annual selection of twenty-five motion pictures to be added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
The Blacksmith 1922
Producer: Joseph M. Schenck Script/Direction: Buster Keaton, Malcolm St. Clair Cinematography: Elgin Lessley CAST: Buster Keaton Production: First National Pictures Release: July 21, 1921 19 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent comedy short film co-written and directed by Buster Keaton and Malcolm St. Clair and starring Keaton. The story concerns Keaton, a young blacksmith, struggles to master the shop's machinery and implements which seem to defy his efforts to control them.
The City without Jews 1924
Producer: Walterskirchen und Bittner Script: H.K. Breslauer, Ida Jenbach Director: Hans Karl Breslauer Cinematography: Hugo Eywo CAST: Johannes Riemann, Eugen Neufeld, Hans Moser, Anny Milety Production: Walterskirchen und Bittner Release: July 25, 1924 80 min. Col;or-tinted German Inter-titled silent w/music score.
Austrian silent Expressionist film co-written and directed by Hans Karl Breislauer, based on the novel by Hugo Bettauer. The production is one of the few surviving Expressionist films from Austria. Sadly, shortly after the Viennese premiere of the film, Hugo Bettauer was murdered by Otto Rothstock, a former member of the Nazi Party, who was lionized by the antisemitic Austrians and was released less than two years after having been committed to a psychiatric institution.
The Doll 1919
Producer: Paul Davidson Script: Hans Kraely, Ernst Lubitsch Director: Ernst Lubitsch Cinematography: Theodor Sparkuhl, Kurt Waschneck CAST: Ossi Oswalda, Hermann Thmig, Victor Janson Production: Pagu Release: December 5, 1919 109 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
German silent romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch, based on the operetta "La poupee" by Edmond Audran and a line of influence through the Leo Delibes ballet "Coppelia" and E.T.A. Hoffmann's short story "Der Sandmann."
The Eagle 1925
Producer: John W. Considene, Joseph M. Schenck Script: Hans Kraly, George Marion, Jr. Director: Clarence Brown Cinematography: George Barnes, Dev. Jennings (2nd Unit) CAST: Rudolph Valentino, Vilma Banky, Louise Dresser Production: Art Finance Corp. Release: November 8, 1925 90 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent drama directed by Clarence Brown and starring Rudolph. Based on the posthumously published 1841 novel "Dubrovsky" by Alexander Pushkin, the story concerns a lieutenant in the Imperial Russian army who catches the eye of Czarina Catherine II. The production was inspired by the performance of Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro in "The Mark of Zorro."
The General 1926
Producer: Joseph Schenck, Buster Keaton Script: Al Boasberg, Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, Charles Smith Director: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman Cinematography: Devereaux Jennings, Bert Haines CAST: Buster Keaton, Marlon Mack Production: Buster Keaton Productions/Joseph M. Schenck Productions Release: December 31, 1926 106 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent Western slapstick action comedy film co-written and directed by Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman. The story was inspired by the "Great Locomotive Chase," a true account that occurred during the American Civil War. Thr story was adapted from the 1889 memoir "The Great Locomotive Chase" by William Pittenger.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923
Producer: Carl Laemmle, Lon Chaney, Irving Thalberg Script: Edward T. Lowe, Jr., Perley Poore Sheehan Director: Wallace Worsley Cinematography: Robert Newhard Special FX: Tony Kornman, Virgil Miller, Stephen S. Norton, Charles J. Stumar CAST: Lon Chaney, Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Brandon Hurst, Raymond Hatton, Ernest Torrence, Nigel de Brulier Production: Universal Pictures Release: September 2, 1923 157 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
American silent historical drama film directed by Wallace Worsley, produced by Carl Laemmle and Irving Thalberg starring Lon Chaney in the title role. Produced and released by Universal Pictures in 1925, the epic super-production was the studio's "Super Jewel" and was their most successful silent film, grossing USD$3.5 million dollars. The story was based on Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, and is notable for the grand sets that recall 15th century Paris as well as for Chaney's performance and special make-up as the tortured hunchback bell ringer Quasimodo..
The Impossible Voyage 1904
Producer/Script/Cinematography/Director: Georges Melies CAST: Georges Melies, Fernande Albany, Jehanne d'Arcy Production: Star Film Co. Release: 1904 20 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
French silent trick film created by Georges Melies. The production was inspired by Jules Verne's 1882 play "Journey through the Impossible," and modeled in style and format on Melies' highly successful 1902 trick film "A Trip to the Moon," the film is a satire of scientific exploration in which a group of geographically minded tourists attempt a journey to thr Sun using various methods of transportation. This film was a significant international success at the time of its original release in France in 1904, and has been well received by film historians.
The Paleface 1922
Producer: Joseph M. Schenck Script: Buster Keaton Director: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cinematography: Elgin Lessely CAST: Buster Keaton Production: Joseph M. Schenck Productions Release: January 15, 1922 20 min. B/W Inter-titled silent w.music score.
American silent Western two-reel comedy co-written and directed by comic genius Buster Keaton.
The Camerman's Revenge 1912
Producer: Aleksandr Khanzhonkov Script: Ladislas Starevich Cinematography/Director{ Wladyslaw Production: Kinoart Producions 13 min. Color-tinted Inter-titled silent w/music score.
Russian silent short film written and directed by Ladislas Starevich. Along with other cinematic works, Starevich stands out in the history of stop-motion animation for its use of actual dried insect specimins, including beetles, grasshoppers and dragonflies as articulated stop-motion puppets portraying all of the characters.
The Dreyfus Affair 1899
Producer/Script/Cinematography/Director: Georges Melies Production: Star Film/Warwick Trading Co. Release: September 1899 12 min. B/W silent w/music score.
French silent series of eleven short films by Georges Meilies. Each of the eleven one-minute installments (included in this collection) reconstructs an event from the real-life Dreyfus Affair, which was still in progress while the series was being produced. The series was acted in a restrained, realistic style vastly unlike Melies' better-known fantasy films; the scenes were staged and promoted to suggest accurately that Dreyfus was innocent of espionage.
The Wandering Jew 1923
Producer/Script/Cinematography/Director: Otto Kreisler CAST: Rudolf Schildkraut, Heinz Altringen, Ernst Bath Production: Kreisler-Filmproduktion 75 min. B/W silent English Inter-titles w/music score.
Austrian silent historical film created by Otto Kreisler was an early biography of the founder of modern Zionism depicting a young Herzel learning about Jewish persecution throughout the ages, and developing his theory of political Zionism, which he viewed as the only solution to rising anti-Semitism. The production follows Herzel's efforts to implement his ideas by converting European leaders and Jews to his cause (review: National Center of Jewish Film).
The Vampires 1915
Producer/Script/Director: Louis Feuillade Cinematography: Georges Guerin, Manichoux CAST: Eduard Mathe, Slacia Napierkowska, Delphine Renot Production: Gaumont Release: November 13-30, 1915 31 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
French silent crime serial film thriller produced, written and directed by Louis Feuillade starring Eduard Mathe, Slacia Napierkowska, Delphine Renot and others. The genre of the crime serial had been quite common at the time, and Louis Feuillade had a huge success with his previous cinematic work , the serial "Fantomas." The overall style of the production has been compared to that of a pulp magazine. "Les Vampires" was serialized in French theatres as ten episodes of differing length, the first two appearing on November 13, 1915 and the last on June 30, 1916. The production was first exhibited in Mexico on May 24, 1917 and had an American release at approximately the same time. The film essentially established the crime thriller genre, creating cinematic thriller techniques utilized shortly afterwards by cinema masters Alfred Hitchcock and Fritz Lang.
20,000 Leagues under the Sea 1916
Producer: Carl Laemmle Script/Director: Stuart Paton Cinematography: Eugene Gaudio CAST: Allen Holubar, Jane Gail, Matt Moore, William Welsh Production: Williamson Submarine Film Corp./Universal Film Manufacturing Co. 105 min. B/W English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent adventure film written and directed by Stuart Paton and starring Allen Holubar, Jane Gail and Matt Moore. Carl Laemmle served as producer on the production. The story had been adapted from Jules Verne's 1870 novel of the same title as well as also incorporating elements from Verne's 1875 novel "The Mysterious Island." "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" was the first feature-length motion picture filmed underwater which took two years to produce at a cost of $500,000. Hal Erickson said that "the cost of the film was so astronomical that it could not possibly post a profit, putting the kibosh on any subsequent Verne adaptations for the next twelve years."
Harakiri 1919
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Max Jungk (play), David Belasco, John Luther Long Director: Fritz Lang Cinematography: Max Fassbender CAST: Lil Dagover, Paul Biensfeldt, Georg John, Meinhardt Mauer, Rudolf Lettinger, Emer Huebsch, Niels Prien Production: Decla-Bioscop Release: December 18, 1919 80 min. B/W Dutch Inter-titles silent w/music.
German silent cultural film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Lil Dagover, Paul Biensfeldt, Georg John, Meinhardt Mauer, Rudolf Lettinger, Emer Huebsch and Niels Piren. "Harakiri" was one of the first Japanese-themed films depicting historical Japanese culture. The film was released in the United States and other countries under the title "Madame Butterfly" due to the source material on which it is based and which also inspired Giacomo Puccini's eponymous 1904 opera.
Hearts in Exile 1915
Producer/Script/Director: James Young Script: John Oxenham (play), James Young (co-writer) Cinematography: Arthur Edson CAST: Clara Kimball Young, Montagu Love, Clause Fleming, Vernon Steele, Frederick Truesdell, Paul McAllister, Bert Stakrkey, Clarissa Selwynne Production: Peerless Pictures Studios Release: April 12, 1915 59 min. B/W English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent drama film co-written and directed by James Young and starring Clara Kimball Young, Montagu Love, Clause Fleming, Vernon Steele and others. The story concerns an attractive woman by the name of Anna Ivanovna in Czarist Russia who has "consecrated her life to work among Russia's persecuted poor."
The Iron Mask 1929
Producer/Script: Douglas Fairbanks Script: Douglas Fairbanks, Jack Cunningham Director: Allan Dwan Cinematography: Henry Sharp CAST: Douglas Fairbanks, Belle Bennett, Marguerte De La Motte, Dorthy Revier, Rolfe Sedan Music: Hugo Riesenfeld Production: United Artists Release: February 21, 1929 95 min. B/W sound English dialog.
American part "talkie" adventure sound film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Belle Bennett, Marguerte De La Motto, Dorthy Revier and others. In addition to some scenes with dialogue, the film featured an actual synchronized music score with sound effects and a theme song. "The Iron Mask" is an adaptation of the last section of the 1847-1850 novel "The Vicomte de Bragelonne" by Alexander Dumas, pere, which is itself based on the French legend of "The Man in the Iron Mask." Douglas Fairbanks biographer Jeffrey Vance wrote: "As a valedictory to the silent screen, The Iron Mask is unsurpassed. In one of his few departures from playing a young man - and with few characteristic stunts - Fairbanks conjures up his most multi-dimensional and moving screen portrayal in a film that is perhaps the supreme achievement of its genre."
Police 1916
Producer: Jess Robbins Script/Director: Charlie Chaplin Cinematography: Harry Ensign CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Wesley Ruggies, James T. Kelley, Leo White Production: Essanay Studios 15 min. B/W silent w/music score.
American comedy film directed and starring Charlie Chaplin in his 14th production with Essanay Studios and was produced and released in 1916. Chaplin essays the lead starring role as an ex-convict who finds life outside not to his liking and leads him to breaking into a house with another thief, however, a girl in the house ends of changing him for the better in the end.
The Wandering Shadow 1920
Producer: Joe May Script (co-writer)/Director: Fritz Lang Cinematography: Guido Seeber CAST: Mia May, Hans Marr, Harry Frank, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Loni Nest Set Design: Otto Hunte Production: May-Film Release: December 25, 1920 46 min. B/W silent Spanish Inter-titled version w/music score.
