27 Silent Film Classics You Need To See

Silent films are a hard sell to many modern audiences, but if you can see past the need for dialogue, many silent films are striking pieces of art that deserve to be watched. The best silent films come from all genres; however, comedy and horror are among the silent era’s most impactful genres. While magic lantern shows and stroboscopic animation started gaining popularity in the 1830s, the first “film” screening was held in 1895 by the Lumiere brothers in Paris. They debuted their technology by showing scenes of everyday French life; however, the oldest surviving silent “film” is a two-second clip called the Roundhay Garden Scene from 1888. By the early 1900s, narrative films were on the rise, leading to many of what would be considered the greatest silent films ever made. Whether you are a silent film novice or a 1920s cinephile, this list is a great primer into the rich and oft-forgotten world of silent cinema.

Top Silent Films

While there are modern silent classics, such as 2011’s The Artist and even 2024’s Hundreds of Beavers, this list focuses on pre-1930s films, a.k.a. the silent film era (with one noted exception). While there are earlier and later entries in this period, most define the silent era as cinema from 1894 to 1929. While this list looks broadly at films from this era, most of the entries come from the 1920s, when silent film production reached its height.

While the silent era ended slightly later, the first “talkie” or film with dialogue, The Jazz Singer, changed the film industry in 1927. In many ways, late silent films were far more advanced than early “talkies” as they included advanced direction techniques, stunts and even Technicolor/ Kinemacolor. By the end of the era, synchronized sound (usually orchestration and sound effects) was even used, which blurs the line of the silent film era’s end. Silent films can be hard to dive into. Many films are long, but there are larger problems with the silent era. Many films contain racism, which can be very disturbing for modern audiences. Numerous films (especially from the first half of the era) are now lost media as no versions of them are known to exist. This list doesn’t shy away from these issues but takes them into consideration. Films on this list are ranked by several factors, including historical significance, technological advancements and overall quality.

27. Blood and Sand (1922)

Blood and Sand stars one of the biggest names of the silent era, Rudolph Valentino, as a Spanish matador torn between a childhood friend and a seductress. Directed by Fred Niblo, the film also stars Lila Lee, Nita Naldi and Rosa Rosanova.

The film was based on the 1908 novel Sangre y arena by Vicente Blasco Ibanez and a 1921 play (also based on the novel) by Thomas Cushing. The film was parodied in another great 1922 silent film, Mud and Sand starring Stan Laurel. Blood and Sand is more dated than some of the other films on this list, but Valentino’s charm really sells this film. You can stream then film here.

26. My Best Girl (1927)

Mary Pickford was an icon of the silent era. She was even nicknamed “America’s Sweetheart” during her silent film career. While many of her films aren’t seen as classics, any lover of silent film has to see a Pickford movie. Her last silent film, My Best Girl, is a wonderful place to start. The rom-com follows a girl who falls for a coworker who happens to be the engaged son of her boss.

Directed by Sam Taylor, the film also stars Charles “Buddy” Rogers (Pickford and Rogers would later marry in 1937 after she divorced Douglas Fairbanks). Pickford prepared for the role by working as a shop-girl in disguise, where she went unrecognized even at the height of her fame. Notably, Pickford also produced the film, which was written by two women, Hope Loring and Kathleen Norris. The film is funny, sweet and well-made. My Best Girl is currently not available to stream, but can be found online.

25. A Page of Madness (1926)

While Japan is sometimes overlooked as a major player in film history, there are several silent classics that came out of Japan’s early film industry, including Kenji Mizoguchi’s The Water Magician, Yasujirō Ozu’s I was Born, But… and Teinosuke Kinugasa’s Crossroads. However, arguably, the best film from Japan’s silent era is Kinugasa’s A Page of Madness.

The experimental horror film was considered a lost film for over 40 years until a copy was found in storage in 1971. Starring Masao Inoue and Yoshie Nakagawa, the film follows a janitor in a mental hospital and his wife, who is a patient. The film comes from the Avant-garde artist group Shinkankakuha (School of New Perceptions). Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata is credited with the story, but the film was written collaboratively. Godzilla’s Eiji Tsuburaya was also credited as an assistant cameraman on the film. You can stream the film here.

24. Häxan (1922)

Häxan is one of the strangest films on this list. The Swedish silent horror film is partially shot as a documentary on witchcraft. While it was re-released in the 1960s with a narration track from William S. Burroughs, the original is a silent film. The film is split up into seven parts, which tell the history of witchcraft and demons.

