The MoFo Top 50 Pre-1930 Countdown: The List

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i watched the hunchback of notre dame three years ago when i was going through a lot of the universal horror pictures and i thought it was unbelievably boring.

however, the last laugh is basically a masterpiece and i had it at #2. i had never seen a murnau before preparing for this list and it was pretty mind-blowing. a dog's life is also very good and charming and i had it at #12.
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seen A Clockwork Orange. In all honesty, the movie was weird and silly
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The Last Command was my no. 7 and it is my favorite film by Josef von Sternberg. Joseph von Sternberg is an excellent storyteller and i am certainly going to watch more from his filmography.

Here is a ranked list of the films by von Sternberg that i have seen:

1. The Last Command (1928)
+
2. Dishonored (1931)
+
3. Shanghai Express (1932)

4. The Scarlet Empress (1934)

5. Morocco (1930)


The only film i have seen by Griffith is The Birth of a Nation, which i did not like and i am not that sure i am keen on watching more, though Intolerance is probably a must watch for a cinephile.
The only two von Sternberg films that I've seen are Underworld and Docks of New York, which I both thought were incredible, so definitely watch them.

I haven't seen The Birth of a Nation but Intolerance is one of my favourite films of all time, an absolute masterpiece of filmmaking. And I love some other Griffith stuff I have seen, so I would recommend giving him another go.

Edit: I don't think I've seen any films since my last visit, but most of them are high on my watchlist.
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The only two von Sternberg films that I've seen are Underworld and Docks of New York, which I both thought were incredible, so definitely watch them.

I haven't seen The Birth of a Nation but Intolerance is one of my favourite films of all time, an absolute masterpiece of filmmaking. And I love some other Griffith stuff I have seen, so I would recommend giving him another go.

Edit: I don't think I've seen any films since my last visit, but most of them are high on my watchlist.
I just saw Underworld the other day and i am interested in seeing Docks of New York as well.

Yeah, I probably should, though the running time of Intolerance have kept me away



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I voted for The Last Laugh. Truly one of those films where the ending makes it.
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The Birth of a Nation often garners strong reactions, understandable I guess but I can't say I find it grossly offensive. I do find it overly fragmented for the civil-war section though, which makes it feel more like attending class than being entertained, and I do find the chase in the forest far too Keystone Cops in style. Chaplin is always endearing and The Circus is no exception and unlike TBOAN was in contention for the lower depths of my list but ultimately didn't make it.

Seen 13/14
My list:




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I'm one of those politically incorrect types who think that The Birth of a Nation is a good movie - just not good enough to make my list. There are lots of discussions about it on the site but I won't go into those.

The Circus is one of Chaplin's least-seen features, but as the fun house scene shows, it's a real winner. What's odd is that this film actually contains quite a bit of sadism because the ringmaster of the circus abuses his daughter horribly. The Tramp tries to rescue her, but the film eventually ends on the bittersweet note which so many of Chaplin's films do. Other highlights in the film include the tightrope/bicycle scene and the scene in the lion's cage. Chaplin took a standard silent story and tweaked it to his personal vision.


Seen 14/14
My List
1. Entr'acte
2. The Goat
15. The Last Command
19. The Circus
25. The Wind
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I was going to watch Birth of a Nation, but couldn't bring myself to because of the running length.
Seen: 3/14

My List:
23. The Man Who Laughs (#48)
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The Birth of a Nation was probably the craziest movie I watched for this countdown. It was my #4.

Like The Circus but didn't vote for it.

4. The Birth of a Nation (#38)
10. Way Down East (#43)



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According to my records, I have seen a measly 26 films that date from the pre-1930 era. I made a list of 25 films. Birth of a Nation was the 26th.

I did vote for The Circus, though.



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According to my records, I have seen a measly 26 films that date from the pre-1930 era. I made a list of 25 films. Birth of a Nation was the 26th.

I did vote for The Circus, though.
So do you actually dislike any on your 25?



Admittedly a couple, but it won't matter if they don't crack the list.
Same here, I think I had a total of 31 so my bottom couple I’m not a huge fan of.



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didn't watch Birth and The Circus is Chaplin so it's one I enjoy and while I could easily fill a large section of my List with Charles, I kept it to two of his, so it was not on the list.

As for likes or dislikes on my List, I actually liked all of mine. Some simply liked and not loved. . .


MY LIST: Seen 7 out of 14 (50%)
8) The Hunchback of Nortre Dame (#41)
14) A Dog's Life (#39)
16) The Man Who Laughs (#48)
22) Underworld (#47)
25) The Iron Mask (One Pointer)
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I watched and really liked A Dog's Life, bringing my total up to 4/14 seen (29%)