German silent drama film co-written and directed by Fritz Lang and starring Mia May, Hans Marr, Harry Frank, Rudolf Klein-Rogge and Loni Nest. The story concerns a young girl who has surrendered herself to a disciple of free love, and, having giving birth to a child, marries the twin brother and "doppelgänger" of her chosen lover,
Lindbergh: Epic American Trans-Atlantic Flight 1927
Home movie production 16 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles
American silent home movie type newsreel film produced for the home entertainment market in 16mm documents Col. Charles A. Lindburgh's world famous flight known in history as "the Spirit of St. Louis."
The Suffragette 1913
Producer: Paul Davidson Script/Director: Urban Glad Cinematography: Emil Schunemann CAST: Asta Nielsen, Max Landa, Mary Scheller, Adele Reuter Eichberg, Fred Immler, Charly Berger Production: Projektion AG Union Release: 1913 61 min. B/W silent w/music score German Inter-titles.
German silent film presented in five acts as written and directed by Urban Glad in 1913 and starring Asta Nielsen, Max Landa, Mary Scheller, Adele Reuter Eichberg and Fred Immler. Urban Glad's vintage 1913 production is regarded by cinema historians and scholars as a rare film.
Cabria 1914
Producer/Script/director: Giovanni Pastrone Cinematography: August Battagliotti, Eugenio Bava, Natalie Chiusano, Segundo de Chomon CAST: Carlolina Calena, Emile Vardannes, Gina Marangoni, Lida Quaranta Production: Itala-Film 157 min. Color-tinted Italian Inter-titles silent w/music score .
Italian epic historical silent film produced, written and directed by Giovanni Pastrone and starring Carolina Calena, Emile Vardannes, Gina Marangoni, Lida Quaranta and others. This exceptional epic production was filmed on location in Turin, Italy in 1914. The storyline is set in ancient Sicily, Carthage, and Cirta during the period of the Second Punic War (218-202 BC) it follows the story if an abducted girl, Cabria, and features a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna, religious rituals in Carthage, the alpine trek of Hanibal, Archimedes' defeat of the Roman Fleet at the Siege of Syracuse and Scipio maneuvering in North Africa. The historical background ad characters in the film's storyline were taken from Livy's "Ab Urbe Condita" (21-25 BC). "Cabria" was the first motion picture to be shown at the White House, having been screened on the outside South Lawn of the Executive Mansion, by the President (Woodrow Wilson), First Lady, Vice-President and his wife, members of the Presidential cabinet and their wives, due to the intense summer heat of 1914. Pastrone's "Cabria" is regarded by cinema historians and film scholars as an important landmark in the history of world filmmaking.
Carmen aka Gypsy Blood 1918/1921
Producer: Paul Davison Script: Prosper Merimee (novel), Grete Diercks, Norbert Falk, Hanns Krahly, Myron M. Stearns (English version) Director: Ernst Lubitsch Cinematography: Alfred Hansen CAST: Pola Negri, Harry Liedtke, Leopold von Ledebur, Grete Diercks Production: Pagu/Ufa 80 min. B.W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
German silent drama film directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Pola Negri, Harry Liedtke, Leopold von Ledebur, Grete Diercks and others. The story is based on the novella "Carmen" by Prosper Merimee. Much like Bizet's famous operettic work, the production transforms the character of Don Jose at the beginning of the story from bandit on the run to honest man in love with his childhood sweetheart. "Carmen" was released in an English Inter-titled version in the United States in 1921 under the alternate release title "Gypsy Blood" which is available thru FILMMUSEUM HOME VIDEO.
The Eskimo Baby 1916
Producer: Alfred Duskes Script: Martin Jorgensen, Louis Levy, Director: Heinz Schall Cinematography: Carl Ferdinand Fischer CAST: Asta Nielsen Production: Neutral-Film Release:: April 4, 1918 65 min. B.W silent German Inter-titles.
German silent comedy film directed by Heinz Schall and starring Asta Nielsen for Neutral-Film in 1916. This film is a vintage example of classic German cinema.
The ABC of Love 1916
Producer/Director: Magnus Stifer Script: Martin Jorgensen, Louis Levy Cinematography: Carl Ferdinand Fischer CAST: Asta Nielsen, Ludwig Trautmann, Magnus Stifer Production: Saturn-Film Release: August 16, 1916 51 min. B/W silent German Inter-titles.
German silent comedy film directed by Magnus Stifer and starring Asta Nielsen, Ludwig Trautmann and Magnus Stifer. One of the earliest feature films produced in Germany during the golden age of classic German cinema.
Journey into the Night 1921
Producer: Sascha Goron Script: Harriet Bloch, Carl Mayer Director: Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Cinematography: Max Lutze CAST: Olaf Fenns, Eerna Morena, Conrad Veidt, Gudrun Brunn Stephensen, Clementine Plessner Production: Goron-Film Release: January 21, 1921 81 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score German Inter-titles.
German silent drama film directed by Friedrich Wilhekm Murnau for Goron-Film and starring Olaf Fenns, Erma Moreno, Conrad Veidt, Gudrun Brunn Stephensen, Clementine Plesser and others. This is one of the oldest vintage surviving complete films of Munrau's earliest productions.
The Strangling Hand 1920
Producer: Carmen Cartellieri, Cornellius Hintner Script/Cinematography/Director: Cornellius Hintner CAST: Victor Kutschera, Carmen Cartellieri, Eugen Preiss, Hans Rhoden, Adolf Weisse, Hugo Werner-Kahle Production: Pax-Film Release:1920 68 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score German Inter-titles.
Austrian silent crime drama co-produced, written, shot and directed by Cornellius Hintner for Pax-Film in 1920. "The Strangling Hand" is one of the earliest vintage cinematic examples of classic Austrian filmmaking during the twenties.
The Grand Duke's Finances 1924
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Frank Heller, Thea von Harbour, Fritz Wendhausen Director: Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Cinematography: Karl Freund, Franz Planer CAST: Harry Liedtke, Mady Christians, Adolphe Engers, Julius Falkenstein Production: Ufa Release: January 7, 1924 80 min. Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent comedy film directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau for Ufa starring Harry Liedtke, Mady Christians, Adolphe Engers, Julius Falkenstein and others. The production was based on the novel of the same title by Swedish author Frank Heller, and adapted by Fritz Lang's screenwriter wife Thea von Harbou. "The Grand Duke's Finances" was the only comedy film directed by Murnau and premiered in Germany on January 7, 1924 at the Berlin Palast am Zoo Theater. Regarded as one of the supreme examples of classic German cinema during the Weimarian period.
The Burning Earth 1922
Producer: Sascha Goron, Erich Pommer Script: Willy Haass, Thea vo n Harbou, Arthur Rosen Director: Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Cinematography: Fritz Arno Wagner, Karl Freund CAST: Eugen Kloepfer, Werner Krauss, Eduard von Winterstein, Alfred Abel Production: Deulig-Film Release: March 3, 1922 51 min. Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent drama film directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and starring Eugen Kloepfer, Werner Krauss, Eduard von Winterstein, Alfred Abel and others. Murnau directed this production at the time of the filming of his "Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror" (1922) and was released around the same time. "The Burning Soil" followed the struggle over a plot of petroleum-rich land. This rare film had been considered lost until 1978, when it was discovered to have been the property of an Italian Roman Catholic priest who had organized screenings of the film for patients in mental hospitals. Considered by cinema historians and scholars to be a landmark production and a classic of the German cinema during the Weimarian period.
Demon Circus 1923
Producer: Emil Justiz Script: Paula Busch (novel), Wolfgang Geiger Director: Emil Justiz Cinematography: Eugen Hrich, Erich Waschneck CAST: Eduard von Winterstein, Carl de Vogt, Malay Delschaft , Gertrude Weicker Production: Boemstad-Justiz-Film Release: January 26, 1923 45 min. B/W silent w/music score Russian Inter-titles,
German silent circus drama film directed by Emil Justiz and starring Eduard von Winterstein, Carl de Vogt, Malay Delschaft, Gertrude Weicker and others. This early vintage silent classic is considered as an example of the masterworks of the classic German cinema during the Weimarian period.
The Ancestress 1919
Producer: Anton Kolm, Luise Fleck, Jakob Fleck Script: Franz Grillparzer, Luise Fleck, Jakob Fleck Direction: Luise Fleck, Jakob Fleck Cinematography: Jakob Fleck CAST: Liane Haid, Max Neufeld, Karl Ehmann, Eugen Neufeld Production: Wiener Kunstfilm 51 min. Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music.
Austrian silent drama film co-produced, written and directed by Jakob and Luise Fleck for Wiener Kunstfilm and starring Liane Haid, Max Neufeld, Karl Ehmann, Eugen Neufeld and others. A previous version of the story had been lensed in 1910.
The Ancient Law 1923
Producer/Director: E.A. Dupont Script: Heinrich Laube, Paul Reno Cinematography: Theodor Sparkuhl CAST: Henny Porten, Werner Krauss, Jakob Tiedtke, Ernst Deutsch Production: Comedia-Film GmbH Release: October 29, 1923 134 min. Color-tinted silent German Inter-titles w/music score.
German silent historical drama film produced and directed by E.A. Dupont and starring Henny Porten, Werner Krauss, Jako Tiedtke, Ernst Deutsch and others. The story concerns a son of an orthodox Rabbi who faces hostility from his father when he decides to become an actor. This rare film is considered a timeless cinematic classic produced during the Weimarian period.
Madame Dubarry 1919
Producer: Paul Davidson Script: Norbert Falk, Hanns Kraehly Director: Ernst Lubitsch Cinematography: Theodor Sparkuhl CAST: Pola Negri, Emil Jannings, Harry Liedtke, Eduard von Winterstein Production: Pagu 115 min. Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent historical film directed by Ernst Lubitsch starring Pola Negri, Emil Jannings, Harry Liedtke, Eduard von Winterstein and others. The story concerns the historic events during the French Revolution focusing on the two historical figures Louis XV and Madame Dubarry. The production is regarded as a landmark cinematic classic of the early German film.
Genuine 1920
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Carl Mayer Director: Robert Wiene Cinematography: Willy Hameister CAST: Fern Andra, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Ernst Gronau, Harold Paulsen Production: Decla-Bioscop AG Release: September 2, 1920 80 min. Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent horror film directed by Robert ("Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," 1920) Wiene and starring Fern Andra, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Ernst Gronau, Harold Paulsen and others. Although often confused with being a "vampire" horror film, Wiene's film does not belong to that gene. Rather, it is the production's eponymous character, Genuine, who is in reality a "succubus" who uses her powers of seduction to torment and control the men who love her. Robert Wiene's "Genuine" is regarded as a follow-up to the director's massively successful expressionist classic "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920), utilizing much of the original production crew, including, the same screenwriter and cinematographer who had worked with him on "Caligari."
The Stigmatized 1922
Producer: Otto Schmidt Script/Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer Cinematography: Friedrich Weinmann CAST: Polina Piekowskaja, Wladimir Gaidarow, Thorleif Reiss, Adele Reuter Eichtberg Production: Primus-Film GmbH Release: February 7, 1922 95 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
German silent drama film written and directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer for Primus-Film and starring Palina Piekowskaja, Wladimir Gaidarow, Thorleif Reiss, Adele Reuter Eichberg and others. The story was based on the 1918 novel "Elskar hverandre" (Love One Another) by Aage Madelung. "The Stigmatized" is considered a rare film classic from the golden age of the German cinema.
A Man there Was 1917
Producer: Charles Magnusson Script: Gustav Molander, Victor Sjoestroem Director: Victor Sjoestroem Cinematography: Julius Jaenzon CAST: Victor Sjoestroem, Edith Erastoff, August Faick, Bergliot Husberg Production: Svenska Biograffeatern Release: January 29, 1917 65 min. Color-tinted Swedish Inter-titles silent w/music score.
Swedish silent drama film co-produced, written and directed by Victor Sjoestroem starring himself, Edith Erostoff, August Faick, Bergliot Husberg and others. The story for the film was based on a poem of the same title by Henrik Ibsen. "A Man there Was" was the most expensive Swedish film produced up to 1917, marking a new direction in Swedish cinema. Sjoestroem's production is considered to be the beginning of the golden age of Swedish silent film that would end up with the classic "Goesta Berling's Saga" (1925, also available from FILMMUSEUM.
