Foolish Wives- 1923

U.S.

Length: 117 minutes

Director: Erich von Stroheim

Cast: Erich von Stroheim, Miss DuPont, Maude George, Mae Busch, Rudolph Christians, Dale Fuller, Al Edmundsen, Malvina Polo, Cesare Gravina

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013140/

Eric's Impressions: Though this film nearly put me to sleep throughout with a predictable plot and drawn-out story, this is a must-see due to the performance of director/star Erich von Stroheim. Popularly known as "The Man You Loved To Hate," von Stroheim is a tour-de-force as the sinister Count Karamzin, who manipulates all that cross his path, especially an American damsel in distress. I guess knocking the film for its originality is a bit harsh as it did come out in 1923 and maybe it was the films that came after that were copying.

Natalie's Impressions: This film has a short version and a long version. According to our book the film is 85 minutes but the version we saw was an unedited 117 minutes long. I would have much preferred the shorter version because it took about 75 minutes for the film to get interesting. The pace picked up for the last half hour and was interesting in that I didn't know how the film was going to end. The ending was not terribly surprising but the plot had an unexpected twist that kept me watching to see how it would play out. The plot is somewhat boring but von Stroheim is a superb villain and every moment he is on the screen is entertaining.

COUNTDOWN: Just 988 movies to go!

Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages - 1923

Denmark/Sweden

Length: 87 minutes

Director: Benjamin Christensen

Cast: Elisabeth Christensen, Astrid Holm, Karen Winther, Maren Pedersen, Ella La Cour, Emmy Schonfeld, Kate Fabian, Oscar Stribolt

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013257/

Eric's Impressions: To start off, this is one of the strangest films you will ever see. We didn't know what to make of it for the first half-hour as we were so throughly confused. Now I know film purists will get angry at what we did next, but so be it as this is our blog and our rules. On the DVD we rented from Netflix was a condensed version of the film that shortened it by about 10 minutes, so no big deal. The coolest thing about this version from the late 1960s was that it was narrated by none other than William S. Burroughs and also featured a jazzy score. We started the movie over again and now I couldn't stop laughing because of his low-growling voice along with the the cheesy jazz score set to stories of witches, grave robbers and the devil. Watching nuns kiss the bent over ass of Satan in one scene is fascinating in itself, but add in Burroughs talking over it and jazz music is pure movie magic. This horror/documentary from Denmark is completely original and that's something that should be applauded in contrast to the formulaic American-directed fare of the time.

Natalie's Impressions: While maybe not the weirdest film I have ever seen, it definitely is among the top five and I am sure before we are finished with this book of 1,001 movies, I will have seen other films that give this one a run for its money. The 1968 version that we saw was even more quirky primarily because of the ill-fitting jazz music score that made watching this odd film an even more discombobulating experience. To top it all off of course was Burroughs coming in at odd times not only to narrate but to subtly add his own interpretation of the events unfolding on the screen. As if the viewer needed more explanation of what was happening, Burroughs helpfully tells us at one point that what we were seeing were witches "kissing the ass of the devil." Amen to that.

COUNTDOWN: Just 989 movies to go!

Nosferatu, A Symphony of Terror - 1922

Germany

Length: 94 minutes

Director: F.W. Murau

Cast: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Greta Schroder, Gustav von Wangenheim

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/

Eric's Impressions: Not only is this the best horror film ever made, but for me it ranks right up there with any movie from any genre. I'm not one to get creeped out rather easily, but this one still wakes me up in the middle of the night. We've seen the Dracula story portrayed on the big screen over and over again, but director F.W. Murnau's vision is completely unique. Max Schreck is unforgettable as the central character/villain Count Orlok. Legend has that Schreck got so into the role that mishaps and strange oddities, including a few deaths, occurred during shooting for which he was allegedly responsible. If you like the back story, make sure to rent the wonderful, "Shadow of the Vampire (2000)," about the making of "Nosferatu" starring Willem Dafoe (Schreck) and John Malkovich (Murnau). Just writing about "Nosferatu" makes me want to go watch it again right now.

