A Filmmaker's Guide to the Best Films of the 1920s

Here's to 100 Years since one of the greatest decades in cinema...

By Annie KapurPublished 4 years ago • 4 min read

When we think of 1920s cinema, we think of a number of things - the first thing we all think is probably of "Nosferatu" (1922), one of the heights of the German Expressionist experience which is also a massive infringement of copyright. Did you know that the court ordered to have all of the copies of "Nosferatu" (1922) burned? Well, I guess it didn't work out the way they planned.

1920's cinema encompasses so much. Whilst some may think of the German Expressionist movement, some others may think of the first 'talkie' "The Jazz Singer" (1927) starring Al Jolson as the all-singing, all-dancing Jewish man torn between his faith and his love of the stage. A heart-wrenching story, it went on to become one of the most famous and most loved films in cinematic history. Some of you may think of the film "Metropolis" (1927), because maybe you were alive when it was reissued with a soundtrack performed by the late, great Freddie Mercury. Or maybe you think about "The Gold Rush" (1925), the incredible comedic film starring the awe-inspiring Sir Charlie Chaplin in the midst of the American Gold Rush.

Could you be that person who thinks outside the box when it comes to 20s cinema and sees "Steamboat Willie" (1928) as a possible contender because of its rare and striking cultural phenomenon that is, Mickey Mouse? Or are you that person who searched back in history? When you watched Daniel Day-Lewis perform his role in "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992), you wanted to see where the film came from and ended up at one of the earliest adaptations of an American novel - "The Last of the Mohicans" (1920).

1920s movies are all around us in their influence. Everything ever since from the films of Alfred Hitchcock to the jazz music of the films directed by Quentin Tarantino, there's an allure that never dies of the great decade of decadence, madness, materialism and high culture. It is like looking back on our own century's Romantic Era (sorry folks born in the 21st century I didn't mean to exclude you, you guys can be included too). It's beautiful and wonderful, but at the same time, it confuses itself and terrifies its audience. Powerful and enigmatic, it had a hope for looking back on different ages of history with a doom, dread and gloom in the grand horror films established in this era. And then looked back in history again with its comedies and satires, poking fun at former rules in times of lesser freedoms. From dark to light, the 20s had all the greatness of flavour when it came to cinematic excellence.

My point is, you could be any one of these people and you'd all still be correct on the best movie of the 1920s because it's entirely up to you. The 20s was dubbed "The Jazz Age" or The Age of the Market Crash, the Age when the War Ended, the New Age and much more. It was time for a new kind of cinema and with the talkies coming out in a whirlwind, there was little room for the old, senseless nonsense of ten minute films in the early 1910s. They wanted new, exciting and thrilling pictures. Here, we take a look at 20 of the top films of the 1920s.

Here's the criteria we're looking at for the best films of the 1920s:

Criteria:

1. Is it cinematically great? - Is it an audience experience and does it have a good filmmaking cinematic value?

2. Does it showcase a particular artistic movement, culture or rich history? - this implies it has some root in reality and therefore, would like to show that it is a part of something

3. Has it endured to our own time? - If it has reached almost 100 years of endurance then chances are it won't really ever die.

As we approach the 20s, I see this fit to appreciate a culture only 100 years before our own time...

The Top 20 Greatest Films of the 1920s:

20-11

20. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)