Foolish Wives 1922
Producer: Carl Laemmle, Erich von Stroheim Script/Director: Erich von Stroheim Cinematography: William H. Daniels, Ben F. Reynolds CAST: Rudolph Christians, Miss Dupont, Maude George, Mae Busch, Erich von Stroheim Production: Jewel Productions Release: January 11, 1922 142 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American silent erotic drama film written, directed and starring Erich von Stroheim with co-stars Rudolph Christians, Miss Dupont, Maude George, Mae Busch and others. "Foolish Wives" was produced and released by Carl Laemmle and Universal Pictures in 1922 under their "Super-Jewel" banner. When Von Stroheim;s film was released in January 1922, it was the most expensive produced made at that time, and billed as "the first million-dollar movie to come out of Hollywood." Originally, von Stroheim had intended the production to run anywhere between six and ten hours in length, and be shown over two evenings, however, Universal Pictures executives opposed this proposal immensely so the studio heads cut the production drastically prior to the release playdate. "Foolish Wives" was anticipated to be a huge commercial success and play on Broadway in New York for six months. Von Stroheim's vintage classic is considered one of the earliest Hollywood box-office hits.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse 1921
Producer: Rex Ingram Script: June Mathis Director: Rex Ingram Cinematography: John F. Seitz CAST: Rudolph Valentino, Alan Hale, Wallace Beery, Joseph Swickard Production: Rex Ingram Productions/Metro Pictures Corp. Release: March 6, 1921 134 min. B/W English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent epic war film produced and directed by Rex Ingram for Metro Pictures Corp. and starring Rudolph Valentino, Alan Hale, Wallace Beery, Joseph Swickard and others. The story was based on the 1916 novel of the same title by Vincente Blasco Ibanez, adapted for the screen by screenwriter June Mathis. "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is regarded as one of the first anti-war movies produced, and had an enormous cultural impact and became the top grossing theatrical attraction of 1921. In 1995, Ingram's production was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Contemporary film historians consider "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" one of the important works of early vintage American cinema.
The Heart of a Hero 1916
Producer: William A. Brady Script: Francis Marion Director: Emile Chautard Cinematography: Lucien Tainguy CAST: Robert Warwick, Gail Kane, Alec B. Francis, Clifford Grey Production: World Film Corp. Release: November 6, 1916 16 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent historical drama film directed by Emile Chautard starring Robert Warwick, Gail Kane, Alec B. Francis and Clifford Grey. The story was based on the 1898 play "Nathan Hale" by Clyde Fitch. The short silent film production was both produced and released by World Film Corporation in 1916. An early vintage cinematic example from the golden age of Hollywood.
Flowers of Hate 1924
Producer: Educational Pictures Script/Director: Robert C. Bruce Cinematography: David W. Gobbett CAST: Myrtle Forbes, Selmer Jackson, Gurnie Hayes Production: Educational Pictures 18 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent short film written and directed by Robert C. Bruce for Educational Pictures and starring Myrtle Forbes, Selmer Jackson, Gurnie Hayes and others. The story concerned two mountaineers, whom are bitter rivals decide to go on a three-day hike in the mountains search for a special flower for a young girl who ends up scolding them both when they finally return exhausted.
Uncle Frank's Farm 1920
Producer/Script/Director: F.S. Wythe Production: Neighborhood Motion Picture Service, Inc. 12 min. Sepia-tone English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent drama produced, written and directed by F.S. Wythe concerned an immigrant who purchased a farm with funds he has saved with his own money. His brother visits him from the abroad and they manage to find him a home with the idea that in the United States one gets out of whatever he put into it.
His Majesty the Scarecrow of Oz 1914
Producer: L. Frank Baum, Louis F. Gottschalk Script: L. Frank Baum Director: J. Farrell MacDonald Cinematography: James A. Crosby CAST: Violet MacMillian, Frank Moore, Pierre Couderec, Fred Woodward Production: The Oz Film Manufacturing Co. Release: September 28, 1914 30 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American silent literary/fantasy film produced and written by L. Frank Baum and directed by J. Farrell MacDonald. The early vintage production starred Violet MacMillian, Frank Moore, Pierre Couderec, Fred Woodward and others. MacDonald's fantasy production was loosely based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 literary classic novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," however, in the screenplay, Baum introduced many new characters and a large new story that would later become the basis 1915 novel "The Scarecrow of Oz." Similar to "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," the scarecrow's origin is revealed, although his life was attributed to "the Spirit of the Corn," who appears as a conventional Hollywood depiction of a Native American. This had been the third motion picture by the Oz Manufacturing Company, following "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" (1914) and "The Magic Cloak of Oz" (1914). NOTE: all three rare films are available thru FILMMUSEUM.
1776 or The Hessian Renegades 1909
Producer/Script(co-writer)/Director: D.W. Griffith Script (additional writer): Frank E. Woods Cinematography: G.W. Bitzer, Arthur Marvin CAST: Owen Moore, Linda Arvidson, Kate Bruce, Wilhelm J. Butler Production: Biograph Company Release: September 6, 1909 12 min. B/W silent w/music score.
American silent historical revolutionary film produced, co-written and directed by D.W. Griffith for the Biograph Company in 1909 starring Owen Moore, Linda Arvidson, Kate Bruce, Wilhelm J. Butler and others. Griffith's 1909 vintage production is an early cinematic example of classic silent American filmmaking.
1925 Studio Tour 1925
Producer/Cinematography/Director: William H. Daniels CAST: Howard Hawks, Josef von Sternberg, Erich von Stroheim, King Vidor, Tod Browning, Ramon Novarro, Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer,Zasu Pitts, Joan Crawford, Louis B. Mayer, Irving Thalberg, Myrna Loy 32 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American silent documentary film short concerning a tour of the MGM Studio in 1925 is given in order to meet the individuals who produce, write, direct and star in the movies during the golden age of Hollywood.
A Night in the Show 1915
Producer: Jess Robbins Script/Director: Charlie Chaplin Cinematography: Harry Ensign CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Charlotte Mineau, Lee Lampton Production: Essonay Studios/General Film Co. Release: November 20, 1915 20 min. B/W silent w/music score. English Inter-titles.
American silent comedy film short written, directed and starring world famous comic Charlie Chaplin with co-stars Edna Purviance, Charlotte Mineau, Lee Lampton and others. The film was produced at the Majestic Studio in Los Angeles, California in the fall of 1915. Chaplin essayed two roles in the production - Mr. Pest and Mr. Rowdy. "A Night in the Show" had been created from Chaplin's stage work from a play called "Mumming Birds" in the USA. Considered an early vintage Chaplin cinematic silent classic.
After Death 1915
Producer: Aleksandr Khanzhonkov Script: Ivan Turgenev, Yevgeni Bauer Director: Yevgeni Bauer Cinematography: Boris Zavelev CAST: Vitold Polonsky, Olga Rakhmanova, Vera Karalli, Mariya Khassalskaia Production: A. Khanzhonkov & Co. Ltd. Release: 1915 48 min. silent w/music score Russian/English Inter-titles.
Russian silent drama film directed by Yevgeni Bauer starring Vitold Polonsky, Olga Rakhmanova, Vera Karalli, Mariya Khassalskaia and others. The story of this vintage cinematic classic was based on the 1915 novella "Klara Milich" by Ivan Turgenev. The story concerns a reclusive young man by the name of Andre who is reluctantly persuaded to go out to social events by his good friend Tserin, and encounters the beautiful actress Zola. The two meet briefly but then he doesn't see her for months. He is then shocked to learn that she has collapsed and died, and he becomes morbidity and madly obsessed with her. "After Death" is considered an vintage cinematic silent classic from early Russian cinema.
All for Momey 1923
Producer: Emil Jannings Script: Hanns Krahly, Rudolf Stratz Director; Reinhold Schuenzel Cinematography: Alfred Hansen, Ludwig Lippert CAST: Emil Jannings, Hermann Thimig, Curt Goetz, Reinhold Schuenzel Production: Emil Jannings-Film/Ufa Release: November 5, 1923 104 min. B/W silent w/music score.
American version of the German silent drama film produced by Emil Jannings and directed by Reinhold Schuenzel starring Jannings, Hermann Thimig, Curt Goetz, Reinhold Schuenzel and others. "All for Money" is considered an early vintage Emil Jannings cinematic classic and part of the golden age of German cinema.
When I was Dead 1916
Producer: Paul Davidson Script/Director: Ernst Lubitsch CAST: Ernst Lubitsch, Louise Schenrich, Helene Voss, Jules Falkenstein Production: Projektions-AG Union (PAGU) Release: 1916 38 min. Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent comedy film written, directed, shot and starring Ernst Lubitsch with co-stars Louise schenrich, Helene Voss, Jules Falkenstein and others. The story concerns a husband who is hounded by his nagging mother-in-law who lives with him and his wife. After coming home drunk one night he is kicked out by the mother-in-law. He disguises himself as a servant and gets a job at his own house. This film was considered lost forever until 1993 when a vintage copy of the film was discovered in Slovenia. "When I was Dead" is considered an early vintage example of the origins of classic German cinema.
United States, British, French and Italian Official War Films 1918
Producer: Allied Expeditionary Forces Film Unit 15 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
W.W.I. Allied Expeditionary Forces Film Unit production of U.S., British, French and Italian film record of the end pf the First World War in 1918. Considered a rare archival film.
A Morman Maid 1917
Producer: Jessie L. Lasky Script: Charles Sarver, Paul West Director: Robert Z. Leonard Cinematography: Charles Rosher CAST: Mae Murry, Frank Borzage, Hobarth Boseworth, Noah Beery, Richard Henry Cummings Production: Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Co. Release: April 27, 1917 69 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard starring Mae Murry, Frank Borzage, Hobarth Boseworth, Noah Beery, Richard Henry Cummings and others. The story concerns a young girl by the name of Dora, who while traveling westwards with her family, must face a proposal to become a Morman elder's sixth wife.
Broken Blossoms 1919
Producer/Script/Director: D.W. Griffith Cinematography: G. W. Bitzer CAST: Lillian Gish, Richard Barthelmess, Donald Crisp, Arthur Howard Production: D. W. Griffith Productions/United Artists (UA) Release: May 13, 1919 90 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent melodrama film written, produced and directed by D. W. Griffith starring Lilian Gish, Richard Barthelmess, Donald Crisp, Arthur Howard and others. The story concerns a young girl, Lucy Barrows (Lillian Gish), who is abused by her alcoholic prizefighting father, Battling Burrows (Donald Crisp), and meets Cheng Huan (Richard Barthelmess), a kind-hearted Chinese man who falls in love with her. "Broken Blossoms" was the first motion picture released by United Artists. The production was based on Thomas Burke's 1916 short story "The Chink and the Child" which had been from the 'Limehouse Nights' collection. "Broken Blossoms" is considered one of the great silent movies produced during the golden age of classic American cinema.
The Cameraman 1928
Producer: Buster Keaton, Lawrence Weingarten Script: Clyde Bruckman, Lew Lipton Direction: Buster Keaton, Edward Sedgwick Cinematography: Reggie Lanning, Elgin Lessley CAST: Buster Keaton, Marceline Day, Harold Goodwin, Sidney Bracey Production: MGM Release: September 22, 1928 76 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American silent romantic comedy film co-produced and co-directed by noted comic Buster Keaton starring Keaton, Marceline Day, Harold Goodwin, Sidney Bracey and others. "The Cameraman" is considered by film critics and movie buffs as one of Keaton's best cinematic works to date.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1920
Producer: Decla-Film Script: Carl Mayer, Hans Janowitz Director: Robert Wiene Cinematography: Willy Hameister CAST: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski Production: Decla-Film Release: February 26, 1920 75 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent expressionist horror film directed by Rpbert Wiene starring Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski and others. "Caligari" is the quintessential work of early vintage classic German cinema, the story tells a tale of an insane hypnotist, Dr. Caligari (Krauss) who uses a brainwashed somnambulist (Veidt) to commit a series of grisly murders. Wiene's production features a dark, twisted visual style, with sharp-painted forms, oblique, curving lines, structures and landscapes that lean and twist in unusual camera angles, and dark shadows and streaks of light-painted directly onto the studio sets. "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is hailed by contemporary film critics as one of the great expressionist films produced during the Weimarian period.
