Silent Movies at the Theatre
An ongoing list of silent movies I have been lucky enough to enjoy on the big screen. Now including a contemporary Oscar winner.
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- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsGeorge O'BrienJanet GaynorMargaret LivingstonA sophisticated city woman seduces a farmer and convinces him to murder his wife and join her in the city, but he ends up rekindling his romance with his wife when he changes his mind at the last moment.Cinematheque Ontario: Jackman Hall
- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsEmil JanningsMaly DelschaftMax HillerAn aging doorman is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbors and society after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious hotel.Cinematheque Ontario: Jackman Hall
- DirectorJosef von SternbergStarsGeorge BancroftBetty CompsonOlga BaclanovaA blue-collar worker on New York's depressed waterfront finds his life changed after he saves a woman attempting suicide.Cinematheque Ontario: Jackman Hall
- DirectorClyde BruckmanBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonMarion MackGlen CavenderAfter being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.TIFF: Wintergarden
- DirectorCharles ReisnerBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonTom McGuireErnest TorrenceThe effete son of a cantankerous riverboat captain comes to join his father's crew.TIFF: Yonge-Dundas Square
- DirectorD.W. GriffithStarsLillian GishDorothy GishJoseph SchildkrautTwo orphaned sisters are caught up in the turmoil of the French Revolution, encountering misery and love along the way.Cinematheque Ontario: Jackman Hall
- DirectorTod BrowningStarsLon ChaneyMae BuschMatt MooreA sideshow ventriloquist, a midget, and a strongman form a conspiracy known as "The Unholy Three" and commit a series of robberies.Cinematheque Ontario: Jackman Hall
- DirectorVictor SjöströmStarsLon ChaneyNorma ShearerJohn GilbertA bitter clown endeavors to rescue the young woman he loves from the lecherous count who once betrayed him.Cinematheque Ontario: Jackman Hall
- DirectorFritz LangStarsRudolf Klein-RoggeGerda MaurusWilly FritschThe mastermind behind a ubiquitous spy operation learns of a dangerous romance between a Russian lady in his employ and a dashing agent from the government's secret service.Cinematheque Ontario: Jackman Hall
- DirectorJohn FordStarsHarry CareyMolly MaloneL.M. WellsA ranch foreman battles a rich stockbroker for the affections of a beautiful young woman.TIFF: Jackman Hall
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsDouglas FairbanksJulanne JohnstonSnitz EdwardsA recalcitrant thief vies with a duplicitous Mongol ruler for the hand of a beautiful princess.The Revue
- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsGösta EkmanEmil JanningsCamilla HornThe demon Mephisto wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man's soul.Toronto Silent Film Festival 2011: St. Paul's - Trinity Church
- DirectorKing VidorStarsLillian GishJohn GilbertRenée AdoréeA group of starving artists try to survive in 1830s Paris, including a seamstress and the would-be playwright she loves.The Revue
- DirectorBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonKathryn McGuireJoe KeatonA film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.St. Paul's - Trinity Church
- DirectorEdward F. ClineBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonEdward F. ClineJack DuffyA young couple who live next to each other in tenement apartments do everything they can to be together despite of their feuding families.St. Paul's - Trinity Church
- DirectorEdward F. ClineBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonJohn BrownPhyllis HaverA hapless amusement park attendant finds his runaway balloon ride has left him in a strange predicament.St. Paul's - Trinity Church
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanHarry d'Abbadie d'ArrastStarsClara BowCharles 'Buddy' RogersRichard ArlenTwo young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.The Revue
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyVivien OaklandStan & Ollie attempt to fool their wives by sneaking out to a poker game, but instead get involved with two flirty ladies, one of whom is the girlfriend of a jealous boxer.Toronto Silent Film Festival 2012: The Fox
- DirectorHarry EdwardsStarsHarry LangdonAlice WardVernon DentHenpecked husband Harry is coerced by a good time pal to go on a clandestine double date. Of course, no good will come of this, as they encounter streetwalkers, bumpy roads, and a couple of toughs previously jilted by their dates.Toronto Silent Film Festival 2012: The Fox
- DirectorRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleStarsRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleBuster KeatonAl St. JohnWorking their fingers to the bone to prepare the set for an upcoming performance, the enthusiastic stagehands, Roscoe and Buster, find themselves on stage when the cast quits. However, is will alone enough to earn a big round of applause?Toronto Silent Film Festival 2012: The Fox
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceEric CampbellAn alcoholic checks into a health spa and his antics promptly throw the establishment into chaos.Toronto Silent Film Festival 2012: The Fox
- DirectorLarry SemonStarsStan LaurelLarry SemonMadge KirbyDirector Larry Semon and a young Stan Laurel costar as prisoners loafing on the chain gang. As both comrades and rivals, their paired movements result in strikingly choreographed slapstick. A climactic chase through the streets of 1918 Los Angeles is packed with the kind of spectacular stunts that made Semon one of the biggest names in silent comedy at the time.Toronto Silent Film Festival 2012: The Fox
- DirectorRené ClairStarsAlice TissotAlexej BondireffMarise MaiaOn his way through the woods to his marriage, Fadinard's horse eats the hat of a married lady spending here a few moments with her lover. Fadinard has to find the very same rare hat to avoid her dishonor. This will greatly disturb his own marriage.Toronto Silent Film Festival 2012: Casa Loma
- DirectorMichel HazanaviciusStarsJean DujardinBérénice BejoJohn GoodmanWhen George, a silent movie superstar, meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, sparks fly between the two. However, after the introduction of talking pictures, their fortunes change, affecting their dynamic.2011 Best Picture Oscar winner. Seen at The Kingsway Revue Cinema.