Natalie's Impressions: Having seen several other Dracula movies since I first saw this film, I have come to the conclusion that no one is quite as eerie and unlikable as Max Schreck playing the part of Count Orlok. The make-up, although primitive was used expertly on Schreck's face and hands, the latter of which are very haunting. More recent Dracula films with more advanced technology, special effects, costuming and make-up don't even come close to matching this film's haunting imagery, perhaps because all the recent films are based off this original and adapt vampire myths that were first introduced in this film. This film feels fresh, whereas other vampire movies I have seen are either ripping off this film or trying to be so original that it comes out looking trashy.

COUNTDOWN: Just 990 movies to go!

Nanook of the North-1922

U.S.

Length: 79 minutes

Director: Robert J. Flaherty

Cast: Nanook, Nyla, Cunayou, Allee, Allegoo, Berry Kroeger

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013427

Eric's Impressions: The first documentary on the list is a fascinating look at the arctic life of Nanook and his family. The entire movie feels like a battle for survival and your heart breaks at the conclusion when you find out what happened to the family after shooting concluded. Some historians dismiss the impact of the film on future documentaries because a lot of the action was staged, but for me it didn't lessen the power of the imagery as the family really was searching for food and shelter throughout.

Natalie's Impressions: This is a beautifully shot and directed film. It is the perfect length because it isn't so long that the viewer loses interest. The narration is very good and Flaherty's cinematography captures the the Canadian North beautifully. The story behind the filming of Nanook and his family is as grand as the landscape they inhabited. Because Flaherty's original film footage burst into flames just as he was about to ship it to the US to be developed, he had to start filming Nanook and his family all over again based on his memory and because of this, the film is somewhat inaccurate as a documentary. But it is still a very influential film that tells a powerful story.

COUNTDOWN: Just 991 movies to go!

Orphans of the Storm- 1921

U.S.

Length: 150 minutes

Director: D.W. Griffith

Cast: Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Joseph Schildkraut, Frank Losee, Katherine Emmet, Morgan Wallace, Lucille La Verne, Sheldon Lewis, Frank Puglia, Creighton Hale, Leslie King, Monte Blue, Sidney Herbert, Lee Kohlmar, Marcia Harris

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012532/

Eric's Impressions: The final Griffith entry in the book is also the most drawn out and boring of his collaborations with Lillian Gish. For this time around, it's Gish squared as the sister of the actress, Dorothy, is in the cast as the blind orphan. Her "sister" is played by Lillian, but as the story goes, the two are not related by blood even though they look quite a lot alike. If you can get past this strange casting decision, and have an abundance of patience, then this movie might just tickle your fancy, especially if you're a fan of the French Revolution. What got me through this snoozer was the introduction of the guillotine as I was hoping for a beheading of every single cast member. Maybe I'm just sick of seeing Gish and being told how to live a moral life by Griffith. Either way, it's refreshing to know that this is the final act.

Natalie's Impressions: Huuuuuggghhh. Big sigh. Finally we are done with Griffith films! This was way too long and very boring. It took forever to get to the climax and once there, Griffith drew out for as long as possible to the point of being annoying. I got the point after five minutes of watching men on running horses then flashes of the guillotine. I liked Lillian and her sister in the film and I wouldn't mind seeing more movies with them as long as it is not directed by Griffith. His films are unnecessarily long and preachy.

COUNTDOWN: Just 992 films to go!

Way Down East - 1920

U.S.

Length: 100 minutes

Director: D.W. Griffith

Cast: Lillian Gish, Richard Barthelmess, Lowell Sherman, Burr McIntosh

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011841/

Eric's Impressions: One of Griffith's more conventional stories is based on two different plays. Again we see Griffith constant, Lillian Gish, playing the role of a naive young woman. There's so much sadness in her face and actions that at times you just want to climb through the screen, give her a big hug and tell her everything is going to be alright. Richard Barthelmess plays the hero who actually does it. Intermixed with the melodrama is a lot of slapstick comedy that made me wonder if Mr. Griffith was watching some Charlie Chaplin reels during production. The action sequence near the conclusion on the frozen river/waterfalls seems pretty elementary by today's standards, but you can tell that the director put a lot of thought and time into it to try and make it all seem real. I wonder how many times Griffith and Gish would've won if the Academy Awards had been around at this time.

