As much as I would like to talk about farts in cinema, starting with Swiss Army Man, this post is about the great unspoken cinema of the past. Yes, sometimes silent movies can be boring, and the storytelling is almost entirely visual. But one way to spice things up is with that good old fashioned storytelling device: murder!
Below are 6 silent classics that have deadly consequences. Now let er rip!
| Movie Title | Modern Times (1936) |
| Movie Rating | |
| The Hook | Charlie Chaplin’s take on modern, industrialized America, and the trials and tribulations that ensue. |
| Why It’s Good | The first hour of this movie is perfect. Chaplin uses lighthearted amusing slapstick to shine a bright light on how twisted and unfeeling the industrial world is on assembly line workers, being asked to become machines when they are not. The 2nd half loses steam a touch, but it adds an emotional element that is welcome and leaves you feeling at least content in the possibility of happiness for anyone. |
| Deadliness Rating | . Ok, this one’s not deadly, but does the working class soul’s slow death count? I didn’t think so either. |
| Movie Title | The General (1926) |
| Movie Rating | |
| The Hook | A train engineer sees his locomotive get captured by Union forces during the Civil War, prompting him to try to steal it back to help the South win the war. |
| Why It’s Good | For anyone who thinks silent films cannot ever be exciting, this will be the first movie I point them to. Buster Keaton really put himself in great peril for our entertainment, but damn if the results aren’t stupendous! The train scenes in this movie are breathtaking, with Keaton jumping on and off, and on and off again to try to steal back his train, win the war, and the heart of his love. |
| Deadliness Rating | . A few people get knocked out and maybe offscreen die, but we don’t see any of it. |
| Movie Title | The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) |
| Movie Rating | |
| The Hook | At a carnival in small town Germany, a doctor claims to have a person who can see into the future, but as they say, the futures may not be as bright as you think. |
| Why It’s Good | This film is pretty amazing for something made in 1920. The sets are jagged and obscure, certainly setting the audience on edge. The movie is dark and foreboding, throughout, making great use of shadow and not afraid to take some storytelling risks. All culminating in an ending that is still great to this day, and used as a benchmark for great horror/thriller endings going forward. |
| Deadliness Rating | . There are at least a couple deaths, even with the strange ending, so this seems right. |
| Movie Title | Nanook of the North (1922) |
| Movie Rating | |
| The Hook | One of our first documentaries about an Inuit living in the tundra of Northern Quebec, Canada. |
| Why It’s Good | Robert Flaherty is the godfather of the documentary film. This is one of his first about Nanook and his family, simply going through their daily lives. What seems benign to Nanook is captivating for the audience, who end up in awe of what it takes to live life in the extremes. Today, this type of film would be a National Geographic special. |
| Deadliness Rating | . Most of this movie is about living, but since it’s based on real life, the ending hits you like a sack of bricks if you’re into the story. |
| Movie Title | Nosferatu (1922) |
| Movie Rating | |
| The Hook | At a carnival in small town Germany, a doctor claims to have a person who can see into the future, but as they say, the futures may not be as bright as you think. |
| Why It’s Good | The Dracula story has been told a few times in cinema. This is the earliest interpretation, treating him more like a creature than a Bela Lugosi charmer. Shadows and shocks play a big role hear, like a terrifying ascent up stairs, or a rise up out of a coffin. It’s more dated than others on the list, but has some of the best moments as well. |
| Deadliness Rating | . Our dude takes out a whole boat, and nearly wipes out a town of people! That’s a bad, bad man! |
| Movie Title | The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) |
| Movie Rating | |
| The Hook | One of the greatest trials in world history, with the teen Joan of Arc defending herself against the clergy to save her mortal life, but not lose her soul in the process. |
| Why It’s Good | Usually silent films don’t have a lot of dialogue. However, this one does, and manages to make it work for the movie. Joan’s defense against the clergy is captivating because of the stakes but also because of the age old questions of how to live a life being discussed. Maria Falconetti helps a lot here, giving a great performance showing Joan’s strength, terror, and exhaustion depending on the situation. |
| Deadliness Rating | . Real deaths pack the most punch, and this one hurts because Joan seems like the exact type of person we’d want teaching people how to live a moral life, plus her death is truly terrible to watch. |