- DirectorE. Mason HopperStarsBryant WashburnHelen FergusonE. Alyn WarrenA Hollywood adaptation of the short stories of Anzia Yazierska, the first writer to bring stories of American Jewish women to a mainstream audience, Hungry Hearts focuses on the hopes and hardships of the Levin family, Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe living on New York City's Lower East Side.Toronto Jewish Film Society 2012: Jewish Community Centre
- DirectorEdward SedgwickBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonMarceline DayHarold GoodwinHopelessly in love with a woman working at MGM Studios, a clumsy man attempts to become a motion-picture cameraman to be close to the object of his desire.Silent Sunday at The Revue, June 2012
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceJames T. KelleyAfter causing restaurant chaos at work, a bumbling waiter tears up the local roller rink with his skating.Silent Sunday at The Revue, 2013
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceEric CampbellThe Little Tramp escapes from prison; saves a girl and her mother from drowning; and creates havoc at a swank party.Silent Sunday at The Revue, 2013
- DirectorFritz LangStarsBernhard GoetzkeLil DagoverWalter JanssenWhen a woman's fiancé disappears, Death gives her three chances to save him from his fate.Silent Sunday at The Revue, February 2014
- DirectorLotte ReinigerCinderella lived with her stepmother and her two stepsisters. They were very mean to Cinderella, making her work all day cleaning, sewing, and cooking. She tried her best to make them happy. Cinderella's stepmother, was cold, cruel, and jealous of Cinderella's charm and beauty.Silent Sunday at The Revue, February 2014
- DirectorDonald CrispBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonKathryn McGuireFrederick VroomTwo spoiled rich people find themselves trapped on an empty passenger ship.Silent Sunday at the Revue, June 2014
- DirectorJosef von SternbergArthur RossonStarsGeorge BancroftClive BrookEvelyn BrentBoisterous gangster kingpin Bull Weed rehabilitates his former lawyer from his alcoholic haze, but complications arise when he falls for Weed's girlfriend.Silent Revue, October 2014
- DirectorD.W. GriffithStarsElmer BoothLillian GishClara T. BracyA tender young woman and her musician husband attempt to eke out a living in the slums of New York City, but find themselves caught in the crossfires of gang violence.Silent Revue, October 2014
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceEric CampbellCharlie is an immigrant who endures a challenging voyage and gets into trouble as soon as he arrives in America.Silent Revue, January 2015
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsCharley ChaseVivien OaklandAnn HoweAfter a homely married couple separately undergo plastic surgery, they unwittingly plan an extramarital affair with each other.Silent Revue, January 2015
- DirectorClarence G. BadgerStarsBobby VernonGloria SwansonWallace BeeryGloria Dawn lives down the hall from her sweetheart, Bobbie Knight. The dishonest Henry Black is Gloria's guardian, and he is also in charge of Bobbie's inheritance. The scheming guardian and his sister have been spending Bobbie's money, and they hope to have the sister marry Bobbie so that they can keep control over his money.Silent Revue, January 2015
- DirectorMack SennettStarsMabel NormandRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleMack SennettLong after jilting his girlfriend, Mabel the kitchen maid, Mack is startled to see her onscreen at the local cinema.Silent Revue, January 2015
- DirectorPhillips SmalleyLois WeberStarsLois WeberVal PaulDouglas GerrardAbandoned by her maidservant in an isolated country house, a mother must protect herself and her baby from an invading tramp while her husband races home in a stolen car to save them.Silent Revue, March 2015
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsWallace BeeryRichard ArlenLouise BrooksAfter killing her treacherous step-father, a girl tries to escape the country with a young vagabond. She dresses as a boy, they hop freight trains, quarrel with a group of hobos, and steal a car in their attempt to escape the police, and reach Canada.Silent Revue, March 2015