Caught in a Cabaret 1914
Producer: Mack Sennett Script/Director: Mabel Normand Cinematography: Frank D. Williams CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Harry McCoy, Chester Conkin Production: Keystone 30 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American comedy short film written and directed by Mabel Normand starring comic genius Charlie Chaplin, Normand, Harry McCoy, Chester Conkin and others. The story concerns Chaplin who essays the role of a waiter who fakes being the Prime Minister of Greenland to impress a young girl. He then is invited to a garden party where he manages to get into trouble with the girl's jealous boyfriend. Considered by contemporary cinema historians as a classic vintage Chaplin film.
Tillie's Punctured Romance 1914
Producer: Mack Sennett Script: Hampton Del Ruth, Craig Hutchinson, Mack Sennett Director: Mack Sennett Cinematography: Hans F. Koenekamp, Frank D. Williams CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand, Mack Swain Production: Keystone Film Co. Release: December 21, 1914 74 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American silent comedy film written and directed by Mack Sennett starring Charlie Chaplin, Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand, Mack Swain and others. The film was the first full-length comedy production and was the only feature-length comedy made by Keystone Film Company. Sennett's film is based on Dressler's stage play "Tille's Nightmare" by A. Baldwin Sloane and Edgar Smith, making it the first full-length slapstick comedy in all of cinema. "Tille's Punctured Romance" is considered a vintage comedy classic featuring Charlie Chaplin.
Shanghaied 1915
Producer: Jess Robbins Script/Director: Charlie Chaplin Cinematography: Harry Ensign CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Wesley Ruggles, Lawrence A. Bowes Production: Essanay Studios Release: October 4, 1915 30 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American silent comedy film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin for Essanay Studios starring Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Wesley Ruggles, Lawrence A. owes and others. "Shanghaied" is regarded as an early silent vintage classic created by Charlie Chaplin.
Burlesque on Carmen 1915
Producer: Jess Robbina, George Spoor Script: Charlie Chaplin, Prosper Menanee Director: Charlie Chaplin Cinematography: Roland Totheroh CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Eda Purviance, Jack Henderson, Leo White Production: Essanay Studios/General Film Co. Release: December 10, 1915 44 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American comedic parody film co-written and directed by Charlie Chaplin starring Chaplin, Eda Proviance, Jack Henderson, Leo White and others. "A Burlesque on Carmen" was Chaplin's thirteenth motion picture for Essanay Studios, originally released as "Carmen" on December 18, 1915. Chaplin essayed the role of the leading man and Edna Proviance essayed the coveted role as Carmen. The film is in fact a parody of C. B. DeMille's "Carmen" (1915), which was itself an interpretation of the popular novella "Carmen" by Prosper Merimee. Contemporary film historians and scholars regard "A Burlesque on Carmen" as an early vintage silent film classic.
Police 1916
Producer: Jess Robbins Script/Director: Charlie Chaplin Cinematography: Harry Ensign CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Proviance, Wesley Ruggles, James T. Kelly Production: Essanay Studios Release: May 27, 1916 34 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titl;es.
American comedy film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin for Essanay Studios starring Chaplin, Edna Proviance, Wesley Ruggles, James T. Kelly and others. Chaplain essays the role as an ex-convict who finds life on the outside not to his liking and leads him to breaking into a home with another thief (Ruggles). Eda Proviance essays the role of the girl residing in his home who tries to change him. Recognized by contemporary film historians as an early vintage cinema classic.
The Vagabond 1916
Producer: Henry P. Caulfield Script: Charlie Chaplin, Vincent Bryan, Maverick Terrell Direction: Charlie Chaplin, Edward Brewer (technical director) Cinematography: William C. Foster, Roland Totheroh CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Erich Campbell, Leo White Production: Mutual Films Release: July 10, 1916 25 min. B/W silent w/music score.
American romantic omedy film co-written and directed by Charlie Chaplin for Mutal Films starring Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Erich Campbell, Leo White and others. Ths film echoed Chaplin's earlier work on "The Tramp" (1915), with more drama and pathos mixed in with romantic comedy. Regarded as an early vintage Chaplin classic.
The Pawnshop 1916
Producer: Henry P. Caulfield Script: Charlie Chaplin, Vincent Bryan, Maverick Turrell Direction: Charlie Chaplin, Edward Brewer (technical director) Cinematography: William C. Foster, Roland Totheeroh CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Henry Bergman, Edna Purviance, John Rand Production: Mutual Film Corp. Release: October 2, 1916 25 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American slapstick comedy film co-written and directed by Charlie Chaplin for Mutual Film Company starring Chaplin, Henry Bergman, Edna Purviance, John Rand and others. Chaplin stars in the role of a pawnbroker's assistant, essayed by Henry Bergman. Edna Purviance plays the shop owner's daughter, while Albert Austin portrays an alarm clock owner who watches Chaplin in dismay as he dismantles the clock, the obese Eric Campbell's character attempt to rob the shop. "The Pawnshop" was one of Chaplin's more popular theatrical attractions at the time for the Mutual Film Corp, mainly for the slapstick comedy he was so famous for. Considered an early vintage slapstick comedy by comic genius Charlie Chaplin.
The Rink 1916
Producer: Henry P. Caulfield Script: Charlie Chaplin, Vincent Bryan, Maverick Terrell Direction: Charlie Chaplin, Edward Brewer (technical director) Cinematography: Roland Totheroh, George C. Zalibra CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, James T. Kelly, Eric Campbell Production: Mutual Film Corp. Release: December 4, 1916 24 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American silent comedy film co-written and directed by Charlie Chaplin for the Mutal Film Corp. starring Chaplin, Edna Purviance, James T. Kelly, Eric Campbell and others. "The Rink" was Chaplin's eighth production for Mutal Film Corp. Chaplin's obvious skill on roller skates surpassed many of his move-going fans, but Chaplin had been an experienced performer.
Easy Street 1917
Producer: Henry P. Caulfield Script: Charlie Chaplin, Vincent Bryan, Maverick Terrell Direction: Charlie Chaplin, Edward Brewer (technical director) Cinematography: Robert Totheroh, George C. Zalibra CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Albert Austin Production: Essanay Studios Release: January 22, 1917 24 min. B/W silent w/music score Italian Inter-titles
American short-action comedy film co-produced and directed by Charlie Chaplin for Essanay Studios starring Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Albert Austin and others. Contemporary cinema historians and scholars consider "Easy Street" an early vintage silent classic.
Charlie Chaplin Classics Collection 1914-1917
Production: Henry P. Caulfield, Charlie Chaplin Script: Charlie Chaplin, Edward Brewer Direction: Charlie Chaplin Cinematography: Robert Totheroh, George Zalibra CAST: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Proviance, Eric Campbell, Albert Austin Production: Essanay Studios Release: 1914-1917 389 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American compilation of a large collection of classic comedy films produced, written, directed and starring world famous comedian Charlie Chaplin. The original vintage films contained in this exceptional collection include: "Between Showers," "Charlot et la Mannequin," "Charlot et Mabel," "Charlot's Face on the Barroom Floor," "Charlot Garcon de Theatre," "Cruel Love," "Dough and Dynamite," "Chaplin Filmfest," "Film Johnny," "Good for Nothing," "His Trysts Places," "Kids Auto Race at Venice," "Laffing Gas," "Mabel's Busy Day," "Mabel's Strange Predicament," "Making a Living," "Musical Tramp," "The Fatal Mallet," "The Knockout," "The Landlady's Pet," "The Masquerader," "The New Janitor," "The Rival Masters," "The Rounders," and "Twenty Minutes of Love." This unique collection is considered as the definitive Chaplin film library.
College 1927
Producer: Joseph M. Schenck Script: Bryan Foy, Carl Harbaugh Director: Buster Keaton Cinematography: Bert Haines, Dev Jennings CAST: Buster Keaton, Anne Cornwall, Harold Goodwin, Sam Crawford Production: United Artists 67 min. B/W sound English dialog.
American silent comedy/drama film directed and starring comic genius Buster Keaton and co-starring Anne Cornwall, Harold Goodwin, Sam Crawford and others. "College" is considered a comic cinematic masterpiece.
The Devil's Circus 1923
Producer: Emil Justiz Script: Paula Busch, Wolfgang Geiger Director: Emil Justiz Cinematography: Eugen Hrich, Erich Waschneck CAST: Eduard von Winterstein, Carl de Vogt, Malay Delschaft, Claire Lotto Production: Boernstad-Justiz-Film-Co. Release: January 26, 1923 45 min. B/W silent w/music score. Russian Inter-titles.
German silent romantic film directed by Emil Justiz and starring Eduard von Winterstein, Carl de Vogt, Malay Delschaft, Claire Lotto and others. The story concerns a love triangle about a female circus owner's favor and all its consequences. "The Devil's Circus" is considered a cinematic classic of the Weimarian period.
Danse Macabre 1922
Producer/Director: Dudley Murphy Animation: F.A.A. Dahme Cinematography: Francis Bruguiere Choreographer: Adolph Bolm CAST: Adolph Bolm, Ruth Page, Olin Howland Production: Visual Symphony Prods. Release: 1922 10 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score Czech subtitles.
American silent short film classic produced and directed by Dudley Murphy for Visual Symphony Productions in 1922 starring Adolph Bolm (including choreography), Ruth Page, Olin Howland and others. "Danse Macarbre" depicts Youth (Bolm) and Love (Ruth Page) attempting to evade the grasp of Death (Olin Howland) in Spain during the Black Plague. The production is one of 12 "visual symphonies" set to classical music by Murphy and promoted as the first such motion picture dance film to be synchronized with a sound music score. The film is considered a cinematic classic short film.
The Burning Volcano 1927
Producer: Nat Levine Director/Cinematography: Harry S. Webb CAST: Anita Stewart, Bruce Gordon, Duke Kahanamoku, Evangeline Russell Production: Mascot Pictures Release: February 4, 1927 Dutch inter-titles silent w/music score.
Dutch version of the American silent adventure film directed and shot by Harry S. Webb for Mascot Pictures stars Anita Stewart, Bruce Gordon, Duke Kahanamoku, Evangeline Russell and others. The story concerns a sea captain who obtains half of a map directing him to an enormous treasure on a south sea island. Considered a rare silent cinematic cllassic.
The Walk into the Night 1921
Producer: Sascha Goron Script: Harriet Bloch, Carl Mayer Director: F.W. Murnau Cinematography: Max Lutze CAST: Conrad Veidt, Olaf Fenss, Gudrun Bruun Production: Prana-Film Release: January 21, 1921 87 min. Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent drama directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau starrinf Conrad Vedit, Olaf Fenss, and Gudrun Bruun. "The Walk into the Night" is the earliest film production directed by Murnau survives thanks to intensive efforts by film historians and archivists. The film is considered one of the earliest motion pictures created during the Weimarian period and belongs to the golden age of classic German cinema.
The Stone Rider 1923
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Fritz Wendhausen, Thea von Harbour Director: Fritz Wendhausen Cinematography: Carl Hoffmann, Guenther Rittau CAST: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Lucie Mannheim, Gustav von Wangenheim, Fritz Kampers Production: Ufa Release: January 23, 1923 86 min. English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent drama co-written and directed by Fritz Wendhausen starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Lucie Mannheim, Gustav von Wangenheim, Fritz Kampers, etc. "The Stone Rider" is a vintage example of Weimarian cinema produced during the twenties.