The film includes amazing special effects that make use of stop-motion, make-up and superimposition. The film has taken on a cult status, especially among lovers of experimental movies and art films. Häxan was directed by Benjamin Christensen. Adam Scovell wrote of the film on its 100th anniversary for the BBC, “It is a deeply innovative blueprint for so much horror that was to follow. Its sleight-of-hand mixing of the real and the fantastical became genuinely revolutionary. One hundred years after its initial domestic release, the film still plays a notable role in the history of horror.” It is available on multiple platforms.

23. Wings (1927)

The winner of the very first Academy Award for Outstanding Picture in 1929, Wings is a romantic war film about two pilots in love with the same girl. The film stars Clara Bow, Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Richard Arlen. Bow was Paramount’s biggest star and also starred in It the same year, the film that popularized the idea of the “It girl.”

Wings was directed by William A. Wellman partially because he was the only Hollywood director at the time with combat pilot experience in WWI. The film includes some surprising scenes for the 1920s, including nudity (men appear nude during a physical in the background of a scene, and Bow is briefly topless). There is also a kiss between a man and his dying friend which is sometimes cited as an early LGBTQ milestone (however, this is debated). Wings was considered a lost film for many years before a nitrate copy was found in the Cinémathèque Française archive; it has since been preserved in the Library of Congress. It is available to stream here.

22. Safety Last! (1923)

Safety Last! contains one of the most iconic images of silent-era comedy: Harold Lloyd dangling off the hands of a clock. While names like Keaton and Chaplin are more famous to modern audiences, Lloyd was a titan of silent comedy and highly influential in the genre. Safety Last! follows a man who moves to the big city in hopes of making enough money to start a life with his fiance.

While Lloyd did some of his own stunts, he also notably used stunt performers in Safety Last! It is also often considered the first film to use thought-through safety devices during stunts (including harnesses and mattresses). The film is available to stream through multiple services.

21. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Lon Chaney’s haunting face from this early adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera is an iconic image in the history of cinematic horror. The film contains an early example of a jump scare, which reportedly led some to scream and faint in theaters. While it probably won’t make modern audiences faint, it is a creepy and effective adaptation of the 1910 novel of the same name.

The film has a confusing history with multiple reissues, including a 1929 sound release (however, the 1929 version is currently considered a lost film after the reels were destroyed in a 1948 studio fire). While Rupert Julian is credited as the director, others worked on the film, including Ernst Laemmle. The film stars Chaney, Norman Kerry and Mary Philbin. The Phantom of the Opera is streaming on multiple platforms.

20. The Crowd (1928)

King Vidor’s The Crowd follows a man who travels to the city only to be trapped in a dead-end life at a nameless corporation. The film stars James Murray and Eleanor Boardman, who were purposely chosen as “non-big name” actors. While it received mixed reviews upon its release, it has been largely reassessed.

It is a film about “real people” with very little plot, which still feels somewhat unique, but is especially notable in early film history. However, what makes The Crowd really special is its visuals and camera work. The use of a tracking shot in a large corporate office is especially iconic. The film can be found on streaming here.

19. Les Vampires (1915)

Les Vampires is a serial with ten episodes that were released from 1915-1916, making it almost closer to a “silent TV show.” The serial follows a reporter as he takes on a criminal gang called “The Vampires,” (while the name suggests a supernatural component, it is actually a crime thriller).

Les Vampires is director Louis Feuillade’s masterpiece and is an important work in the history of the thriller genre. The techniques used in it inspired directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Alain Resnais and Fritz Lang. The film stars Édouard Mathé and Musidora. If watched all together, Les Vampires is nearly seven hours long, which may turn some viewers off, but it is a beautiful and important piece of early film history. Unfortunately it is often unavailable to stream.

18. Man With The Movie Camera (1929)

Silent films are a hard enough sell to many audiences. Add in the fact that Man With The Movie Camera is an experimental Soviet art-documentary silent film, and it won’t be for everyone. Directed by Dziga Vertov, the film has no actors or plot but follows a man as he captures a day in the life of the city.

Man With The Movie Camera is probably most notable for its inventive editing. The film employs techniques like multiple exposure, slow motion, Dutch angles, extreme close-ups, match cuts, jump cuts, tracking shows and split screens (some of which Vertov invented). The film was at first dismissed. Sergei Eisenstein even called it “pointless camera hooliganism.” However, it has been largely re-evaluated. The National Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Centre even placed it as number 3 on their list of 100 best films in the history of Ukrainian cinema in 2021. The film is available on multiple platforms.

