Movies About Silent Movies
by kristinmyrtle | created - 15 Apr 2018 | updated - 16 Oct 2018 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Three Amigos! (1986)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Western
Three actors accept an invitation to a Mexican village to perform their onscreen bandit fighter roles, unaware that it is the real thing.
Director: John Landis | Stars: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Alfonso Arau
Votes: 83,659 | Gross: $39.25M
2. The Artist (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When 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.
Director: Michel Hazanavicius | Stars: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell
Votes: 248,597 | Gross: $44.67M
3. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Votes: 260,626 | Gross: $8.82M
4. Silent Movie (1976)
Passed | 87 min | Comedy
A film director and his strange friends struggle to produce the first major silent feature film in forty years.
Director: Mel Brooks | Stars: Mel Brooks, Marty Feldman, Dom DeLuise, Sid Caesar
Votes: 18,486 | Gross: $36.15M
5. Chaplin (1992)
PG-13 | 143 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
An elderly Charlie Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor, recounting his amazing journey from his poverty-stricken childhood to world-wide success after the ingenious invention of the Little Tramp.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Geraldine Chaplin, Paul Rhys, John Thaw
Votes: 62,225 | Gross: $9.49M
6. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Passed | 110 min | Drama, Film-Noir
A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson
Votes: 236,416
7. Sunset (1988)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Tom Mix and Wyatt Earp team up to solve a murder at the Academy Awards in 1929 Hollywood.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Bruce Willis, James Garner, Malcolm McDowell, Mariel Hemingway
Votes: 4,623 | Gross: $4.59M
8. The Cat's Meow (2001)
PG-13 | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Semi-true story of the Hollywood murder that occurred at a star-studded gathering aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924.
Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Cary Elwes, Edward Herrmann, Eddie Izzard
Votes: 8,958 | Gross: $3.21M
9. Nickelodeon (1976)
PG | 121 min | Comedy
Buck and lawyer Leo accidentally get into movie production in the early days (1910).
Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds, Tatum O'Neal, Brian Keith
Votes: 2,795
10. Forever (1992)
R | 93 min | Horror, Mystery
A director of rock videos moves into the house where William Desmond Taylor, a famous director during the silent era, was murdered. He finds some old reels of film, and as he plays the film... See full summary »
Director: Thomas Palmer Jr. | Stars: Sean Young, Terence Knox, Diane Ladd, Steve Railsback
Votes: 159
11. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
R | 92 min | Drama, Horror
The filming of Nosferatu (1922) is hampered by the fact that its star Max Schreck is taking the role of a vampire far more seriously than seems humanly possible.
Director: E. Elias Merhige | Stars: John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Cary Elwes
Votes: 44,170 | Gross: $8.29M
12. Garbo Talks (1984)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy, Drama
The son of a woman dying of a brain tumor tries to fulfill his mother's last wish: to meet Greta Garbo.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Anne Bancroft, Ron Silver, Carrie Fisher, Catherine Hicks
Votes: 1,835 | Gross: $1.49M
13. The Aviator (2004)
PG-13 | 170 min | Biography, Drama
A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career from the late 1920s to the mid 1940s.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly
Votes: 384,057 | Gross: $102.61M
14. Hugo (2011)
PG | 126 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
In 1931 Paris, an orphan living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 336,820 | Gross: $73.86M
15. Inserts (1975)
NC-17 | 117 min | Comedy, Drama
A young, once-great Hollywood film director refuses to accept changing times during the early 1930s, and confines himself to his decaying mansion to make silent porn flicks.
Director: John Byrum | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Jessica Harper, Bob Hoskins, Veronica Cartwright
Votes: 2,439
16. The Wild Party (1975)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
With the arrival of talking pictures, a silent film comedian (a Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle-type) throws a lavish party to try and save his failing career. His plan is to release one last, great silent masterpiece.
Director: James Ivory | Stars: James Coco, Raquel Welch, Perry King, Tiffany Bolling
Votes: 805
17. The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Passed | 96 min | Drama, Romance
The real life story of actress Pearl White during her rise to fame in silent serials.
Director: George Marshall | Stars: Betty Hutton, John Lund, Billy De Wolfe, William Demarest
Votes: 1,252
18. The Perils of Pauline (1967)
Approved | 107 min | Comedy
Pauline becomes involved in a series of adventures around the world and is aided by her ever present friend George. The adventures are unrelated as the film was made up from television episodes.
Directors: Herbert B. Leonard, Joshua Shelley | Stars: Pat Boone, Terry-Thomas, Pamela Austin, Edward Everett Horton
Votes: 320
19. My Favorite Year (1982)
PG | 92 min | Comedy, Drama
An aging, dissolute matinee idol is slated to appear on a live TV variety show in 1954, and a young comedy writer is tasked with the thankless job of keeping him ready and sober for the broadcast.