- DirectorJames KirkwoodStarsMary PickfordOwen MooreArthur HoopsNell Gwynne ( Mary Pickford ) and King Charles II ( Owen Moore ) fall in love after meeting at a fox hunt. Nell soon learns the jealous Duchess of Portsmouth ( Ruby Hoffman ) is a spy and conspiring with the Duke of Buckingham to place Charles at the mercy of the King of France. Nell boldly disguises herself as a fashionable young blade and wins the confidence of the Duchess. Now entrusted with the delivery of important documents, she makes sure they go to the King of England rather than the King of France. Now, Nell has the last laugh on the traitorous Duchess.Toronto Silent Film Festival 2015
- DirectorHoward M. MitchellStarsLucio FlammaJean MannAnn ChristyToronto Silent Film Festival 2015
- DirectorErich von StroheimStarsSam De GrasseFrancelia BillingtonErich von StroheimAn Austrian officer sets out to seduce a neglected young wife.Toronto Silent Film Festival 2015
- DirectorFritz LangStarsWilly FritschGerda MaurusKlaus PohlA tenacious scientist blasts off for the moon in hopes of riches that may be found there.Silent Revue, December 2015
- DirectorTed WildeHarold LloydLewis MilestoneStarsHarold LloydJobyna RalstonWalter JamesA sheriff's milquetoast son has a chance to prove himself when a medicine show run by con artists comes into town.Silent Revue, February 2016
- DirectorLewis R. FosterStarsCharley ChaseEugenia GilbertEdith FellowsA family goes on its weekly outing to the movies, but the evening is hampered by an attempt to pass the wife's brother off as a child, a crowded theater, and the daughter's apparently contagious case of the hiccups.Toronto Silent Film Festival, 2016
- DirectorRobert F. McGowanStarsJoe CobbJean DarlingAllen 'Farina' HoskinsMary and Wheezer live with a malicious step mother. One day, when she is out, they decide to throw a party for the Gang.Toronto Silent Film Festival, 2016
- StarsCarter DeHavenRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleJackie CooganStage star Carter DeHaven seemingly transforms himself into a series of silent-era screen stars including Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Roscoe Arbuckle, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, and Jackie Coogan.Toronto Silent Film Festival, 2016
- DirectorRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleStarsRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleBuster KeatonAl St. JohnRoscoe is a doctor who falls in love with a pretty woman whose boyfriend, in turn, falls in love with Roscoe's wife's jewelry.Toronto Silent Film Festival, 2016
- DirectorBuster KeatonEdward F. ClineStarsBuster KeatonJoe RobertsVirginia FoxIn an attempt to forget his lost sweetheart, Buster takes a long trip at sea where he boards a whaling ship with a strict captain.Toronto Silent Film Festival, 2016
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsKinuyo TanakaJôji OkaSumiko MizukuboA gangster tries to find redemption with the inadvertent help of an innocent shop girl and his jealous girlfriend will do anything to keep him.Silent Revue, 2016
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnny OndraJohn LongdenSara AllgoodAfter killing a man in self-defense, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing.Silent Revue
- DirectorHerbert BlachéStarsJames KirkwoodMadge BellamyTom RickettsRobert Andrews hosts a large party and there stages his own murder, to keep bank examiner Alfred Austin from examining the records of his bank. Everyone is suspected--especially young Hammond, who is in love with Andrews' ward, Anne Maynard, and Lester Knowles, who has been suspicious of Andrews' friendship with Mrs. Knowles. The hilarious turmoil that ensues is finally cleared up by the reappearance of Andrews himself and the announcement that Joshua Brown has repaid the large loan that the directors wished to conceal from Austin. Finally, the group learns that Austin has turned to real estate, and Andrews proclaims his love for Anne.Lost Film screening at University of Toronto archives.