17. A Trip to the Moon (1902)

While many of the films on this list come from the late silent period, A Trip to the Moon is an early example of narrative silent filmmaking. Written, directed, produced and starring Georges Méliès, the film follows an astronomy club who takes a trip to the moon only to run into aliens. The film is a very early work of sci-fi and an example of a “trick film,” an early genre that featured inventive special effects. Even if you haven’t seen this film, you have likely seen it referenced, specifically a moon with a rocket in its eye.

Méliès started his career as a magician and stage performer. He went on to make over 500 films; however, by the 1920s, he was largely forgotten, partially because during WWI, many of his films were confiscated and melted down by the French Army. In a rage, Méliès burned his own negatives. However, in the late 1920s, he was approached by several journalists who were writing about film history, and a retrospective of his work was shown at the Salle Pleyel. He is an essential figure in early film and was even one of the first filmmakers to use storyboards. A Trip to the Moon is likely Méliès’ best-known work, along with 1904’s The Impossible Voyage. A Trip to the Moon was a lost film for several years, and while Méliès made a hand-colored version, this version wasn’t rediscovered until 1993 and was not restored until 2011. The film can be found here.

16. Sherlock Jr. (1924)

While Buster Keaton was an icon of silent comedies, many of his films will likely turn off modern audiences with rampant uses of blackface and jokes that don’t always age well. However, Sherlock Jr. is mostly spared from vaudevillian racism, which makes it a lot more palatable than other Keaton works like Seven Chances and College.

The film follows a projectionist who is framed in the robbery of his fiancée’s dad and dreams of clearing his name as a detective. The film is funny, fast-paced and short, which makes it a great watch for those intimidated by the world of silent film. Sherlock Jr. is available to stream on multiple platforms.

15. The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)

The Adventures of Prince Achmed comes with a bit of a warning for racist caricatures. Not everything in it ages perfectly, but it is an extremely important work, especially in the history of animated film. Directed by Lotte Reiniger, the film is widely considered the first animated feature film.

It was made using a technique similar to the Indonesian art of Wayang shadow puppets and is inspired by Hanna Diyab’s One Thousand and One Nights (though it blends several of the stories.) Reiniger’s earlier film, 1922’s Cinderella, uses a similar paper cut style, which established her as part of a group of experimental German animators of the time. She would make several other animated films in Germany before having to flee due to her outspoken leftwing politics and the rise Nazi party. However, she continued working in cinema through the late 1970s. The Adventures of Prince Achmed was heavily censored in the 1920s as it included a pair of openly gay characters kissing. Reiniger was passionate about destigmatizing homosexuality and thought adding it to a children’s film was important. It is available on multiple platforms, including Kanopy for free.

14. Way Down East (1920)

Many would include D. W. Griffith’s Birth of A Nation on a list of best silent films. While it is an important film in cinematic history and Griffith’s influence on cinema is undeniable, it is simply too violently racist to include. Birth of A Nation is not suitable for modern audiences (and really wasn’t for contemporary audiences either… while it remains one of the highest-grossing films ever made, it was also boycotted by the NAACP upon its release in 1915).

However, if you are looking for a D. W. Griffith film to watch (possibly because of his pioneering camera work or contributions to the history narrative film), Way Down East is a much gentler choice. The film follows a woman after she is tricked into having a baby out of wedlock and is shunned by her small town. The film is most remembered for its famous ice floe scene. However, maybe it should be remembered for a powerhouse performance by Lillian Gish. The film also stars Richard Barthelmess. Like many Griffith films, Way Down East is very long but doesn’t have the preachiness that weighs many of his most famous works down. Way Down East is available on multiple platforms.

13. The Lodger: A Story of The London Fog (1927)

While many of Alfred Hitchcock’s early silent films are lost, The Lodger: A Story of The London Fog is one of three silent films from 1927 to survive from the director. The Lodger was also his first thriller- a genre he would later become synonymous with. It is also the first of his films to feature a cameo appearance from Hitchcock.

Starring Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney, June Tripp and Malcolm Keen, the film follows a family who takes in a new lodger but starts to wonder if he is a killer going after girls who look like their daughter. While later Hitchcock films are much better known, The Lodger is easily his best silent film. The film can be found here.

12. Greed (1924)

Erich von Stroheim’s Greed is an early example of a psychological drama film. It tells the story of a housewife whose life is turned upside down after she wins the lottery. The film was shot on-location (mainly in San Francisco and Death Valley, California), which was fairly unheard of in the 1920s. The film stars ZaSu Pitts, Gibson Gowland and Jean Hersholt.

