The MoFo Top 50 Pre-1930 Countdown: The List

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I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Diary of a Lost Girl was my #2. It was everything I'd hoped Pandora's Box would be. Louise Brooks is awesome and I really liked her character in this film. I was absolutely swept along on her journey.



Meant to say, Chypmunk, doing really well with the vintage throwback imagery

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3 Bad Men and The Crowd are another couple I enjoyed and am quite happy to see make the list even if neither quite made my personal ballot. The former shows Ford's love for the Old West and its pioneers whilst the latter is very much a human drama that's not afraid of showing life (and love) isn't always a bowl of cherries.

Seen: 21/22
My list:
20. Broken Blossoms (D.W. Griffith, 1919) [#34]
25. Helen Of Four Gates (Cecil M. Hepworth, 1920) [1-ptr]



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Neither on my list although The Crowd was there until the end. Here are some highlights.

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3 Bad Men was my #13, here were my thoughts:

3 Bad Men

Cricket was right, I did enjoy this! I keep on saying I'm not a fan of Westerns, but they're growing on me with movies like Tombstone, Open Range, and this. 3 Bad Men is my first John Ford film, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of his work now, since this was really well done. There was adventure, romance, suspense, and much more in this film. I also loved the visuals; the distant mountains, the horseback scenes, the beautiful landscapes. It all combined very well. Furthermore, many of the characters were deep and complex... however, I wasn't a fan of the old archetypal things about the Western genre, and this one turned into another good vs. evil slog by the end. It had its fair share of boring moments, but overall 3 Bad Men was a positive experience.

Seen: 7/22

My List:
13. 3 Bad Men (#30)
22. 7th Heaven (#32)
23. The Man Who Laughs (#48)
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I am up to five of mine, including both of the last reveals. Broken Blossoms is my highest placer from my own list so far at fourteen (yellowface be damned, it's beautifully made and Gish is wonderful) while I had The Crowd at sweet sixteen. The Last Laugh was my twenty-second pick and John Ford's 3 Bad Men got my single point.

14. Broken Blossoms (#35)
16. The Crowd (#29)
19. Underworld (#47)
22. The Last Laugh (#40)
25. 3 Bad Men (#30)
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Finally got to watch Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock, 1929) which was the one missing for me thus far. Sadly it was the silent version I located, and not the talkie I had hoped to find, but whilst an enjoyable enough watch it wouldn't have made the cut for my list anyway.

Seen: 22/22



So i have seen The Crowd (1928) by King Vidor but can hardly remember anything about. I rated it
, which is for good films but not exceptional ones. I am not sure i am going to revisit it.

Diary of a Lost Girl (1929) looks really interesting and i might try to fit it in soon.



I loved The Crowd (1928), it was Cricket's nom in the Silent Hof that we did a couple years ago. It was my number 3. I didn't really warm up to 3 Bad Men, so it didn't make my list.



3. Diary of a Lost Girl (#31)
4. The Birth of a Nation (#38)
5. The Crowd (#29)
10. Way Down East (#43)
17. Broken Blossoms (#34)
22. 7th Heaven (#32)
25. 3 Bad Men (#30)

Thank you Mark for recommending The Crowd back when I needed a silent film era HoF nomination.



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3 Bad Men made it to #5 for me.




3 Bad Men

Meek Eastern dude: I've just reached manhood.
Mike Costigan: [Sarcastically] Then you better reach again.

This was quite the excellent Western as befitting a John Ford film and plays out as a glimpse of what was to come from this man in regards to iconic backdrops for in-depth characters and storylines. Along with the marriage of comedy and drama where each is enhanced by the other.
What is also noted is quite a number of aspects that can be seen repeated upon to this very day.
WARNING: "Such as" spoilers below
J. Farrell MacDonald's Mike Costigan's bravado in his final moments within the gun powder shed, cleverly taking out a decent amount of guys along with himself.


Played against a grand tapestry of a Government-authorized Land Grab for Gold infested land snatched away from Native Americans we watch as three no-goodniks find redemption, and for one, revenge against a corrupt sheriff and his posse. All the while sprinkling a bit of Ford's patriotic simple folk nobility and aesthetics about finding real gold in farming and the more simpler, honest trades.

Like many of Ford's main characters, they are rough, not so honest men, but with honorable hearts that live outside society's duplicity.

Also, I must state that the copy I found on youtube also had an apt Old Time Western soundtrack that was very ideal.

So one helluva a great start to this HoF


MY LIST: Seen 9 out of 22 (40.9%)
5) 3 Bad Men (#30)

6) 7th Heaven (#32)
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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~28~







The Unknown benefits from the usual dependable performance from Lon Chaney and is a solid movie but sadly wasn't quite able to pass muster for my list. It benefits hugely from having the delightful Clara Bow as the centrepiece and does amuse along the way but for me it's a rather forgettable piece and was never really in contention.

Seen: 24/24
My list:
20. Broken Blossoms (D.W. Griffith, 1919) [#34]
25. Helen Of Four Gates (Cecil M. Hepworth, 1920) [1-ptr]



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3 Bad Men was on my list at 11. I love Ford and it's a pretty decent one from him certainly. I hated The Crowd actually, so that was one of the few that I saw that didn't make my list.

Haven't seen The Unknown or It.