The MoFo Top 50 Pre-1930 Countdown: The List

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Top 5:
5. The Gold Rush
4. Sunrise
3. The General
2. Cabinet
1. Metropolis
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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
what happened raul?
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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
did not make my list




The Passion of Joan of Arc

With nearly all close-ups used, we witness the courtroom drama unfold within the expressions and eyes of both Joan and her "judges" whose interest is merely finding a reason to condemn her — having already decided on her fate.

I have heard they used the actual court proceedings as dialogue, which I appreciated though there were, quite often, times when people spoke. We were never given a placard to fill us in on some very intense situations.

What I found surprising was, that even with a mostly up-close camera style, it never grew wearisome, except for the heartbreaking emotions that hit us so hard, having nowhere else to look but within her eyes or see the calculating machinations of her British captors.
The final drawing out of the burning at the stake was the most grueling I have ever seen. Equally heartbreaking as it was mesmerizing.

MY LIST: Seen 21 out of 45 (46.67%)
1) The Kid (#10)
2)
3)
4)
5) 3 Bad Men (#30)
6) 7th Heaven (#32)
7) The Phantom of the Opera (#19)
8) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (#41)
9) Nosferatu (#7)
10) Sherlock Jr (#8)
11)
12) Pandora's Box (#17)
13) It (#27)
14) A Dog's Life (#39)
15) The Lodger (#20)
16) The Man Who Laughs (#48)
17)
18) HE Who Gets Slapped (#23)
19) Faust (#14)
20)
21)
22) Underworld (#47)
24) The Adventures of Prince Achmed (#26)
25) The Iron Mask (One Pointer)



Wow. I'm surprised... I actually maybe thought The Passion of Joan of Arc could be number 1. But at least top 3 or something... well, definitely top 5. But apparently not even that.


Oh well, I'm no expert on the pre-1930 films, however, as most people here I know my fair share of cinema (still have plenty to learn and discover though). And this film, man... at least to me, in my experience... it felt like it was made in a completely different era. So much of the direction, the overall approach, the acting, everything. It felt so ahead of its time and just simply timeless. I was blown away by how this film was put together, how it was executed. I was extremely impressed all the way through. A lot of silent films are great. But very few really gets the emotion through like more modern films does. This however is on that level. This connected with me on an emotional level in a way no film that old had ever done. That central performance is a gigantic part of it though, indeed...



So yeah, my #1 right there.



The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari is such a striking film with those wonderfully off-kilter sets and originally I had it at #9 but it leant on the film next to it so much it just kinda slid past and moved up a spot all on its own

Seen: 46/46
My list:
1. La passion de Jeanne d'Arc [The Passion Of Joan Of Arc] (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928) [#6]
3. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924) [#15]
7. Intolerance - Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (D.W. Griffith, 1916) [#21]
8. Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari [The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari] (Robert Wiene, 1920) [#5]
10. Chelovek s kino-apparatum [Man With A Movie Camera] (Dziga Vertov, 1929) [#12]
15. Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage [Faust] (F.W. Murnau, 1926) [#14]
17. Körkarlen [The Phantom Carriage] (Victor Sjöström, 1921) [#18]
18. Safety Last! (Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor, 1923) [#11]
19. Häxan (Benjamin Christensen, 1922) [#25]
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.
I guess most here like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (obviously). When I first saw Caligari 40 years ago, it looked like a different film - no music, no tinting, broken and scratched film, etc. I thought much less of it then than I do now. Today it's more like a Christmas present, but it still seems to me about three times as long as it needs to be. I realize it's only an hour, but that's the way I've always felt. I guess the twist ending and expressionistic art direction blow some people's minds, so don't let me keep you from watching and enjoying it since I do.

Speedy is my #14. You gotta watch this scene with Babe Ruth in it.

Seen 46/46
My List
1. Entr'acte
2. The Goat
5. Safety Last!
6. The Adventures of Prince Achmed
7. The Kid
9. Greed
10. 7th Heaven
11. Man With a Movie Camera
13. The Passion of Joan of Arc
14. Speedy (Ted Wilde, 1928)
15. The Last Command
16. Wings
17. The Kid Brother (Ted Wilde, 1927)
18. Sherlock Jr.
19. The Circus
20. The Beloved Rogue (Alan Crosland, 1927)
22. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (Fred Niblo, 1925)
23. The Great White Silence (Herbert G. Ponting, 1924)

24. Battleship Potemkin
25. The Wind
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Cabinet is fantastic, what a masterpiece. Had it at #4.