The film was originally about eight hours long but was edited down against von Stroheim’s wishes. The most seen cut is around two and a half hours. The original cut was only seen by a handful of people and is currently lost media (many film historians consider it a “holy grail”). While some point to Citizen Kane as a pioneering film in the use of deep focus (a technique where the fore, mid and background are all in focus) Greed uses it seventeen years earlier. The film also uses Soviet-style montage editing and close-ups in a surprisingly modern way.

While Greed is partially lost, the 140 minute cut can be found here.

11. Battleship Potemkin (1925)

This silent Soviet war epic is probably most remembered for its Odessa Steps sequence; however, Battleship Potemkin has much more to it. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein, the film dramatizes a 1905 mutiny that leads to Tsarist soldiers massacring an uprising in Odessa.

The film is split into five acts. Act IV: The Odessa Steps is an early and influential use of montage. Eisenstein was an influential figure in Soviet montage theory, which emphasizes the heavy use of editing and juxtaposition of images in films. The Odessa Steps montage has influenced many films and has been referenced in many later films, including The Untouchables, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and Dune. Battleship Potemkin is available to stream on multiple platforms.

10. The Wind (1928)

The Wind is a synchronized sound film starring Lillian Gish, Lars Hanson, Montagu Love and Dorothy Cumming. The film follows a woman who moves to West Texas only to be disturbed by family strife, suitors and an unrelenting wind. It’s an emotional drama that is still gut-wrenching almost 100 years later.

Based on the Frances Marion novel of the same name, the film was directed by Victor Sjöström. While the film was completed in 1927, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer didn’t premiere it until 1928, which worked against it as the first “talkie” — 1927’s The Jazz Singer changed what audiences wanted from movies. Since it was silent, The Wind was overlooked and poorly at the box office. However, The Wind is the end of an era in many ways. It was the last big silent film released by MGM, one of Sjöström’s last films in America and the last silent film by one of the era’s biggest stars, Gish. The Wind is available here.

9. The Gold Rush (1925)

One of many Charlie Chaplin films to feature his character of the Tramp, The Gold Rush is one of the comedian’s best works. The film follows the Tramp as he joins the Klondike gold rush, tries to strike it rich and falls for a barmaid. The film also stars Georgia Hale, Mack Swain and Tom Murray.

The Gold Rush is also inspired by the Donner Party and the opening scene was shot on-location outside of Truckee, California (close to Donner Pass and Donner Lake). The film is a hugely ambitious comedy that was a huge box-office success for Chaplin. It has a surprising amount of drama for a slapstick comedy, but it blends the two beautifully. It is often included on best silent film lists and on best film lists more generally. It was released in 1942 with a recorded score, narration by Chaplin and faster editing. The 1925 version currently has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is available to stream here.

8. Un Chien Andalou (1929)

Directed by Luis Buñuel, Un Chien Andalou is a short art film co-written by Salvador Dalí. It is one of the most famous short films ever made and an important surrealist film in the avant-garde cinema. Un Chien Andalou is a purposely upsetting film that doesn’t really have a plot. Instead, it follows a sort of dream logic through strange and off-putting visuals, including, most famously, an eye being sliced with a razor.

Un Chien Andalou was Buñuel’s first film. He would go on to be one of the most influential directors ever in his almost 50-year career. He famously attended the premiere of the film with rocks in his pockets as he worried the audience would rise up in protest. However, the film was well received, even by the Surrealist movement’s leader, André Breton, and Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, who listed it among his favorite films of all time. If you are interested in early art films, Man Ray’s L’Étoile de mer (1928) is another must-watch. Un Chien Andalou is available here.

7. The General (1926)

The General is a classic comedy by Buster Keaton. The film was inspired by the Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase and follows a Southern railroad engineer who must pursue Union soldiers after his fiancée accidentally gets stuck on a commandeered train. Keaton stars opposite Marion Mack and notably performs all his own stunts in this film.

The film was incredibly expensive to make and contains the most expensive single shot in silent film history (unsurprisingly, it is of a train wreck). While The General didn’t do well enough at the box office to justify its cost, it has taken on masterpiece status. It was one of the first 25 films to be preserved in the Library of Congress in 1989. Not everything ages well in this film. The film is inspired by William Pittenger’s memoir, The Great Locomotive Chase. However, Pittenger was a Union soldier, and the story is told from the Northern perspective. Keaton changed the story to include a Confederate hero, and the film valorizes the Confederacy. Keaton himself said, “It’s awful hard to make heroes out of the Yankees,” which was a somewhat popular stance in early narratives about the Civil War. The film can be found here.