Natalie's Impressions: Although not as good as Broken Blossoms, in my opinion, I did enjoy this film. One thing that sets this film apart from Griffith's other films is the slapstick comedy that starts about an hour into the film as a side story line develops. The main story line is very dark, serious and depressing and then there is this very silly lighthearted section that juxtaposes sharply with the rest of the film. I thought it was a little jarring. Another thing I thought was unnecessary was the preachy morals and values lecture Griffith does at the beginning of the film, which makes it seem like some Christian moral propaganda. Early films tended to do this I suppose because film was seen as a new way to propagate one's ideas to a large population but as a modern viewer, I just want to watch a good story with good acting and leave the moralizing up to the viewer to make his/her own conclusions.

COUNTDOWN: JUST 993 MOVIES TO GO

Broken Blossoms- 1919

U.S.

Length: 90 minutes

Director: D.W. Griffith

Cast: Lillian Gish, Richard Barthelmess, Donald Crisp, Arthur Howard, Edward Peil Sr., George Beranger, Norman Selby

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0009968/

Eric's Impressions: Here we go again - D.W. Griffith and Lillian Gish. This winning team delivers every time out. I wanted to compare them to Scorsese-De Niro in this review, but then I read the same thing in the 1,001 movie book. Anyway, no subject is taboo for Mr. Griffith as he tackles interracial love between a a Chinese shop owner (played brilliantly by a white actor named Richard Barthelmess) and a neglected wife (Gish). The actors will rekindle their love in different roles in the next Griffith vehicle, "Way Down East," but we'll discuss that when we get there. No actress in film history can balance vulnerability and an innate inner strength quite like Gish. Here I gush about Gish again. Hopefully I don't make Natalie jealous.

Natalie's Impressions: This film blew me away. It is my favorite silent film along with City Lights. Lillian Gish is perfect, tragic, angelic and heartbreaking. In my opinion, this is Griffith's best and most mature film and one of Gish's best roles. The story itself is rather mundane but the cinematography, the acting, and the director's artistry make it anything but ordinary.

COUNTDOWN: JUST 994 MOVIES TO GO

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari- 1919

Germany

Length: 71 minutes

Director: Robert Wiene

Cast: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Rudolf Lettinger, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/

Eric's Impressions: This is one of those movies you will always remember and it might seep into your dreams, and/or nightmares, for years to come. Film historians link this German masterpiece to the Expressionist art movement of the time. The story is riveting, yet bizarre and the scenery is captivating, yet trippy as hell. I don't need to type this movie and Tim Burton's name into Google to figure out he was influenced by it. This is a scary flick and the surprising ending that you don't see coming will have you wanting instantly to watch it all over again.

Natalie's Impressions: Two things struck me most about this film: the bizarre, dream-like sets that actually looked they were made of cardboard and glued together haphazardly and the ending, which made me have to go back and watch the whole movie over again. Without giving anything away, I will say that this early horror film really set the standard for the horror genre. Although I am not a fan of horror films, I was impressed by this one.

COUNTDOWN: JUST 995 MOVIES TO GO

Intolerance: Love's struggle throughout the ages- 1916

U.S.

Length: 163 minutes

Director: D.W. Griffith

Cast: Mary Alden, Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Constance Talmadge, Alfred Paget, Erich von Stroheim, Lucille Brown, Frank bennett, Edmund Burns, William E. Cassidy

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0006864/

Eric's Impressions: So the story goes that Mr. Griffith made this film in response to criticism of his racist epic, "The Birth of a Nation." It was somewhat difficult to connect the dots after watching this one, but I do like the theme of "Love's struggle throughout the ages." This four stories in one narrative works as each is equally fascinating and feel like they each could break off into their own individual films. In fact, Griffith later did recut and released two separate features. Much like everything the director did, the sets were grandiose for their time and featured thousands of extras for the Babylon vignette. Lilian Gish is once again a tour-de-force, this time without even mouthing a silent word. It's a must-see for any film lover.