Seen: 21/46

My List:
1. Battleship Potemkin (#9)
3. Nosferatu (#7)
4. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (#5)
5. The Passion of Joan of Arc (#6)
6. Pandora's Box (#18)
7. Un Chien Andalou (#13)
8. It (#27)
10. The Kid (#10)
11. Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge
12. The Doll
13. 3 Bad Men (#30)
14. The Adventures of Prince Achmed (#26)
15. Faust (#15)
16. Ballet Mecanique
17. Sherlock, Jr. (#8)
18. The Cameraman's Revenge
19. He Who Gets Slapped (#23)
20. A Trip to the Moon (#15)
21. Laugh, Clown, Laugh
22. 7th Heaven (#32)
23. The Man Who Laughs (#48)
24. Sadie Thompson
25. The Unknown (#28)



Dr. Caligari was No.19 on my list. I think I'll like it better on my next watch.

1. The Passion of Joan of Arc
2. Man With a Movie Camera
3. (Will Make it)
4. Battleship Potemkin
5. Prince Achmed
6. Un Chien Andalou
7. Safety Last!
8. (Nope)
9. (Will Make it)
10. (Nope)
11. (Nope)
12. (Nope)
13. (Nope)
14. (Nope)
15. The Great Train Robbery
16. A Trip to the Moon
17. (Nope)
18. (Nope)
19. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
20. (Nope)
21. (Nope)
22. (Nope)
23. (Nope)



Didn't think much of Caligari the first time, loved it the second time.

2. Greed (#15)
3. Diary of a Lost Girl (#31)
4. The Birth of a Nation (#38)
5. The Crowd (#29)
6. Intolerance (#21)
7. The Unknown (#28)
8. He Who Gets Slapped (#23)
10. Way Down East (#43)
11. Wings (#22)
12. Pandora's Box (#18)
15. It (#27)
16. The Cameraman (#24)
17. Broken Blossoms (#34)
18. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (#5)
19. Faust (#14)
20. The Phantom Carriage (#17)
22. 7th Heaven (#32)
25. 3 Bad Men (#30)



This was my top film. It feels very, very modern, and I mean that in the best sense: not of being gimmicky or dated, but of being ahead of its time. Most older films, even great ones, have a pace that grates even the most thoughtful and patient modern moviegoer, given the pace of what they've been exposed to all their lives, but The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is engrossing and familiar-feeling in a way most films from this time period (and earlier) aren't.

It's probably the first film I'd point to, as well, as an example of how you don't need CGI (or even much of a budget) to create a strong atmosphere and aesthetic sense, and how leaning into your artistic restrictions, rather than hiding them, can enhance the entire production. This is something that came up in our podcast on Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, about the way it doesn't hide some of its setpieces, mirroring the "they already know it isn't real" ethos of a stage production. Obviously, in many ways films are defined by all the things they can do (and hide) that a stage production can't, but this is one area where a lot of them would do well to take from their theater progenitors, as this film does so well.



If I had managed to come up with enough films that I liked to be able to submit a qualifying ballot, Caligari would no doubt have been my number 1. Glad to see it rank so high without my help. Would've liked to see it even higher though.



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
Looks like J'accuse (1919) is not going to make it anymore. What a shame as it's really one of the best silent movies ever made!

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joan of arc is a masterpiece, i had it at #1.

i watched dr. caligari shortly before submitting and really liked it, i had it at #11

1. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
2. The Last Laugh (1924)
3. will make the list
4. will make the list
5. Faust (1926)
6. will make the list
7. Sherlock Jr. (1924)
8. The Gold Rush (1925)
9. can't believe this won't make it
10. Safety Last! (1923)
11. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
12. A Dog's Life (1918)
13. The Lodger (1927)
14. won't make it
15. Un Chien Andalou (1929)
16. Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)
17. won't make it
18. Blackmail (1929)
19. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
20. won't make it
21. won't make it
22. won't make it
23. won't make it
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