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsFannie WardSessue HayakawaJack DeanA venal, spoiled stockbroker's wife impulsively embezzles $10,000 from the charity she chairs and desperately turns to a Burmese ivory trader to replace the stolen money.Silent Revue, 2017
- DirectorVictor SjöströmStarsLillian GishLars HansonMontagu LoveA frail young woman from the East moves in with her cousin in the West, where she causes tension within the family and is slowly driven mad.Silent Revue, June 2017
- DirectorTod BrowningStarsLon ChaneyNorman KerryJoan CrawfordA criminal on the run hides in a circus and seeks to possess the daughter of the ringmaster at any cost.
- DirectorFrank BorzageStarsJanet GaynorCharles FarrellNatalie KingstonA woman on the run from the law finds her past catching up to her just as she is on the verge of true happiness.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMerna KennedyAl Ernest GarciaThe Tramp finds work and the girl of his dreams at a circus.
- DirectorSvend GadeHeinz SchallStarsAsta NielsenPaul ConradiMathilde BrandtDanish silent movie-star Asta Nielsen formed her own production company to make this film, in which new elements are combined with features (and a few lines) familiar from Shakespeare's version of the legend. The most important of these changes sees Hamlet made into a female character - a princess forced to masquerade as a man by her scheming mother; from this follows Hamlet's secret passion for Horatio and rivalry with Ophelia for his love. Queen Gertrude is here presented as conspiring in her first husband's murder, and the old king's ghost does not appear - young Hamlet merely hears a voice from the tomb and (apparently) dreams of him. In addition, Hamlet now kills Claudius (in a fire) immediately upon returning from Norway with an army led by old school- friend Fortinbras, and it falls to Gertrude to engineer Hamlet's death in the fencing match as well as kill herself by accidentally drinking the poisoned wine.
- DirectorTod BrowningStarsJohn GilbertRenée AdoréeLionel BarrymorePerformers in a Budapest sideshow encounter love, greed, and murder.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJune TrippIvor NovelloMarie AultA landlady suspects that her new lodger is the madman killing women in London.
- DirectorJosef von SternbergArthur RossonStarsGeorge BancroftClive BrookEvelyn BrentBoisterous gangster kingpin Bull Weed rehabilitates his former lawyer from his alcoholic haze, but complications arise when he falls for Weed's girlfriend.Silent Revue 2017 It Girls
- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsCharles FarrellMary DuncanDavid TorrenceA Chicago waitress falls in love with a Minnesota farmer, and decides to face a life in the country.
- DirectorFrank UrsonStarsPhyllis HaverVictor VarconiVirginia BradfordA wild jazz-loving and boozing wife Roxie Hart, kills her boyfriend in cold blood after he leaves her.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsEdna PurvianceClarence GeldertCarl MillerA kept woman runs into her former fiancé and finds herself torn between love and comfort.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsReginald DennyLaura La PlanteBen Hendricks Jr.Honey Skinner is proud of her successful husband. When he tells her he's asking for a raise, she knows he'll get it. He asks his boss just as their big client announces he's not renewing his contract. He doesn't get the raise, but he's too embarrassed to tell his wife the truth. She starts planning how to spend that extra $10 a week; the first thing is a new dress suit for him and a new outfit for her so they can fit in at a swanky party. They're the hit of the party, and Honey is embraced by the 'smart set.' Meanwhile, business is bad and Skinner loses his job. The tailor is after him for payment on the suit, and Honey is still spending the salary he doesn't have.
- DirectorVictor FlemingStarsDouglas FairbanksAlbert MacQuarrieKathleen CliffordPsychiatrist Dr. Ulrich Metz attempts to drive Daniel Brown to suicide.
- DirectorJoe MayStarsAlbert SteinrückElse HellerGustav FröhlichJoe May's sensual drama of life in the Berlin underworld is in many ways the perfect summation of German filmmaking in the silent era: a dazzling visual style, a psychological approach to its characters, and the ability to take a simple and essentially melodramatic story and turn it into something more complex and inherently cinematic.
- DirectorPaul WegenerCarl BoeseStarsPaul WegenerAlbert SteinrückErnst DeutschIn 16th-century Prague, a rabbi creates the Golem - a giant creature made of clay. Using sorcery, he brings the creature to life in order to protect the Jews of Prague from persecution.
- DirectorRobert WieneStarsConrad VeidtAlexandra SorinaFritz StrassnyA world-famous pianist loses both hands in an accident. When new hands are grafted on, he doesn't know they once belonged to a murderer.