Natalie's Impressions: While not nearly as long as the 7 hour vampire movie, Intolerance is not a short little film. Griffith made this movie as a response to criticisms about his previous film, Birth of a Nation. Whether he made it out of spite or because he really had come to believe in the evils of intolerance, I don't know. But he sure went to a lot of effort to make it unforgettable, hiring 3,000 extras, designing expensive costumes and sets and writing the script himself. Of the four stories, my least favorite was the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of French Protestants by French King Charles IX and my favorite stories were the Babylon story and the modern story with Mae Marsh.

COUNTDOWN: JUST 996 MOVIES TO GO

Les Vampires-1915

France

Length: 440 minutes

Director: Louis Feuillade

Cast: Musidora, Edouard Mathe, Marcel Levesque, Jean Ayme, Fernand Hermann, Stacia Napierkowska

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0006206/

Eric's Impressions: When I first saw the length of this movie I wanted to have my blood sucked out by a vampire. When I found out it was broken down into episodes in a serial format I was glad I didn't put a stake into my heart. If you like vampire movies, there are plenty of them all over this list, including my favorite, "Nosferatu, A Symphony of Terror," which we'll talk about soon. As for "Les Vampires" - it was at times hilarious, at times surreal and at other times a little scary. Though the "good guys" have their moments, especially the Chaplinesque sidekick Mazamette, you will most remember head vampire Irma Vep (played by Musidora) as she lights up the screen. The final massacre of the vampires definitely influenced the Robert Rodriguez-directed and Quentin Tarantino-produced, "From Dusk Till Dawn." In a series of firsts at the beginning of this blog, "Les Vampires" is the most influential of the thriller genre.

Natalie's Impressions: I was surprised by this film. I expected it to be like a lot of other silent films where, without dialogue, the story doesn't move fast enough to hold my interest. But with a film like this, where the melodramatic story is being told in 15 or 30 minutes, the pace moves along and there isn't much reel time that occurs without the development of some major plot point. I found some of the individual stories so dramatic to the point of being funny. For the time period, this was a pretty innovative film, however I don't think it was necessary to take seven hours to complete the story.

COUNTDOWN: JUST 997 MOVIES TO GO

The Birth of a Nation-1915

U.S.

Length: 190 minutes

Director: D.W. Griffith

Cast: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0004972/

Eric's Impressions: I recall seeing this film - or at least parts of it - in a history class at some point of my scholastic career. I mention parts of it because I don't remember seeing all of the overt racism that Griffith trickles throughout American cinema's first true epic. While I do enjoy some of the story - the romantic tale revolving around the always enchanting Lillian Gish tops the list - it's hard not to cringe watching the movie. Making the Ku Klux Klan into heroic figures at the picture's conclusion is equivalent to Steven Speilberg applauding the efforts of the Nazis at the concentration camps in "Schindler's List." Griffith never apologized for these cinematic injustices and even took offense to anyone that questioned his intentions. Thankfully, he stayed away from this subject matter in later achievements like "Intolerance" and "Broken Blossoms." Still, "The Birth of A Nation" broke the ground for countless war epics that followed and does deserve points for the creativity of its structure.

Natalie's Impressions: I also saw this movie in high school or parts of it in high school and remember being really offended by the black face actors, the "heroic" KKK, the misogynistic treatment of women, and all the other stereotypes this movie enforces. At times I was so disgusted I thought the movie should not be included in any sort of noteworthy movie list, especially since organizations like the NAACP came out strong against the movie the year it came out. At the time it was seen as too racist. I almost feel like that should overshadow the fact that it was groundbreaking for the war epic genre but I do see that being such a controversial film has made it so important in a discussion of early 20th century American film.

