The "silent film era" encompasses the 35-year span between the initial development of film technology (around 1894) up through the widespread adoption of synchronized sound (around 1929).
One of the best online sites to explore the history of silent film is The Bioscope. Although it ceased being updated in 2012, it remains a great source for locating films, books, journals, associations, etc. -- all devoted to the silent film genre.
Our silent films are arranged by DIRECTOR and then TITLE under the call number DVD PN1995.75
The Birth of a Nation – D.W. Griffith (1915)
[187 min.] Based on the 1905 novel The Clansman, this two-part epic follows the impact of the Civil War on two families: the Stonemans of the North and the Camerons of the South. Their lives first intersect during the war, when Confederate colonel (Ben Cameron) is captured and a nurse (Elsie Stoneman) petitions for his pardon. In the second part of the film, describing the Reconstruction era, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan and battles Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protege. The film features groundbreaking visual effects, but was controversial for its slanted portrayal of African Americans.
Within Our Gates – Oscar Micheaux (1920)
[77 min.] African American director Oscar Micheaux created this, his second film, in response to the “white supremacy” ideology of The Birth of a Nation. The story revolves around the character of Sylvia Landry, a mixed-race school teacher who tries to raise funds for a rural school in the Deep South for black children. A series of flashbacks slowly reveals her family’s past, including the lynchings of her parents.
The Phantom Carriage – Victor Söström (1921)
[107 min.] This Dickensian ghost story/morality tale from Sweden recreates a legend: that the last person to die on New Year’s Eve before the clock strikes twelve is doomed to take the reigns of Death’s chariot, collecting souls for the next year. Victor Söström cast himself in the central role of an alcoholic who is shown the error of his ways.
The Battleship Potemkin – Sergei Eisenstein (1925)
[69 min.] In the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the Battleship Potemkin attempt mutiny against brutal conditions on board the ship. The ship's return to its home port on Odessa sets off a brutal massacre of innocent civilians, highlighted by the famous "Steps of Odessa" montage scene.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans – F.W. Murnau (1928)
[95 min.] Bored with his life, a farmer (The Man) falls under the spell of a city girl (The Woman from the City) who convinces him to drown his wife (The Wife) so they can run away to the city together. This film took home three Oscars at the inaugural Academy Awards, including one for Best Cinematography.
The Man with the Movie Camera – Dziga Vertov (1929)
[68 min.] In the silent documentary category, this Soviet Ukrainian film captures images of life in Moscow from sunrise to sunset.
Luis Buñuel (1900-1983)
Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)
Carl Theodor Dreyer (1889-1986)
Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948)
Louis Feuillade (1873-1925)
Louise J. Gasnier (1875-1963)
D.W. Griffith (1875-1948)
Rupert Julian (1879-1943)
Fritz Lang (1890-1976)
Auguste (1862-1954) and Louis (1864-1948) Lumière
George Méliès (1861-1938)
Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951)
F.W. Murnau (1888-1931)
Fred Niblo (1874-1948)
Victor Sjöström (1879-1960)
Dziga Vertov (1896-1954)
Robert Wiene (1873-1938)