7.
Battleship Potemkin
1925
A dramatized account of a Russian naval mutiny and a resulting street demonstration which brought on a police massacre. This film is a blueprint for all of Sergei Eisenstein‘s films. A frustrated painter, Eisenstein created unforgettable tableaus in all of his films. These tableaus were based on detailed drawings the director would make prior to filming and Battleship Potemkin is filled with them. You will also be blown away by the reaction shots in this Russian classic.
You know what I’m going to say now don’t you? Yup, you can watch the full movie directly below or if you’d like to simply watch the iconic Odessa Steps sequence, which Brian De Palma famously paid homage to at the end of The Untouchables, click right here.
6.
Metropolis
1927
Some have referred to Metropolis as the first ever sci-fi film but that would be ignoring the fact Georges Melies’ A Trip To The Moon from 1902 was definitely a sci-fi film when it was released, a film that thanks to Martin Scorsese’s Hugo now has a much larger public awareness.
Fritz Lang‘s classic, however, is the first ever feature length sci-fi film and for that reason it is truly a must see.
Ridley Scott’s futuristic world in Blade Runner was inspired by Lang’s vision as was Madonna’s video for “Express Yourself” as directed by David Fincher (watch that announced in 2007.
5.
Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary
2002
When Michel Hazanavicius was lauded for bringing back the silent film this year at Cannes, many Guy Maddin fans wondered what the big deal was anyway? Especially considering Maddin has been making silent films and homages to the early talkies for close to 20 years now.
Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary was released in 2002 and was a collaboration with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. It was originally filmed for television but became so successful on the festival circuit it was eventually released theatrically in the US. Granted, it was released in only two theaters and pulled in only $55,365, but it didn’t have the Weinstein Co. backing it or a rousing Cannes Film Festival debut.
I am a big Guy Maddin fan and I have been ever since I saw his short flick Sissy Boy Slap Party. That film is exactly what the title implies and possibly the funniest film I have ever seen.
4.
The Gold Rush
1925
Chaplin’s greatest film achievement. Alternately hilarious, heartbreaking and thought provoking. The Gold Rush demonstrates why Chaplin was such a genius. He could do it all. As an actor and as a director.
Chaplin wrote in his autobiography (source) how the film was inspired by the story of the American pioneers that made up the Donner Party, who were eventually caught in a blizzard in the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1846. The scene in the film where Chaplin eats his shoe is based on tales in which Donner Party members ate their own shoes and is decidedly less gruesome than the reports that some members cannibalized members in an attempt to stay alive.
By the way, if you haven’t seen it you can watch it in its entirety directly below.
