1920-1929

Another 'masterpiece' about which much is written, but which few have seen as the director originally intended.

Sergei Eisenstein's first feature film, with a grim ending. Not for those of a weak political disposition.

No, not the one with Sabu!

Truncated versions once available on Youtube can't now be found, and the only DVD for sale costs £31 and is only Region 1!

A delightful comedy full of felicitous visual and verbal gags (not bad for a silent movie).

If you like Laurel and Hardy, you'll remember Mae Busch as a regular in their short movies. She had a career outside slapstick, though, and this film is an example of what she could do in serious dramas...when Erich Von Stroheim wasn't hogging the screen!

The 1001 Movies list is set out in chronological order, starting from 1902 (that's seven years after the first public screenings of movies, by the Lumière Brothers: odd that nothing by them or Edison was regarded as sufficiently significant to merit inclusion). For some reason, I chose to start instead with this Denmark/Sweden film about witchcraft...

The story of Dracula, though names have been changed to protect the innocent. I feel obliged to use the word 'iconic' about this film, but it's rather overused.

Reputedly, the first feature length documentary.

This was the first movie where I noticed something odd about running times. 1001 Movies and IMDB has it at 54m. The only version I can find on Youtube is about 38m but it seems complete.

Fritz Lang's 4+hour epic about a criminal mastermind is just too indigestible.

D.W. Griffith's French Revolution epic. Very watchable romance, if somewhat crude politically.