Director: Richard Benjamin | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper, Joseph Bologna
Votes: 10,487 | Gross: $20.12M
20. Ragtime (1981)
PG | 155 min | Drama
A young black pianist becomes embroiled in the lives of an upper-class white family set among the racial tensions, infidelity, violence and other nostalgic events in early 1900s New York City.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: James Cagney, Elizabeth McGovern, Howard E. Rollins Jr., Brad Dourif
Votes: 10,555 | Gross: $21.02M
21. Valentino (1977)
R | 128 min | Biography, Drama
In 1926 the tragic and untimely death of a silent screen actor caused female moviegoers to riot in the streets and in some cases to commit suicide.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Rudolf Nureyev, Leslie Caron, Michelle Phillips, Carol Kane
Votes: 2,152
22. Maxie (1985)
PG | 98 min | Comedy, Fantasy
A 1920s flapper who haunts her old house possesses a reserved housewife who just moved in. However, she cannot leave before she receives her massive audition for a Hollywood studio.
Director: Paul Aaron | Stars: Glenn Close, Mandy Patinkin, Ruth Gordon, Barnard Hughes
Votes: 1,178 | Gross: $2.56M
23. Good Morning Babylon (1987)
PG-13 | 117 min | Drama, Romance, War
After the bankruptcy of their father's stonemasonry firm, Nicola and Andrea emigrate to America to restore their fortunes. After many adventures and near-disasters, they end up in Hollywood... See full summary »
Directors: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani | Stars: Vincent Spano, Joaquim de Almeida, Greta Scacchi, Désirée Nosbusch
Votes: 1,770 | Gross: $0.18M
24. Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)
Approved | 80 min | Comedy, Romance
Harry and Willie buy the Edison Movie Studio in the year 1912 from Joseph Gorman, a confidence man. They follow Gorman to Hollywood where, as stunt men, they find him directing movies as Sergei Trumanoff and stealing the studio payroll.
Director: Charles Lamont | Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Fred Clark, Lynn Bari
Votes: 2,384
25. Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987)
160 min | Documentary, Biography
A series about the life, career and works of the movie comedy genius.
Stars: Lindsay Anderson, Charles Lamont, William R. Cox, Loyal T. Lucas
Votes: 559
26. Edison: The Invention of the Movies (2005 Video)
730 min | Documentary
A history of the Edison Company, the pioneering film production company begun by Thomas A. Edison. Included are more than 140 complete films produced by the company between 1891 and 1918, ... See full summary »
Stars: Thomas A. Edison, Steven Higgins, Paul Israel, Patrick Loughney
Votes: 63
27. Life Is a Dream in Cinema: Pola Negri (2006)
89 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Before Dietrich and Garbo, there was Negri. What does it mean to be a star? Why do some actors become stars and legends for all time? This documentary film answers these questions by ... See full summary »
Director: Mariusz Kotowski | Stars: Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach, A.C. Lyles, Cyndi Williams
Votes: 18
28. Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs (2000 TV Movie)
95 min | Documentary
This documentary traces the history of the B-Western from it's silent movie origins to its demise in the early 1950s. The film contains a large number of scenes from early silents and ... See full summary »
Director: Robert J. Emery | Stars: Dave Mann, Wally Albright, Rex Allen, Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson
Votes: 23
29. Hollywood Story (1951)
Passed | 77 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
An independent producer unwisely opens a can of worms after he decides to make a movie about the unsolved murder of a famous silent film director in 1929.
Director: William Castle | Stars: Richard Conte, Julie Adams, Richard Egan, Henry Hull
Votes: 921
30. Hollywood Babylon (1971)
X | 87 min | Drama
A faux cautionary documentary that portrays several notorious celebrity sex scandals from the golden age of Hollywood through film clips and often humorous softcore reenactments.
Director: Van Guylder | Stars: Roger Gentry, Myron Griffin, Ashley Phillips, Uschi Digard
Votes: 148
31. Valentino (1951)
Approved | 102 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Italian immigrant Rudolph Valentino makes it big in silent Hollywood, but he ends up struggling between his career and the woman he loves.
Director: Lewis Allen | Stars: Eleanor Parker, Richard Carlson, Patricia Medina, Joseph Calleia
Votes: 338
32. It Happened in Hollywood (1937)
Approved | 67 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
While hospitalized young Billy meets his silent movie idol Tim Bart but then the talkies came, destroying Bart's career. Now Bart must convince his young friend he is still a star.
Director: Harry Lachman | Stars: Richard Dix, Fay Wray, Victor Kilian, Charles Arnt
Votes: 702
33. Dawson City: Frozen Time (2016)
120 min | Documentary, History
The history of Dawson City, the gold rush town that had a historical treasure of forgotten silent films buried in permafrost for decades until 1978.
Director: Bill Morrison | Stars: Michael Gates, Kathy Jones-Gates, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Frank Barrett
Votes: 2,151 | Gross: $0.13M
34. Return to Babylon (2013)
Not Rated | 75 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The scandals and decadent lives of the 1920's greatest movie stars.