The Weary Death 1921
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Thea von Harbou, Fritz Lang Director: Fritz Lang Cinematography: Erich Nietzschmann, Hermann Saalfrank, Fritz Arno Wagner CAST: Lil Dagover, Walter Janssen, Bernhard Goetzke, Hans Sternberg Production: Decla-Bioscop AG Release: October 6, 1921 99 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
German silent Expressionist fantasy romance film "The Weary Death" was inspired by the Indian folktale of Savitin. The story follows a woman desperate to reunite her dead lover. The film also follows three other tragic romances, set in the Middle Eastern city, in Venice, italy and in the vast Chinese Empire. Spanish filmmaker Luis Bunuel, director of "Un Chien Andalou" ("The Andalusian Dog," 1929) was highly impressed with Lang's production, stating "When I saw "The Weary Death," I suddenly wanted to make movies." British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock once stated that he was impressed with the film. Hollywood actor Douglas Fairbanks was reportedly so impressed with the special effects (the flying carpet scene), he promptly secured the rights to the picture in order that they could be replicated for Raoul 's 1924 production "The Thief of Bagdad" (also available thru Filmmuseum Home Video.
The Nibelungs 1923/1924
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Thea von Harbou, Fritz Lang Director: Fritz Lang Cinematography: Carl Hoffmann, Guenther Rittau, Walter Ruttmann CAST: Paul Richter, Margarete Schoen, Hans Adalbert Schlettow, Theodor Loos, Rudolf Klein-Rogge Production: Decla-Bioscop AG Release: 1923/1924 288 min. B/W silent w/music score German Inter-titles.
German is an epic two part series of silent fantasy movie co-written and directed by Fritz Lang for Bioscop AG. The picture stars Paul Richter (as Siegfried), Margarete Schoen (as Kriemhild), Hans Adalbert Schlettow (as Hagan), Theodor Loos (as King Guenther), Rudolf Klein-Rogge (as King Etzel), etc. The early reception of "The Nibelungs" was greatly impacted by its ideological and nationalist content, the German cinema critic Heinz Udo Brachvogel wrote in a 1924 article: "Ancient, deepest popular sentiment poured into heavy verse, hery, primitive passion, , tamed by the gliding rhythm of poetic forms, the most human thing that endured through the storms of the centuries and had to endure because it was human in the highest potency." In 1928, Variety published an article following the second part ("Kriemhild's Revenge") premiere and found Lang's film not commercial enough for America. "The Nibelungs" was among Hitler's favorite movies he watched in the early twenties with Goebbels and Nazi photographer Heinrich Hoffmann stated he screened it with Hitler at least twenty times. Goebbels, who had also watched the film with Hitler and Hoffmann openly criticized the picture in 1924 stating, "A typically Jewish concoction although the Jew knows how to direct, but in 1929 he referred to Lang's epic praising the production stating, "the pinnacle of German achievement." Goebbels also considered producing a new sound version once they attained power of Germany. The new suggestion never came to fathom but a Wagnerian soundtrack was added to the film in 1933.
The Devil's Church 1919
Producer: Friedrich Degener Script: Adolf Paul (novel) Director/Cinematography: Hans Mierendorff CAST: Hans Mierendorff, Otto Werther, Agness Straub, Paul Rehkopf Production: Lucifer Film GmbH Release: 1919 66 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
German silent literary horror adaptation based on Adolf Paul's novel of the same title which the screenplay had been written. Once released in Germany in 1919, Mierendorff's picture quickly became a general controversy: the Berlin police issued in 1919 a youth ban Nr. 43404; the Munich police banned the film with four separate ban orders. On June 10, 1919, "The Devil's Church" was reviewed once again, this time in a version containing a special prologue with significant cuts, however, the picture was banned again - the Berlin Film Board ended up banning the movie completely. Following the immediate complaint, the production was reviewed by the Film Board again on June 21, 1921, and the ban was lifted, but a ban on German youth was imposed. The film is considered an early example of the finest Weimarian work of cinema.
The Street 1923
Producer/Script (co-writer)/Director: Karl Grune Cinematography: Karl Hasselmann CAST: Eugen Kloepfer, Lucie Hoeflich, Max Schreck, Anton Erdthofer Production: Stem-Film Relase: November 29, 1923 95 min. B/W silent w/music score German Inter-titles.
German silent drama film directed by Karl Grune starring Eugen Kloepfer, Lucie Hoeflich, Max Schreck, Anton Erdthofer, etc. "The Street" was the first "strassenfilme" ('street films') considered a vintage Weimarian cinematic classic by contemporary cinema historians and scholars.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1913
Producer: Carl Laemmle Script/Cinematography/Director: Herbert Brenon CAST: King Baggot (as Jekyll/Hyde), Jane Gail, Matt B. Synder, Howard Crampton Production: Independent Moving Pictures Co. of America Release:1913 28 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American horror film based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 gothic novella "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The production was directed by Herbert Brenon for producer Carl Laemmle's company Independent Moving Pictures Co. of America which he later changed to Universal Pictures. The early vintage silent picture starred King Baggot (as Jekyll), Jane Gail, Matt B. Snyder, Howard Crampton, etc. This version was re-released by Universal Pictures in 1927. This early vintage screen version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic is considered as particularly examples of American silent cinma.
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler 1922
Producer: Erich Pommer Script: Fritz Lang, Thea von Harbou Director: Fritz Lang Cinematography: Carl Hoffmann CAST: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Alfred Abel, Bernhard Goetzke, Paul Richter Production: UCO-Film GmbH Release: April 27, 1922 155 min. B/W silent w/music score German Inter-titles.
German crime drama directed by Fritz Lang and starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge (as Dr. Mabuse), Alfred Abel, ernhard Goetzke, Paul Richter, etc. This early vintage Weimarian production is the first motion picture in Lang's Dr. Mabuse series which was based on novels by Norbert Jacques. The picture received considerable positive critical reviews such as from the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung who called part I "the attempt to create an image of our chaotic times" in its April 30, 1922 issue. The review went on to state that "it will give people fifty or one hundred years from now an idea of an age that they could hardly comprehend without such a document." Film-Kurier praised Rudolf Klein-Rogge's "brilliant performance" and Fritz Lang's "sensitive yet experienced direction. "Dr. Mabuse the Gambler" is included in the book "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," being the first of five Lang movies to be included. Lang's picture is considered a cinematic masterpiece of the Weimarian era and represent the finest in classic German silent cinema.
A Sixth of the World 1926
Producer: Kultkino, Sovkino Script/Director: Dziga Vertov Cinematography: Mikhail Production: Kultkino Release: December 31, 1926 74 min. B/W silent Russian dialog Russian Inter-titles.
Soviet docu-drama propaganda film written and directed by Dziga Vertov and produced by Kultkino (part of Sovkino). Telling the film's story through travelogue format, it depicted the multitude of Soviet peoples in remote areas of the USSR and detailed the entirety of of the wealth of the Soviet land. Focusing on cultural and economic diversity, the production is in fact a call for unification in order to build "a complete socialist society." The brilliant production is a mix between newsreel and found footage, Vertov edited sequences filmed by eight teams of knocks (Soviet film collective) during their trips
"A Sixth of the World" was extremely well received by Pravda. Praising the film, the periodical Sovetski Ekran ("Soviet Screen") stated: "This film reveals to us that Russian cinematography has found the correct path. Vertov's production remains a vintage classic even if tainted with Soviet propaganda.
The General Line 1929
Producer: Sovkino Script/Direction: Grigorily Aleksandrov, Sergei Eisenstein Cinematography: Eduar Tisse CAST: Marfa Lapkina, M. Ivanin, Konstatin Vasilyev, Vasil Buzenkov Release: May 2, 1930 121 min. B/W silent w/music score Russian Inter-titles.
Soviet proletariat propaganda film directed by Grigorily Aleksandrov and Sergei Eisenstein starring Marfa Lapkina, M. Ivanin, Komstantin Vasilyev, Vasil Buzenkov, etc. "The General Line" began in 1927 as a celebration of Russian agriculture, as championed by old-line Bolshevik Leon Trotsky. "The General Line" is considered a cinematic masterpiece by contemporary film historians and critics.
Quo Vadis 1913
Producer: Societa Italiana Cines Script/Director: Enrico Guzzazonni Cinematography: Eugenio Bava CAST: Amleto Novelli, Gustavo Serena, Ameila Carraneo, Carlo Cattaneo Production: Cines (SIC) Release: March 19, 1913 122 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
Italian epic historical film directed by Enrico Guzzazonni starring Amleto Novelli, Gustavo Serena, Ameila Carraneo, Carlo Carraneo, etc. The story was based on the 1896 novel written by Henryk Sienkiwwicz. "Quo Vadis" was the very first of the epic movie blockbusters in the history of world cinema, setting the stage for "superspectacles" for many decades to come. enrico Guzzazonni's picture achieved worldwide success, premiereing in Imperial Germany at the opening night of the Ufa-Pavallion am Nollendorfplatz (Berlin's first purpose-built, free-standing theater), on March 19, 1913. "Quo Vadis" was the first movie to be projected at the Astor Theater, a first-run exhibition house on Broadway in New York, and later it was screened for British King George V., in the Royal Albert Hall, who complemented the actors. "Quo Vadis" is considered an early vintage silent cinematic masterpiece by contemporary film historians.
Fall of the House of Usher 1928
Producer/Script/Director: Jean Epstein Script: Luis Bunuel Cinematography: Georges Lucas, Jean Lucas CAST: Marguerette Gance, Jean Debucourt, Charles Lamy Production: Epstein-Cine Release: October 4, 1928 65 min. Color-tinted silent w/,music score English Inter-titles.
French horror film classic based on Edgar Allan Poe's literary work written, produced and directed by Jean Epstein with collaboration with Luis Bunuel starring Marguerette Gance, Jean Debucourt, Charles Lamy, etc. Epstein's film premiered on October 28, 1928 and had most positive reviews: critic Troy Howroth commented that the film was "one of the most renowned of experimental silent films" noting "the rapid cutting, fetishistic close-ups and generally dreamy ambience ring the movie closer to the realm of filmic poetry than anything else." Contemporary film critics and historians consider Epstein's production a cinematic classic.
Kohlhiesel's Daughters 1920
Producer: Oskar Meester Script: Hanns Kraehly (play), Ernst Lubitsch Director: Ernsr Lubitsch Cinematogeraphy: Theodor Sparkuhl CAST: Jakob Tiedtke, Emil Jannings, Henny Porten, Gustav von Wangenheim, Willy Prager Production: Meester-Film AG Release: March 9, 1929 64 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
German silent comedy film written and directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring an all-star cast, including Jakob Tiedtke, Emil Jannings, Henny Porten, Gustav von Wangenheim, Willy Prager, etc. The production is an adaptation of Hanns Kraehly's play of the same title. The story is set in Bavaria, where a sweet young woman named Gretel wishes to get married but her father refuses to allow the match until the much older sister Liesel has wed first As Liesel is notorious for her bad-tempered personality, this is no easy challenge. "Kohlhiesel's Daughters" is considered an early cinematic masterpiece of the start of the Weimarian period.
The Lumiere Brothers Vintage Film Collection 1895-1905
Production/Script/Cinematography/Direction: August Lumiere, Louis Lumiere 100 min. Color-tinted & B/W silent w/music score French Inter-titles.
Original vintage rare silent film collection of the Lumiere Brothers' first short films as created in France from 1895-1905. Provides an interesting historical perspective on the vintage silent motion pictures of the Lumieres which left an indelible mark on world cinematic history.
Forbidden Fruit 1921
Producer/Director: C.B. DeMille Script: Jeanie MacPherson Cinematography: Karl Struss, Alvin Wyckoff CAST: Agnes Ayres, Clarence Burton, Theodor Roberts, Kathlyn Willians, etc. Production: Paramount Pictures Release: January 23, 1921 87 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score. English Inter-titles.
American silent drama film produced and directed by C.B. DeMille and starring Agnes Ayres, Clarence Burton, Theodore Roberts, Kathlyn Williams, etc. The story concerns a woman by the name of Mary Maddock becomes a seamstress after her husband Steven wastes their money on alcohol. Her employer provides her an escort to accompany millionaire Mallory. Her husband tries blockmaking Mallory and is later killed by his accomplice, leaving Mary free to wed the millionaire. "Forbidden Fruit" is considered an example of early American cinema.