6. Nosferatu (1922)

While a non-silent version of this vampire classic returns to screens in 2024, the original Nosferatu is a German Expressionist horror film from director F.W. Murnau. Sometimes also called Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, the film is an unofficial retelling of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula.

While the film has some differences from Dracula, Stoker’s widow sued and a judge ruled that all copies of the film be destroyed. While most copies were destroyed, a couple of international prints survived and a lengthy restoration process was carried out to save the vampire classic. The film stars Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim and Greta Schröder. While some have called out the film for possible anti-Semitic stereotypes, Murnau was not a known antisemite (and as a gay man in 1920s, Germany was likely aware of rising tensions with “outsiders” while making the film). A Jewish actor, Alexander Granach, also appears in the film. Nosferatu remains a cult and horror classic. Fans looking for more horror adaptations from Murnau should also watch his 1926 silent adaptation of Faust. Nosferatu is streaming on multiple platforms.

5. Metropolis (1927)

Fritz Lang’s Metropolis is a German Expression Sci-Fi masterpiece. The film is a dystopian tale about a futuristic city with a poor underbelly and a man who hopes to help the workers below. The film was extremely costly to make and was produced during Germany’s Weimar Period.

While it is now widely regarded as a masterpiece, it received poor reviews upon its release. Some thought the film was too communist. H.G. Wells wrote, “I have recently seen the silliest film. I do not believe it would be possible to make one sillier.” It currently holds a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been reassessed largely for its impressive visuals. However, its story also feels like it has aged well. It is available on many streaming platforms.

4. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Another film by F. W. Murnau, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, follows the wife of a farmer after her husband’s affair partner tries to convince him to murder her. The film stars Janet Gaynor and George O’Brien. Sunrise was one of Murnau’s final films and the first that he made after emigrating to Hollywood from Germany in 1926. However, it is arguably his masterpiece.

The film won three Oscars at the first Academy Awards in 1929: Best Unique and Artistic Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Actress for Gaynor (who actually won the Award for three roles, the Wife in Sunrise, Diane in 7th Heaven and Angela in Street Angel). It was also one of the first 25 films selected for preservation in the Library of Congress in 1989. Find it on streaming here.

3. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a German expressionist horror film. The film follows a hypnotist who brainwashes a somnambulist and uses him to commit murders. The film employs eerie painted sets, which give the film a dark and twisted feel.

Directed by Robert Wiene, it stars Werner Krauss and Conrad Veidt. It has become especially important in the horror and cult film genres as a very early foundational work. It is the most famous example of German Expressionist film, which was part of the larger Expressionist art movement at the turn of the 20th century. These films reached their peak in 1920s Berlin and rejected cinematic realism. While all German Expressionist films used visual distortions or over-the-top performances to portray the “artists” inner emotions or conflicts, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari pushes this idea to its limits by building a deeply human and yet unrecognizable world. It is available on multiple platforms (often for free.)

2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Directed by Danish Master filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer, The Passion of Joan of Arc is a French film classic. The film is specifically based on the trial record of Joan of Arc. The film has appeared on many best-of lists, including those from the BBC and Cahiers du Cinéma. The film stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti, Eugène Silvain, André Berley and Maurice Schutz.

While The Passion of Joan of Arc is silent, it feels like one of the more modern films on this list. The film has a lot of close-ups that help highlight the emotion and arresting acting. Roger Ebert wrote in 1997, “You cannot know the history of silent film unless you know the face of Renee Maria Falconetti. In a medium without words, where the filmmakers believed that the camera captured the essence of characters through their faces, to see Falconetti in Dreyer’s “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (1928) is to look into eyes that will never leave you.” Find it here.

1. City Lights (1931)

Technically, City Lights is a synchronized sound film (a film with synchronized music and sound effects track.) While “talkies” were gaining popularity when Charlie Chaplin started working on the film in the late 1920s, he decided to purposely make it without the use of dialogue.

Written, directed, produced and starring Chaplin, City Lights is a masterwork from the silent star. The film follows a tramp who tries to make money for a blind flower girl facing eviction. The film was popular upon its release and has been heralded by critics since. James Agee said of the film’s final scene in 1949, “[it’s] the greatest single piece of acting ever committed to celluloid.” The film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in 1991. Chaplin’s next film, 1936’s Modern Times, is also a masterpiece; however, Modern Times is a “partial talkie,” making City Lights arguably his last silent film. It is available to stream on multiple platforms.

Bottom Line

As film technology progresses, the silent era can feel dated and forgotten; however, there is so much to love about silent films, especially those of the 1920s. These are foundational works that often feel daring, inventive and advanced. Seeing them is essential for any true lover of cinema and film history.