COUNTDOWN: JUST 998 MOVIES TO GO

The Great Train Robbery-1903

US

Length: 12 minutes

Director: Edwin S. Porter

Cast: A.C. Abadie, Gilbert M.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000439/

Eric's Impressions: Here's an obscure reference that will only make sense to people from Upstate New York or that have visited the area - when I watched this film, I felt like I was hanging out with the one and only Marshal Wild Windy Billy McKay in Storytown, USA. With that being said and to be completely honest with our readers, Natalie has intoxicated me with several White Peach Sangrias from the August 2009 edition of the magazine - Sunset: Living in the West. They are so tasty (Natalie is sound asleep behind me after just two of them). Highly regarded as the first Western, this movie really has it all from the robbery to the train ride to the riveting final shoot-out. When you do further research and find out the whole thing was shot in New Jersey of all places, you can't help but raise your cap - or cowboy hat - to director Edwin S. Porter

Natalie's Impressions: Although not a masterpiece in fine acting, I found this first Western rather comical because it is so basic. At times it feels forced and it is a predictable story line but I can understand that this movie should be included in a discussion of influential films simply because it was "the first one."

COUNTDOWN: JUST 999 MOVIES TO GO

Le Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip To The Moon) - 1902

France

Length: 14 minutes

Director: Georges Meiles

Cast: Victor Andre, Bleuette Bernon, Brunnet, Jeanne d'Alcy, Henri Delannoy, Depierre, Farjaut, Kelm, Georges Melies

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000417/

Eric's impressions: Could the first movie also end up being the strangest? Stay tuned. During its time, this was a major cinematic achievement for many reasons with its length being near the top of the list. At 14 minutes, it was seven times longer than other films being made. It also was quite artsy for its time - leave it to the French. The most lasting images for me of this sci-fi comedy are the spaceship landing in the right eye of the moon's "face" and the use of umbrellas as alien-killing machines.

Natalie's impressions: I watched this film while living in China last year. Before I go any further, let me just say that now that I am back in the U.S. living with Eric, he and I will both only watch movies in chronological order. I was in a city called Dongying in Shandong Province teaching English literature at a local college. I was only teaching four hours a week so I had a lot of free time. Dongying is a very boring city. There is very little in the way of culture. At the time I watched this film, I had been living in Dongying for five months and I felt I had exhausted the entertainment opportunities the city had to offer. So Eric suggested I start watching more films from our book. I was able to find a surprising amount of the films online. I didn't watch them in chronological order. Rather, I watched them as I found them. Often I would watch movies for twelve hours a day. The day I watched this film was one of those days when I viewed six or seven movies because all the films were less than an hour or a little over an hour long. Now it might seem like watching movies like this would cause al the films to blend together and I did confuse few of them with similar plots and sometimes I would forget that I ever watched it. This film stood out in my mind because it was the first film in the book, it was extremely short and very very silly.

COUNTDOWN: JUST 1,000 MOVIES TO GO

Here We Go!!!

Okay, so here's how the story goes. A few years back my (Eric) sister and brother-in-law bought us a copy of "1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" and our lives may have changed forever.

Always film buffs, this book has taken our obsession to a whole new and certifiable level. Much like zombies need human brains to survive, we need to finish this endeavor of watching all 1,001 movies.

Now we should introduce ourselves......

Eric DeGrechie's Stats

Age: 33

Hometown: Saratoga Springs, New York

Current residence: Northern California

Favorite Movie: One Flew Over the

Cuckoo's Nest

Natalie Singer's Stats

Age: 23

Hometown: Park City, Utah (Home of Sundance)

Current residence: Northern California

Favorite Movie: Dr. Strangelove

Let me point out that we're not trying to become famous with this blog (see Julie Powell) or become YouTube sensations (see Evolution of Dance guy). We're just trying to chronicle our journey through cinematic history for our own entertainment and a few friends/family (who we will pay handsomely for checking it out with hugs and kisses). With the help of the local library, video stores and Netflix, we plan to watch the films in order as listed in the 5th edition (2008) of the book. We will also be uploading fun videos on YouTube. We're excited, so without further adieu, here we go!!!