Assumption of the Thorn 1915
Producer: Giuseppe Baratollo Script: Gustavo Serena, Francesca Bertini Director: Gustavo Serena Cinematography: Vittorio Storaro CAST: Francesca Bertini, Gustavo Serena, Carlo Benetti, Luciano Albertini Production: Caesar Film Release: May 1, 1916 74 min. Color-tinted Italian Inter-titles silent w/music score.
Italian silent tragedy film directed by (and starring) Gustavo Serena, Francesca Bertini, Carlo Benetti, Luciano Albertini, etc. The story is a tragedy set in Naples at the Turn-of-the-Century. Assunta and Michele are in love but others manage to come between them creating much jealousy. They fight and Michelle is sent to prison for two years for assault. Nevertheless, because Assunta still loves Michelle she id vulnerable when Federigo offers to aid Michelle but only if Assunta becomes his mistress. Michelle is released from prison, discovers Assunta and Federigo together and kills him. When the police finally arrive, Assunta takes the blame for Michelle's crime. "Assumption of the Thorn" is considered a silent cinematic masterpiece in the history of world film.
Friedrich Schiller 1923
Producer/Script/Director: Curt Goetz Cinematography: Hans Scholtz, Otto Tober CAST: Theodor Loos, Hermann Valentin,, Isabel Heermann, Ika Gruenning, etc. Production: Goetz-Film Release: March 23, 1923 111 Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent historical biopic of the life of 18th century writer Friedrich Schiller. The film was written, produced and directed by Curt Goetz starring Theodor Loos (as Schiller), Hermann Valentin, Isabel Heermann, Ika Gruenning, etc. "Friedrich Schiller" is considered a fine example of Weimarian cinema.
From Morning to Midnight 1920
Producer: Herbert Juttke Script: Herbert Juttka, Georg Kaiser, Karl Heinz Martin Director: Karl Heinz Martin Cinematography: Cark Hoffmann CAST: Ernst Deutsch, Erna Morena, Roma Bahn, Adolf E. Licho Production: Ilag-Film Release; 1920 73 min. B/W silent w/music score German Inter-titles.
German silent expressionist film classic written and directed by Carl Heinz Martin starring Ernst Deutsch, Erna Morena, Roma Bahn, Adolf E. Licho, etc. "From Morning to Midnight" was one of the most radical motion pictures of the German Weimarian Expressionist movement. The vintage picture utilizes stylized distorted set designs, designed by Robert Neppach, which are even more Avant-Garde than those in Robert Wiene's 1920 production "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920). The stage-like painted sets, the costumes and the performance of the actors from an artistic unity are leading characteristics of Expressionism. "Karl Heinz Martin's production was one of the first German motion pictures that addressed the lure of "the great world" and "the street." The film can be considered as an early vintage forerunner of the so-called "street films" ("Strassenfilme"), such as Karl Gruene's classic "The Street" (1923) (available from FILMMUSEUM HOME VIDEO) and G.W. Pabst's "The Joyless Street" (1925) (available from FMHV). "From Morning to Midnight" is considered a major art film and part of the vintage silent classic cinema during the Weimarian period.
Jiraiya the Hero 1921
Producer/Director: Shozo Makino Cinematography: Minoru Miki CAST: Matsunosuke Onoe, Suminojo Ichikawa, Kijaku Otani, Chosei Kalaojka Production: Nikkatsu Corp., Mukojima 21 min. B/W silent w/music score Japanese Inter-titles.
Japanese silent trick film directed by Shozo Makino starring Matsunosuke Onoe, Suminojo Ichikawa, Kijaku Otani, chosei Katoojka, etc. The story concerns the tale of Jiraiya, a legendary ninja with immense magical powers who set off on a great adventure in ancient Japan.
The Golem 1915
Producer: Hanns Lippmann Script/Direction: Henrik Galeen, Paul Wegener Cinematography: Guido Seeber CAST: Paul Wegener, Rudolf Bluemmer, Carl Ebert, Henrik Galeen, Jakob Tiedtke Production: Deutsche Bioscop AG Release: January 15, 1915 84 min. silent w/music score Color-tinted German Inter-titles.
German formally lost Expressionist silent horror film classic was written and directed by Henrik Galeen and Paul Wegener starring Wegener and Galeen along with co-stars Rudolf Bluemmer, Carl Ebert, and Jakob Tiedtke. The story of this rare vintage classic was inspired by the famous Jewish folktale, the most prevalent version of the original story involving 16th century Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel who created the Golem to protect the Jewish ghetto inhabitants from vicious anti-Semites. "The Golem" was the first of a film trilogy produced by Paul Wegener, followed by "The Golem and the Dancing Girl" (1917) and "The Golem: How He came into the World" (1920, also available below). "The Golem" (1915) is considered an early vintage silent film classic from the German imperial period and is largely considered a lost film until recently.
The Golem: How He came into the World 1920
Producer: Paul Davidson Script: Henrik Galeen, Paul Wegener Direction: Carl Boese, Paul Wegener Cinematography: Karl Freund, Guido Seeber CAST: Paul Wegener, Albert Steinrueck, Lyda Salmonova, Ernst Deutsch, Otto Gebuehr Production: PAGAU Release: October 29, 1920 86 silent w/music score Color-tinted German Inter-titles.
German silent Expressionist horror film was directed by Csrl Boese and Paul Wegener starring Wegener (as the Golem), Albert Steinrueck, Lyda Salmonova, Ernst Deutsch, Otto Gebuehr, etc. The production is based on Gustav Meyrink's 1915 novel is the third of three silent motion pictures that Wegener made featuring the Golem, the other being "The Golem" (1915, above) and the short comedy film "The Golem and the Dancing Girl" (1917). "The Golem: How He came into the World" (1920) is a prequel to "The Golem" (1915) and, as the only one of the three pictures that had not been originally "lost," is the best known of the entire series. "The Golem: How He came into the World" (1920) is considered an impressive cinematic work of German Expressionism as well as being a supreme classic.
Greed 1924
Producer/Script/Director: Erich von Stroheim Script: June Mathis Cinematography: Ben F. Reynolds, William H. Daniels CAST: Gibson Gowland, Zasu Pitts, Jean Herschell, Jack Curtis Production: MGM Release: December 4, 1924 4 hours Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent psychological drama film written, produced and directed by Erich von Stroheim and based on Jack Norris's 1899 novel "Mr. Teague". This epic color-tinted cinematic classic stars Gibson Gowland, Zasu Pitts, Jean Herschell, Jack Curtis, etc. The film tells the story of a certain Mr. Teague, a San Francisco dentist, who marries his best friend Schouler's girlfriend Trina. Stroheim's production is considered one of the greatest motion pictures of all time.
The Saga of Goesta Berling 1924
Script/Director: Mauritz Stiller Cinematography: Juluis Jaenzon CAST: Greta Garbo, Lars Hanson, Sven Scholander, Gerda Lundequist Production: AB Svenska Release: March 10, 1924 183 min. B/W silent English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
Swedish silent romantic drama film written and directed by Mauritz Stiller starring Greta Garbo, Lars Hanson, Sven Scholander, Gerda Lundequist, etc. The story is based on Swedish Nobel Prize-winning author Selma Lagerlof's 1891 debut novel. "The Saga of Goesta Berling" is considered a landmark in silent Swedish cinema.
Witchcraft through the Ages 1922
Producer/Script/Director: Benjamin Christensen Cinematography: Johan Ankerstjerne CAST: Benjamin Chistensen, Ella la Cour, Emmy Schoenfeld, Kate Fabian Production: Svensk Filmindustri Release: September 18, 1922 105 min. Color-tinted silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
Swedish/Danish silent silent horror essay film written and directed by Benjamin Christensen starring Christensen, ella la Cour, Emmy Schonfeld, Kate Fabian, etc. "Witchcraft through the Ages" consists partly of documentary film-style storytelling as well as dramatized narrative scenes, the picture purports to chart the historical roots and superstitions surrounding witchcraft, beginning in the Middle Ages through the 20th century. The production is partly based on Christensen's own study of the "Malleus Maleficarum," a 15th century German guide for inquisitors, "Witchcraft through the Ages" proposes that such witch-hunts may have stemmed from gross misunderstandings of mental and neurological disorders, triggering mass hysteria. Christensen's film premiered on September 18, 1922 in four Swedish cities -Stockholm, Helsingborg, Malmo, and Gothenburg simultaneously , unusual for Sweden at the time. "Witchcraft through the Ages" had its official Danish premiere on November 7, 1922, and was re-released in Denmark in 1931 complete with a new filmed introduction by Christensen himself. The picture is considered an important silent film classic.
Hearts of the World 1918
Producer/Script/Director: D.W. Griffith Cinematography: Billy Bitzer, Alfred Machin, Hendrik Sartov CAST: Lillian Gish, Josephine Crowell, Robert Harron, Kate Bruce Production: Famous Plays/Lasky Corp. Release: 1918 117 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American silent wartime melodramatic propaganda film written, produced and directed by D.W. Griffith starring Lillian Gish, Josephine Crowell, Robert Harron, Kate Bruce, etc. Griffith produced this picture as WWI propaganda in an attempt to change the American public's neutral stance regarding the war in Europe. The British government had contacted Griffith directly due to his stature and reputation for dramatic filmmaking at the time. The British government gave Griffith unprecedented access to shoot film in locations that were otherwise forbidden to journalists. after being presented to George V and Queen Mary, Griffith had been introduced to members of London's aristocracy who agreed to appear in the production. Among them were Lady Lavery, Elisabeth Asquith, Diana Manners, etc. Noted playwright Noel Coward also appeared in a role in the picture as well. Actor Lillian Gish, who essayed the role of "The Girl," later commented: "Hearts of the World" enjoyed great success until the Armistice when people lost interests in its war films. The film inflamed audiences. Its depiction of German brutality bordered on the absurd. Whenever a German came near me, he beat or kicked me." "Hearts of the World" is considered an early vintage silent American war propaganda movie.
Helen of Troy 1924
Script: Homer (poem), Hans Kyser Director: Manfred Noa Cinematography: Ewald Daub, Gustave Preiss CAST: Edy Darciea, Albert Steinrueck, Adele Sandrock, Carl de Vogt Production: Bavaria-Film AG Release: January 21, 1924 3 hours 37 min. Color-Tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent historical epic directed by Manfred Noa starring Edy Darciea, Albert Steinrueck, Adele Sandrock, Carl de Vogt, etc. The impressive epic production was based on the ancient classic poem by Homer. The mammoth production featured thousands of extras, and impressive sets which rivaled those of the much larger Berlin-based Ufa Studios in Babelsberg. "Helen of Troy" has been described as a "cinematic masterpiece,' although the production budget had been so expensive, it had seriously damaged the finances of the Bavaria film studios outside Munich.
Tales of Hoffmann 1916
Producer/Script/Director: Richard Oswald Cinematography: Ernst Krohn CAST: Kurt von Wolowski, Max Ruhbeck, Paula Ronmay, Werner Krauss Production: Richard Oswald-Filmproduktion Release: February 25, 1916 16 min. B/W silent w/music score German Inter-titles.
German silent vintage drama directed by Richard Oswald starring Kurt von Wolowski, Max Ruhbeck, Paula Ronmay, Werner Krauss, etc. Richard Oswald's vintage silent classic was produced during the German Imperial period and is considered a rare film.
Homunculus 1916
Producer: Hanns Lippmann Script: Robert Reinert Director: Otto Rippert Cinematography: Carl Hoffmann CAST: Olaf Fenss, Ernst Ludwig, Albert Paul, Lore Rueckert, Theodor Loos Production: Deutsche Bioscop, Decla-Bioscop 232 min. Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent sci-fi fantasy serial directed by Otto Rippert starring Olaf Fenss, Ernst Ludwig, Albert Paul, Lore Rueckert, Theodor Loos, etc. Rippert's scarce silent vintage production "Homunculs" was one of the most successful German-produced film serial released during WWI. and was theatrically exhibited at the famous Mamorhaus in Berlin, between June 1916 and August 1916 and January 1917 in six parts. "Homunculs" is one of the most rarest surviving silent German films produced.
