Pre-1930 movies you think others might enjoy

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Early Hitchcock includes The Lodger (1927) which I highly recommend and don't think has been mentioned here yet. Also worth a watch are October 1917 (Ten Days that Shook The World) by Eisenstein, The Epic of Everest and a horror that just missed out on my list A Page of Madness ………
An excellent choice, SL. And too, Hitchock's Blackmail from 1929 is a great pre-30s film. In addition, it's a talkie.



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An excellent choice, SL. And too, Hitchock's Blackmail from 1929 is a great pre-30s film. In addition, it's a talkie.

Good call GD! Yet to see Blackmail. Cheers for the heads up.
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I watched Mikael (1924) which is an early film from Carl Theodor Dreyer and it was really good. Very atmospheric with great sets and a few of Dreyer's trademark shadows (and foreshadowing). It's a bit of a romantic melodrama in which a famous artist's young model/assistant leaves him for a woman he is also painting.





Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Started my pre- 30's watching with the first movie mentioned in this thread, and several times since, The Beloved Rouge (1927), using an excellent version on youtube:



A swashbuckling romp with John Barrymore as Francois Villon and Conrad Veidt as the demented Louis XI, King of France.
And I loved it!
An extraordinary thing was to see such a lithe, elvish Barrymore who was around 45 when he did this. And he looked so much younger as well.
I also read something amusing about him standing at the back of the theater when this was premiered and he remarked about his acting, "What a ham."

A film I'll be looking into soon, with Veidt is, The Man Who Laughs (1928) which I don't think I've seen mentioned yet.



this version has Spanish subtitles during the English placards but looks like a very worthwhile version to watch.

Though I may check out Thursday's recommendation, Mikael, since I normally love the movies she suggest.
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Watched The Penalty (Wallace Worsley, 1920) - a generally well presented crime drama with a side of horror that has a very good performance by Lon Chaney in the lead (alongside some decent support). Worth giving it an hour and an half of your time if it sounds of interest imo - decent copy of the full film freely available here.



Found that both parts of the epic Die Niberlungen (Fritz Lang, 1924) is freely available on the tube of you, worth a watch even if just for some of the sets alone imo.



Let the night air cool you off
Un Chien Andalou (1929) - Bunuel and Dali hook up to make a short surrealist classic with an eyeconic moment in film history.

The Great Train Robbery (1903) - Not only is this the greatest heist film of all-time, it's another one of those films that you have to see if you care about the history of film.

The Seashell and the Clergymen (1928) - If you care about surrealism in film, this is a must see for the historical value and the bizarre visuals and stunning camera tricks.

A Dog's Life (1918) - Honestly, the biggest problem with Chaplin (and Keaton) is trying to figure out which of his films is your favorite. This one is a good starting point and it's hella sweet and cute and all that.

The Starfish (1928) - Watch this for the trippy, out-of-focus camera work and how ambitious those early surrealist films were.

An Extraordinary Wrestling Match (1899) - Screw New Japan, this right here is the true six-star classic match.

Eveready Harton in Buried Treasure (1929) - I don't know if I should say anything about this one, because the surprise and shock of what you are seeing is part of the fun. You wouldn't believe this film was made when it was.

The Land Beyond the Sunset (1912) - This one is a sad one and starts the rich history of the final scene of a film being on a boat.

The Fall of the House of Usher (1928; Watson & Webber) - 1928 was a really good year for weird-ass avant-garde short films.

Hyas and Stenorhynchus, marine crustaceans (1929) - Just consider this as a place-holder recommendation for Painleve who made a bunch of really cool underwater nature documentaries.

Max's Vacation (1914) - Max Linder is a forgotten about silent clown who was probably the best at using his eyes for comedy in this era.

Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914) - I mentioned Chaplin before, but I'll mention this film specifically because I think it's a one-joke film that doesn't overstay it's welcome and does something daring by acknowledging the camera.

Child Carrying Flowers to Woman (1887) - Less than a minute long film, but it's my favorite of the "blink-and-you-miss-it" silent films. It's just a nice touching moment that translates well to these vine-length films.