Director: Alex Monty Canawati | Stars: Jennifer Tilly, Maria Conchita Alonso, Tippi Hedren, Debi Mazar
Votes: 222
35. The Roaring 20's (1960–1962)
60 min | Crime, Drama
The adventures of a newspaper reporter covering the world of cops and gangsters in 1920s New York.
Stars: Dorothy Provine, Donald May, Gary Vinson, Mike Road
Votes: 185
36. The Impostors (1998)
R | 101 min | Comedy
Wrongly accused of physically abusing a fellow actor, starving thespians Arthur and Maurice find themselves pursued by the law aboard a cruise ship.
Director: Stanley Tucci | Stars: Oliver Platt, Stanley Tucci, Walker Jones, Jessica Walling
Votes: 5,376 | Gross: $2.20M
37. Sidewalk Stories (1989)
R | 97 min | Comedy
Nearly silent comedy filmed in black and white follows a street artist (Charles Lane), who rescues a baby after her father was murdered. The artist then sets off to find the mother, but has... See full summary »
Director: Charles Lane | Stars: Charles Lane, Nicole Alysia, Tom Alpern, Edwin Anthony
Votes: 542 | Gross: $0.13M
38. Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)
Approved | 122 min | Biography, Drama
The life and career of vaudevillian and silent-screen horror star Lon Chaney, including his contentious relationship with his neurotic wife and his premature death.
Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: James Cagney, Dorothy Malone, Jane Greer, Marjorie Rambeau
Votes: 2,962
39. Silent Life: The Story of the Lady in Black (2023)
96 min | Drama
The mysterious Lady in Black claiming to be the last love of the first screen sex symbol Rudolph Valentino, dies in her Hollywood apartment. The only contact the detective finds is the business card of the young filmmaker Paul Harts.
Director: Vladislav Alex Kozlov | Stars: Sherilyn Fenn, Isabella Rossellini, Franco Nero, Terry Moore
Votes: 23
40. Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl (1999 TV Movie)
Unrated | 57 min | Documentary, Biography
Clara Bow: Discovering the 'It' Girl features scenes from 25 of her films, as well as interviews with family members an acquaintances. Including seven minutes of additional material not seen in the TV version.
Director: Hugh Munro Neely | Stars: Courtney Love, David Stenn, Budd Schulberg, Catherine Mulligan
Votes: 253
41. Birth of Hollywood (2011)
60 min | Documentary, History
Paul Merton looks at the pioneers of early Hollywood and how they laid down the blueprint for the modern cinema industry.
Stars: Paul Merton, Carla Laemmle, Angela Lansbury, Will Green
Votes: 62
42. Why Be Good? Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema (2007)
70 min | Documentary, History
An overview of the portrayal and influence of sexuality on film, from the silent era until the administration of the Hays Code in 1934.
Director: Elaina Archer | Stars: Diane Lane, Chris Basinger, Jeanine Basinger, Cari Beauchamp
Votes: 172
43. The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies (1995 TV Movie)
90 min | Documentary
Based on the first centenary of the largest exporter of films in the world, that is Hollywood, is the story told by its protagonists, actors and writers and other people who made life in ... See full summary »
Director: Chuck Workman | Stars: Peter Coyote, Robert Altman, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Fred Astaire
Votes: 321
44. Legends of Comedy (1992 TV Movie)
165 min | Documentary
Here are many of the greatest hits, finest performances and rarities of more than 50 legends of comedy, from vaudeville to video. Each major talent is showcased in their own segment. ... See full summary »
Stars: Bud Abbott, Gracie Allen, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Lucille Ball
Votes: 7
45. When the Applause Died (1990 Video)
Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary
Hollywood's glittering stars and starlets have always been the envy of the movie-going public. With their fame, wealth and lush lifestyles, they epitomize the "good life" we find so ... See full summary »
Director: Nick Bougas | Stars: Paul Durris, Beverly Aadland, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, John Belushi
Votes: 51
46. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
R | 174 min | Drama, Romance
A filmmaker recalls his childhood when falling in love with the pictures at the cinema of his home village and forms a deep friendship with the cinema's projectionist.
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore | Stars: Philippe Noiret, Enzo Cannavale, Antonella Attili, Isa Danieli
Votes: 282,865 | Gross: $11.99M
47. The Great Stone Face (1968)
93 min | Documentary
A documentary about the work of Buster Keaton.
Director: Vernon P. Becker | Stars: Buster Keaton, Henry Morgan, Renée Adorée, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
Votes: 44
48. The Funniest Man in the World (1967)
PG | 95 min | Documentary, Comedy, Family
This documentary examines the early career of Charlie Chaplin, from childhood through his introduction to the movies at the Keystone, Essanay and Mutual studios.
Director: Vernon P. Becker | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Eric Campbell, Syd Chaplin
Votes: 71
49. The Love Goddesses (1965)
87 min | Documentary
This insightful documentary features some of the major and most beautiful actresses to grace the silver screen. It shows how the movie industry changed its depiction of sex and actresses' ... See full summary »
Director: Saul J. Turell | Stars: Carl King, Agnes Ayres, Theda Bara, Brigitte Bardot
Votes: 722
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