Intolerance 1916
Producer/Script/Director: D.W. Griffith Script: Tod Browning, Hettie Gray Baker, Anita Loos, Mary O'Connor, Frank Woods Cinematography: Billie Bitzer CAST: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Miriam Cooper, Robert Herron Production: D.W. Griffith Productions Release: September 5, 1916 3 1/2 hours Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent anthology epic production written, produced and directed by D.W. Griffith starring Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Miriam Cooper, Robert Herron, etc. Griffith's epic production is subtitled as "Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages" and "A Sun Play of the Ages," running three and a half hours in length, including intercuts four parallel storylines, each separated by several centuries - first , a contemporary melodrama of crime and redemption, second, a Biblical tale: Christ's mission on earth and death, third, a French story: the events surrounding the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572, and fourth, a Babylonian story: the fall of the Babylonian Empire to Persia in 539 B.C. D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance" is considered one of the greatest silent motion picture achievements of all time.
I Accuse 1919
Producer/Script/Director: Abel Gance Associate Producer: Charles Pathe Cinematography: Marc Bujard, Leonce-Henri Burei, Maurice Forster CAST: Romuald Joube, Maxime Desjardins, Severin-Mars, Maryse Dauvray Production: Pathe Freres Release: April 25, 1919 19 min. Color-tinted French Inter-titles silent w/music score.
French silent romantic drama film written, produced and directed by Abel Gance starring Romuald Joube, Maxime Desjardins, Severin-Mars, Maryse Dauvray, etc. "I Accuse" juxtaposed romantic drama with the background of the horrors of WWI, and is sometimes described as a pacifist or anti-war production. Gance's powerful depiction of wartime suffering, particularly its cinematic scene of "the return of the dead," made it an international box-office success and confirmed Abel Gance as one of the most important film directors in Europe at the time.
The Joyless Street 1925
Producer: Michael Salkin, Roman Pines Script: Hugo Bettauer (novel), Willy Haas (screenplay) Director: G.W. Pabst Cinematography: Guido Seeber, Curt Oertel, Robert Lach CAST: Greta Garbo, Asta Nielsen, Werner Krauss, Jaro Fuerth Production: Sofar-Film-Produktion GmbH Release: May 18, 1925 150 min. Color-tinted German-Intertitles silent w/music score.
German silent Weimarian "street film" directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst starring Greta Garbo, Asta Nielsen, Werner Krauss, Jaro Fuerth, etc. The story is based on Hugo Bettauer's well-known novel and widely considered a filmic expression of the "New Objectivity" art movement in film which was counter to expressionism. Noted cinema critic Pauline Kael referred to "The Joyless Street" as "an extraordinary triumph of cinematography and Expressionist design, which despite its weak parts make a very strong visual impression." G.W. Past 1926 Weimarian picture is considered a cinematic masterpiece by contemporary film historians.
Karl Valentin und Liesel Karlstadt auf dem Oktoberfest 1921
Producers/Script/Cinematography/Direction: Josef Schmidt, Josef Valle CAST: Karl Valentin, Lisel Karlstadt Production: VZ-Handelsgesellschaft 13 min. B/W silent w/music score German Inter-titles.
German silent comedy short film written, produced and shot and directed by Josef Schmidt and Josef Valle starring silent comic genius Karl Valentin and Liesel Karlstadt for VZ-Handelsgesellschaft. The film was an early comic short film during the early Weimarian era.
The Last of the Mohicans 1920
Producer: Maurice Touneur Script: Robert A. Dillon Direction: Maurice Tourneur, Clarence Brown Cinematography: Phillip R. Dubois, Charles Van Enger CAST: Wallace Beery, Boris Karloff, Lillian Hall, Alan Roscoe Production: Maurice Touneur Productions 74 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score,
American silent adventure film produced and directed by Maurice Touneuer starring Wallace Beery, Boris Karloff, Lillian Hall, Alan Roscoe, etc. The story was adapted from James Fennimore Cooper's 1826 novel. The story concerns two English sisters meeting danger on the frontier of the American 18th century colonies, in and around the fort commanded by their father. "The Last of the Mohicans" was extremely well received at the time of its original release. English-American film historian William K. Everson considered Touneur's picture to be a "masterpiece." Likewise, contemporary film historians consider "The Last of the Mohicans" to be a cinematic masterpiece.
A Trip to the Moon 1902
Producer/Script/Director: Georges Meiles Cinematography: Theophile Michault, Lucien Tainguy CAST: Georges Meiles, Bleuette Bernon, Francois Lakkement, Henri Delannoy Production: Star Film Co. Release: September 1, 1902 15 min. Hand color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
French silent vintage hand-color painted sci-fi fantasy adventure film produced, written, directed and starring Georges Meiles along with co-stars Bleuette Bernon, Francois Lakkement, Henri Delannoy, etc. The vintage film is based on Jules Verne's 1870 novel, the story follows a group of astronomers who travel to the Moon in a cannon-propelled space capsule, manage to explore the lunar surface, and escape through an underground group of 'Selenites' (lunar inhabitants), and return to Earth with a captive 'Selenite.' Although "A Trip to the Moon" had disappeared into obscurity following Melies' retirement from the French film industry. A rare print had been discovered in 1930, when Melies' importance to the to the history of cinema was beginning to be recognized by movie devotees. An original vintage hand-painted color film print (the one FILMMUSEUM struck a new HD master with) was discovered in the 1990s. Melies' fantasy production was ranked "84th among the 100 greatest motion pictures of the 20th century" by the Village Voice. Chiara Ferrari's essay on "A Trip to the Moon" in "1001 Movies You Must See Before you Die," placed Melies' film as "directly reflects the histrionic personality of its director and that the film deserves a legitimate place among the milestones in world cinema history."
Leaves from Satan's Book 1920
Producer/Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer Script: Marie Corelli, Edgar Hoyer, Carl Theodor Dreyer Cinematography: George Schneevoigt CAST: Helge Nissen, Halvard Hoff, Jacob Texiere, Erling Hanson Production: Nordisk-Film Release: November 17, 1920 (Norway), January24, 1921 122 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
Danish horror fantasy film produced and directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer starring Helge Nissen, Halvard Hoff, Jacob Texiere, Erling Hanson, etc. "Leaves from Satan's Book" was Dreyer's third motion picture, who later went on to direct such cinematic masterpieces as "Vampyr" (1931) and "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (1924) [both available from FMHV]. Dreyer's eerie film is structured much like D. W. Griffith's "Intolerance" (1916) [available from fmhv] with its episodic nature while evoking F. W. Murnau's "Satan" (1920) [available from FMHV]. The story concerns Satan, who has been cast out of Hell and banished to Earth under decree of Heaven. He can only return only after overseeing a series of temptations. However, for every soul who gives in to his tempting, 100 years are added to his sentence. For every soul who resists, 1000 years are instantly subtracted from his sentence. The production follows Satan throughout much of recorded history, focusing mainly on four short episodes: first he temps Judas to betray Jesus, then he goes on to influence the Spanish Inquisition, spark the French Revolution and finally he causes the Finnish Civil War of 1918 to occur. Author Troy Howarth stated: "If not for the presence of Satan, this film wouldn't warrant inclusion in a study of the horror genre, in truth it is more of a quaint pageant play than a horror film." "Leaves From Satan's Book" is considered a cinematic masterpiece from world film historians and critics.
The Holy Mountain 1926
Producer: Harry R. Sokal Script: Dr. Arnold Fanck, Hans Schneeberger Director: Dr. Arnold Fanck Cinematography: Hans Schneeberger, Dr. Arnold Fanck, Sepp Allgeier, Helmar Lerski CAST: Leni Riefenstahl, Luis Trencker, Frida Richard, Ernst Petersen Production: Ufa Release: November 1926 (Austria), December 17, 1926 (Germany) 107 min. Color-tinted English-Intertitles silent w/music score.
German silent "mountaineering" adventure film written, shot and directed by Dr. Arnold Fanck starring Leni Riefenstahl, Luis Trencker, Frida Richard, Ernst Petersen, etc. "The Holy Mountain" was the first feature film featuring future Nazi film director Leni Riefenstahl as a screen actress. The picture was extremely popular in Berlin, where sold-out performances extended its official premiere run for five weeks. The picture also played in France, England, and the USA. This was Fanck's first commercially successful motion picture production and had gained an international reputation as a film director. "The Holy Mountain" is considered a cinematic masterpiece by contemporary film historians.
Dante's Inferno 1911
Producers/Script/Direction: Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, Giuseppe De Liguoro Cinematography: Emilio Roncarolo CAST: Salvatore Papa, Arturo Pirovano, Giuseppe De Liguoro, Augusto Milla Production: Milano-Films Release: March 10, 1911 75 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score .
Italian silent theological fantasy film epic written, produced and directed by Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, Giuseppe De Liguoro and starring Salvatore Papa, Arturo Pirpvamo, Giuseppe De Liguoro, Augusto Milla, etc. "Dante's Inferno" was loosely adapted from "Inferno," the first canticle of Dante Alghieri's "Divine Comedy." The production took well over three years to make, and was the first full-length Italian feature motion picture and also one of the first movies to be shown in its entirety. "Dante's Inferno" featured presentations of Hell closely followed those in the engravings of Gustave Dore for an edition of the Divine Comedy, which were quite familiar to an international audience, and had employed numerous advanced special effects for the epic production. The picture had its Italian premiere in Naples at the Teatro Mercadante theatre on March 10, 1911 which was an overnight international box-office success, grossing more than two million in the USA, where its extended length gave theater owners an excuse for raising ticket admission prices. Contemporary film historian consider "Dante's Inferno" a vintage cinematic masterpiece.
Lorraine of the Lions 1925
Producer: Carl Laemmle Script: Isadore Bernstein, Carl Krusade Director: Edward Sedgwick Cinematography: Virgil Miller CAST: Norman Kerry, Patsy Ruth Miller, Fred Humes, Harry Todd Production: Universal Pictures Release: October 11, 1925 70 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent adventure film produced by Carl Laemmle and directed by Edward Sedgwick starring Norman Kerry, Patsy Ruth Miller, Fred Humes, Harry Todd, etc. After an unwanted marriage between q son and a circus animal trainer, a grandfather disowns both parents then agrees to take in Lorraine by his grandfather from overseas. Lorraine is a seven year old child when she is shipwrecked while in route to the USA and is rescued by Bimi, a gorilla. Bimi takes her to a desert island where there are a group of lions and an elephant. The animals teach her and protect her. Her grandfather has employed Don Mackey, a crystal gazer, to use his psychic powers in order to determine where the child is. Don manages to locate her after she has become a grown woman on the island, and the grandfather and her go on an expedition to get her and her gorilla friend. They locate her and they head back to San Francisco.
"Lorraine of the Lions" is today considered a vintage cinematic silent masterpiece by contemporary film critics and historians.
The Lost World 1925
Producer: Earl Hudson Script: Marion Fairfax Director: Harry O. Hoyt Cinematography: Arthur Edeson CAST: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Wallace Beery, Bessie Love, Lewis Stone Production: First National Pictures Release: February 8, 1925 106 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American silent fantasy dinosaur film directed by Harry O. Hoyt starring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (as himself), Wallace Beery, Bessie Love, Lewis stone, etc. "The Lost World" was adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel. Harry O. Hoyt's fantasy film was the first feature-length motion picture made in the USA, possibly the world, to feature model animation as the primary special effect, or stop-motion animation in general. "The Lost World" received international acclaim at its advanced technical marvel. The New York Times ran a front-page article about the picture, saying "Conan Doyle's monsters of the ancient world, or of the new world which he has discovered in the ether, were extraordinarily lifelike. If fakes, they were masterpieces." The picture had its world premiere at the Astor Theatre in New York on February 8, 1925.
Contemporary film historians consider "The Lost World" a cinematic masterpiece which led to other impressive dinosaur films, from "King Kong" (1933) to the "Jurassic Park" series.