Entr'acte (1924) - Well ahead of its time, with some truly thrilling moments.The experimentation in this film is worthy of praise, with the slow-motion and reverse stuff.



Watched Souls for Sale (1923) last night. I'd never seen it. I thought Chypmunk had recommended it, but he said it was someone else.

It was Eleanor Boardman's first big role, and she was memorable. The film is a great find because it both pokes fun at, and also illustrates Hollywood productions of the mid Silent era.

The story was nothing new, and they pretty much played it tongue-in-cheek. Along the way they featured cameos of stars and directors in film making settings: stars were featured, such as William Crane and Zasu Pitts; as well as real life clips of King Vidor, Fed Niblo, Marshall Neilan, Charlie Chaplin and Erich von Stroheim. From that aspect it was a glimpse into the Hollywood industry of the day. In fact the film is the earliest I can recall of a silent production doing so
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I don't know any.



A couple that I've seen recently and I don't think have already been mentioned but might be worth others considering giving a watch for this:

Zaza - decent enough romantic drama with Gloria Swanson
Sex In Chains - drama with LGBT aspects (unexpurgated vsn recommended - it's more clunky with the social commentary but a better rounded vsn)

edit to add:
The Cardboard Lover - romantic comedy that has some lovely chemistry between the two leads, the copy I watched isn't greatest quality and has a couple of minor flaws but still an hour and a quarter well spent imo



Another couple I don't think have been mentioned yet that might be worth a look for some:

Destiny - fantasy drama with death incarnate (rarely a bad thing in my book) and a flying carpet
Homecoming - romantic drama, the third act could be stronger but still worthwhile (original vsn recommended, it's just so much better fleshed out imo)



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I can't believe that nobody mentioned Metropolis (1927).


That is a true pre-1930 classic.

FYI: Metropolis (1927) is scheduled to air on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 8:30 PM EASTERN TIME.

ALSO: A Trip to the Moon (1902) is scheduled to air just BEFORE it on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 8:00 PM EASTERN TIME.

CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THE CORRECT TIME IN YOUR AREA!
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Just saw 1924 Ballet Mecanique and was blown away. It’s on YouTube, only 16 minutes long... I will surely be voting for it.



Let the night air cool you off
Just saw 1924 Ballet Mecanique and was blown away. It’s on YouTube, only 16 minutes long... I will surely be voting for it.
I didn't realize it, but apparently I have already seen this film and didn't care for it. However, I went back to it and:

Liked it a lot better this time with the sound off on the youtube video. It's weird that I didn't remember anything about it from the last time I watched, especially considering I found several moments to be exhilarating. I am not sure what the camera was above but it look like a flat surface with some holes with little things sticking out above them, perhaps like some sort of carnival game. The repeating shot of the woman walking up the stairs. And a lot of hypnotic moments that allowed me to zoom in and feel instead of watch. I am not really smart enough to talk about anything, but this time around, this was a cathartic experience.



I didn't realize it, but apparently I have already seen this film and didn't care for it. However, I went back to it and:

Liked it a lot better this time with the sound off on the youtube video. It's weird that I didn't remember anything about it from the last time I watched, especially considering I found several moments to be exhilarating. I am not sure what the camera was above but it look like a flat surface with some holes with little things sticking out above them, perhaps like some sort of carnival game. The repeating shot of the woman walking up the stairs. And a lot of hypnotic moments that allowed me to zoom in and feel instead of watch. I am not really smart enough to talk about anything, but this time around, this was a cathartic experience.
Yeah, I won't pretened to understand what it's trying to say either, it was just a very interesting film, glad you liked it.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
came across this one today, have yet to actually watch it, but it does have high marks on IMDb (if that matters) about Dante's Inferno. Seems pretty wild.




Let the night air cool you off
came across this one today, have yet to actually watch it, but it does have high marks on IMDb (if that matters) about Dante's Inferno. Seems pretty.

It’s a really cool depiction of the different stages of hell. It’s well ahead of its time.