Lucrecia Borgia 1922
Producer/Director: Richard Oswald Script: Harry Sheff (novel), Richard Oswald Cinematography: Carl Drews, Karl Freund, Kaeroly Vass, Frederik Fuglsang CAST: Liane Haid, Conrad Veidt, Albert Bassermann, Paul Weegener, Heinrich George Production: Richard Oswald Filmproduktion Release; October 20, 1922 120 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent historical film produced, written and directed by Richard Oswald starring Liane Haid (as Lucrecia Borgia), Conrad Veidt (Cesare Borgia), Albert Bassermann (Pope Alexander VI), Paul Wegener (Michelello), Heinrich George (Sebastiano), etc. The story is based on the novel by Harry Sheff, and portrays the life of the Renaissance Italian aristocrat Lucrecia Borgia. the story concerns Cesare Borgia who is a monstrous sinister villian who will do anything for pleasure and power, even seducing his own cousin Lucrecia and murdering his male siblings. The Borgias were a medieval family known for their corruption under the rule of Pope Alexander VI. Richard Oswald had directed a number of classic German horror movies, including "The Picture of Dorien Gray" (1917), "Eerie Tales" (1919), "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1914 + 1915), and "Uncanny Stories" (1932) [all available from FMHV], a remake of the 1919 film. Today, contemporary film historians regard Richard Oswald's "Lucrecia Borgia" as a landmark cinematic masterpiece.
An Andalusian Dog 1929
Producer/Director: Luis Bunuel Script: Salvador Dali, Luis Bunuel Cinematography: Albert Duverger, Jimmy Berliet CAST: Salvador Dali, Luis Bunuel, Simone Mareeuil, Robert Hommet Production: Le Grands Films Release: June 6, 1929 17 min. B.W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
French silent experimental film short was produced, co-written, directed and edited by Luis Bunuel, who also wrote the screenplay with Salvador Dali in 1929. "An Andalusian Dog" contains no plot in the conventual sense of the word. With disjointed chronology, jumping from the initial "once upon a time" to "eight years later" without events or characters changing, it uses dream logic in narrative flow that can be described in terms of the then popular 'Freudian free association,' presenting a series of tenuously related sequences. "An Andalusian Dog" is a seminal cinematic work of surrealist cinema. The first screening of Bunuel's film took place at Studio des Ursulines. Notable audience members at the premiere, included such notables as Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, and others. Japanese director Akira Kurosawa cited the production as one of his favorite films. Contemporary film historians consider "An Andalusian Dog" a cinematic masterpiece of the silent era.
The Mask of Zoro 1920
Producer: Douglas Fairbanks Script: Johnston McCulley (aka Douglas Fairbanks; story), Eugene Miller (scenario), Douglas Fairbanks (scenario) Director: Fred Niblo Cinematography: William C. McGann, Harris Thorpe CAST: Douglas Fairbanks, Noah Beery, Sr., Noah Beery, Jr., Charles Hill Mailes Production: Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corp. Release: November 27, 1920 90 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American silent swashbuckler adventure/romance film directed by Fred Niblo starring Douglas Fairbanks, Noah Beery, Sr., Charles Hill Mailes, Noah Beery, Jr., etc. This entertainment genre of swashbuckler adventure was the first screen version of "The Mask of Zorro" which is based on the Johnston McCulley's 1919 story "The Curse of Capistrano," which introduced the superhero Zoro. The screenplay had been adapted by Fairbanks (as Elton Thomas) and Eugene Miller. Upon Niblo's film's release on November 27, 1920, The New York Times gave "The Mark of Zoro" mixed reviews: "The Mask of Zoro" is a landmark, , not only in the career of Douglas Fairbanks, but also in the development of the action/adventure film. With this, his 30th motion picture, Fairbanks was transisitioning from comedies to the costume films for which he is best remembered. Instead
Mother 1926
Producer/Director: Vsevolod Pudovkin Script: Nathan Zarkhi Cinematography: Anatoli Golovnya CAST: Vera Baranovskaya, Nikolai Batalov, Aleksandr Chistyakov Production: Mezhrabpomfilm (Gorky Studio) Release: October 11, 1925 89 B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
Soviet propaganda drama produced and directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin starring Vera Baranovskaya, Nikolai Batolov, Aleksandr Chistyakov, etc. The story concerns the radicalization of a Russian mother, during the Russian Revolution of 1905 based on Maxim Gorky's 1905 novel, after her husband is killed and her son is imprisoned in Pudovkin's "revolutionary trilogy," along side "The End of St. Petersburg" (1927 and "Storm Over Asia" (1928) [both available from FMHV]. "Mother' was banned in the United Kingdom in 1930 after the Masses Stage and Film Guild applied for permission to screen the film in London. The picture was voted number 8 on the prestigious Brussels 12 list at the 1958 World Expo. In 1968, "Mother" underwent a major restoration at MosFilm Studios (this version). "Mother" is considered a cinematic classic by leading film historians worldwide.
The Max Linder Film Collection: 1905-1912
Producer/Script/Director: Maz Linder Production: Pathe 200 min. Color-tinted + B/W English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
Vintage archival film collection featuring the early motion pictures created by noted French comedian Max Linder. Linder was an actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and comedian of the silent film era. From 1905 to 1907, Max Linder appeared in dozens of short comedy films for Pathe, usually in a supporting role. This vintage film collection includes every short film created by Max Linder. Max Linder's cinematic work is considered as "comic genius" by contemporary film historians.
Meet the Folks 1927
Producer: Al Christie Script: Hal Conkin, Al Martin, Norman Z. McLoed Direction: Al Christie, Robert P. Kerr Cinematography: Alfred Jacquemin,Alex Phillips CAST: Jimmie Adams, Patsy O'Byrne, Gaylord Lloyd, Billy Engler Production: Christie Film Co. Release: July 10, 1927 112 min. B/W silent w/music score English Inter-titles.
American silent romance drama produced and directed by Al Christie starring Jimmie Adams, Patsy O'Byrnw, Gaylord Lloyd, Billy Engler, etc. The story concerns a male fusspot and attractive woman whom by chance meet on the Mountain Dew Express, each headed to visit relatives in the Tennessee Hills. Once arriving, they quickly discover they somehow are on opposite sides of some sort of 'Hatfield and McCoys'-style family feud between hillbilly kin. Contemporary film historians consider "Meet the Folks" to be merely a "B-programmer" of the day.
Nathan the Wise 1922
Producer: Erich Wagowski Script: Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (play), Hans Kyser Director: Manfred Noa Cinematography: Hans Karl Gottschalk, Gustave Preiss CAST: Fritz Greiner, Carl de Vogt, Werner Krauss, Max Schreck Production: Bavaria-Film AG Release: December 29, 1922 128 min. Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent historical film directed by Manfred Noa starring Fritz Greiner, Carl de Vogt, Werner Krauss, Max Schreck, etc. The production is based on Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's 1779 play. "Nathan the Wise" was very controversial in its day and provoked protests in Munich from the far-right groups (including the Nazis) who felt the film was "too Jewish." Manfred Noa's production is based on one of the major literary works of the Age of Enlightenment, and is a powerful cinematic plea for tolerance, humanity and freedom of opinion. Set during the age of the crusades, "Nathan the Wise" deals with relations between the three monotheistic religions. Characters include the historical figures of Sultan Sadaldin, and the Jewish merchant Nathan, the character of Nathan was based on Lessing's friend, the reknowned philosopher Moses Mendelsohn. The original play was considered a "taboo." Today, contemporary film historians consider "Nathan the Wise" a silent cinematic masterpiece.
Nerves 1919
Producer/Script/Director: Robert Reinert Cinematography: Helmat Lerski CAST: Eduard von Winterstein, Lia Borre, Erna Morena, Paul Bender, Lili Domonici Production: Monumental-Film Release: January 22, 1919 110 min. Color-tinted German Inter-titles silent w/music score.
German silent "fate" drama written, produced and directed by Robert Reinert starring Eduard von Winterstein, Lia Barre, Erna Morena, Paul Bender, Lili Domonici, etc. The story concerns uncertainty and doubt ensue when the figurehead of a rebellion goes to court for an alleged rape. "Nerves" was filmed at the close of WWI during defeated Germany's most difficult periods. The picture is about politics, sex and religion telling the political disputes of an ultraconservative factory owner, a certain Herr Roloff and instructor Johann, who feels a compulsive but hidden love for Roloff's sister, a left-wing radical. The group are all driven morally and psychologically to the maximum, extremely tormented souls living their wretched lives in a tormented defeated nation. Today, "Nerves" is considered a silent cinematic masterpiece by contemporary film historians.
The New Babylon 1929
Producer/Script/Direction: Grigori Kozintev, Leonid Trauberg Script: P. Bliakin (idea) Cineamtography: Andrei Moskvin, Yevgeny Mikhailov CAST: Arnold Arnold, Sergei Gerasimov, David Gutman, Oleg Zhakov Production: Sovkino 125 min. B/W Russian Inter-titles silent w/music score.
Soviet silent romanticized historical propaganda drama film directed, written and produced by Girgori Kazintev and Leonid Trauberg starring Arnold Arnold, Sergei Geraismov, David Gutman, Oleg Zhahov, etc. The story concerns the 1871 Paris Commune and the historical events leading to to it, and follows the encounter and tragic fate of two lovers seperated by the barricades of the Commune. The directorial team (Kozintev + Trauberg) found inspiration for the production in Karl Marx's "The Civil War in France and the Class Struggle in France" (1848-1950). The story is set in the spring of 1871 during the time of the Paris Commune, immediately following the end of the Franco-Prussian War. A woman by the name of Louise is employed as a sales person in a wholesale shop in Paris named "The New Babylon." Louise becomes involved in the Commune, against which a man from the countryside named Jean (with no political ties), is forced to fight a soldier in the army controlled from the French government. Louise and Jean are in love with each other although they find themselves on opposing sides, but their love has no place in a time of political turmoil. At the end of the picture, Jean is ordered to dig a grave for Louise, who has been sentenced to death by the French court "The New Babylon" is considered a cinematic silent masterpiece by contemporary film historians.
Sylvester - New Year's Eve 1924
Producer/Director: Lulu Pick Script: Carl Mayer Cinematography: Karl Hasselmann, Guido Seeber CAST: Eugen Kloepfer, Edith Posca, Frida Richard, Karl Harbacher Production: Rex-Film GmbH Release: January 3, 1924 66 min. Color-tinted English Inter-titles silent w/music score.
American version of the German silent 'kammerspiel' film produced and directed by Lulu Pick starring Eugen Koepfer, Edith Posca, Frida Richard, Karl Harbacher, etc. "Sylvester - New Year's Eve" ("New Year's Eve" has the reputation of to be one of the earliest cinematic examples of 'kammerspiel' and was known for its innovation in its extensive usage of "entfesselte Kamera" ("unchained camera technique" invented by cinematographer Karl Freund), utilizing camera gliding and tracking as opposed to keeping the camera stationary. "Sylvester - New Year's Eve" is considered a vintage cinematic masterpiece typical of the 'Kammerspiel" style of filmmaking during the Weimar Republic in Germany by contemporary film historians.
Satanic Rhapsody 1917
Producer/Director: Nino Oxillia Script: Alberto Fassini, Fausto Maria Martini Cinematography: Giorgio Ricci CAST: Lydia Borelli, Andrea Habay, Ugo Bazzini, Giovanni Cini Production: Societa Italiana Cines Release: Jul 1917 45 min. Color-tinted French-intertitles silent w/music score.
Italian silent fantasy horror film produced and directed by Nino Oxillia starring Lydia Borelli, Andrea Habay, Ugo Bazzini, Giovanni Cini, etc. "Satanic Rhapsody" is a female version of "Faust" based on the Fausto Maria Martini poems. The story concerns an elderly woman who makes a pact with Mephisto in order to regain her lost youth, in return she must stay away from love entirely. After the deal with Mephisto, she meets two brothers who manage to fall in love with her. Contemporary film historians consider "Satanic Rhapsody" a silent cinematic classic.