The Gold Rush-1925

U.S.A.

Length: 72 minutes

Director: Charles Chaplin

Cast: Charles Chaplin, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman, Malcolm Waite, Georgia Hale

www.imdb.com/title/tt0015864/

Eric's Impressions: Another masterpiece by the greatest film director/producer/writer/actor of the first half of the 20th century and early film pioneer, Chaplin delivers cinematic gold here, no pun intended. Though I prefer "City Lights," I can understand why Chaplin most wanted to be remembered for this one because it's a history lesson, love story, statement on mankind and belly-aching comedy all rolled up into one. It features some of Chaplin's greatest sequences and shows that a decade into his American film career, he was really hitting his stride across the board in all of his artistic pursuits.

Natalie's Impressions: Only Chaplin can make high comedy out of starvation and greed. Whether or not this is a right and noble ability, I am not going to say, but apparently Chaplin thought it was because he declared this film was the one by which he most wished to be remembered. But I do believe it takes a certain amount of talent, confidence and dedication to even be comically inspired by something as devastating as the Donner Party disaster. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this film, besides the famous boot cooking and dancing bread rolls, is the sheer elaborateness of the sets and camera work. The studio recreation of the Sierra Nevadas looks as real as the actual mountains, both of which are featured in the film. Although not my absolute favorite Chaplin picture, I would happily watch it over and over again.

COUNTDOWN: Just 978 movies to go!

The Battleship Potemkin-1925

U.S.S.R

Length: 75 minutes

Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein, Grigori Aleksandrov

Cast: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov, Mikhail Gomorov, Ivan Bobrov, Beatrice Vitoldi, N. Poltavseva, Julia Eisenstein

www.imdb.com/title/tt0015648/

Eric's Impressions: One of the most talked-about films ever made, this one will make you think as it equally confuses at the same time. Like most of Eisenstein's films, there's a lot of propaganda disguised as a storyline with frantic cuts and edits. The imagery can be haunting at times, especially the sequence with the baby carriage on the steps. It was so controversial at the time it came out that it was banned around the world. Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Gobbels famously said, "a marvellous film without equal in the cinema ... anyone who had no firm political conviction could become a Bolshevik after seeing the film." You will never forget this movie experience.

Natalie's Impressions: If one were to cut up this film into individual freeze-frames and assemble them in a random order, it would be one of the most disturbing, confusing and memorable photographic displays. But watching the film from beginning to end is even more memorable and disturbing because an emotional story is built behind those images that the viewer comes to understand (maybe not understand, but comprehend why they are there). The techniques and the unique aesthetic that Eisenstein brings to the screen in all of his films, as well as the ideological storm this film created makes it one of the most important and influential films not just in Western culture, but globally.

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The Phantom of the Opera-1925

U.S.A.

Length: 93 minutes

Director: Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney

Cast: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson Gowland, John St. Polis, Snitz Edwards

www.imdb.com/title/tt0016220

Eric's Impressions: The uglier the character, the better Lon Chaney captures his essence. Chaney, known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces," never turned down a role because a character was too dark or too scary for the screen. He is brilliant as the evil Phantom, while the rest of the film's cast is below average. This is a story that has been retold over and over again, but no version is quite as creepy as this one. Though it might have a lot to do with it being silent, much credit should be given to Chaney.

Natalie's Impressions: As far as 1920s silent films go, this one is of average length, however, I found myself wishing it was much shorter while watching it. The pace, plot and overall structure of the film is weak and very slow. Sure, Lon Chaney gives a haunting great performance but it just didn't really do much for me. I am not a major fan of the story and I didn't feel like this film had anything that all the versions that came after it didn't have. Plus, I I think that if this was the first Phantom movie I had ever seen, I would have a slightly more favorable opinion. But because it was the first silent film to capture the melodramatic story, I see why it was included.

COUNTDOWN: Just 980 movies to go!

Seven Chances- 1925

U.S.A.

Length: 56 minutes

Director: Buster Keaton

Cast: Buster Keaton, T. Roy Barnes, Snitz Edwards, Ruth Dwyer, Frances Raymond, Erwin Connelly, Jules Cowles

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016332/

Eric's Impressions: Much like his contemporary Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton is best remembered for his comedic antics on screen. Especially in action sequences, the genius of each is on full display. Another common trait in many of their films that is sometimes missed is that these comedies actually have feelings. This movie fits that mold with crazy and unnerving gags intermixed with a beautiful love story. You might not laugh as loudly as you do watching his other movies, but your appreciation of all that Keaton brings to the screen will grow even deeper.

Natalie's Impressions: This is the only Keaton film I have seen where I did not laugh from beginning to end. In fact, the first half of the film was not really funny at all. I don't even know if it was supposed to be funny. The premise of the film is certainly amusing but the plot didn't really thicken and climax until the end, which had more scenes with Keaton doing crazy physical stunts, like all his other films. The boulder-dodging scene is very memorable although I have to think they either sped up the camera to make it seem like he was really running that fast and that they didn't use real boulders made of rock. Either way, it was still a scene that required great skill.

COUNTDOWN: Just 981 movies to go!

The Last Laugh- 1924

Germany

Length: 77 minutes

Director: F.W. Murnau

Cast: Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Max Hiller, Emilie Kurz, Georg John, Emmy Wyda, Olaf Storm, Herman Vallentin

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015064/

Eric's Impressions: Despite the feel-good ending that doesn't fit with the rest of the film, this is still a winner. Emil Jannings as the old doorman that gets demoted is brilliant. He makes the director's decision to not have subtitles work because his physical acting is first-rate with each body movement helping to tell the story. Murnau takes some chances, especially with the camera's first-person perspective of drunkenness. The ending would've worked much better if it had just been a dream, but it does succeed in making you feel happy for what happens to the story's hero.

Natalie's Impressions: The cinematography and the acting make this film a classic. Murnau's take on an interesting story line is well crafted- although the ending is improbable and doesn't fit with the rest of the film. I prefer the ending because it is a feel-good, happy ending while much of the rest of the film is very, very depressing. Some of my favorite scenes exemplified both the great acting of Jannings and the cinematography. The first scene of the movie filmed in the rain and the scene in the hotel bathroom where Jannings' character gives a cigar to the attendant are, in my opinion, the most memorable.

COUNTDOWN: Just 982 movies to go!

Stachka-1924

U.S.S.R.

Length: 82 minutes

Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein

Cast: Grigori Aleksandrov, Aleksandr Antonov, Yudif Glizer, Mikhail Gomorov, I. Ivanov, Ivan Klyukvin, Anatoli Kuznetsov, M. Mamin, Maksim Shtraukh, Vladimir Uralsky, Vera Yanukova, Boris Yurtsev

www.imdb.com/title/0015361/

Eric's Impressions: This is film on speed and if you blink even once you might miss something. Director Sergei M. Eisenstein has plenty of entries in the book and though I probably won't end up ranking any of them very high on my all-time favorite movie list it's hard not to admire such a visionary filmmaker. Part dramas, part political propaganda statements, his films make you think and they're never dull. If you've got a weak stomach, be prepared because P.E.T.A sure would've been protesting this movie when it hit theaters 85 years ago.

Natalie's Impressions: This is the first Eisenstein film in the book, followed by The Battleship Potemkin, made in 1925 and October, made in 1927. It was the first of his films I saw and although it didn't leave the same impression as Battleship, the montages in this film are as memorable, especially the one at the end with juxtaposition of animal slaughter with human slaughter, which is something Eisenstein does again to great effect in October. It is as if seeing the slaughter of animals is the only way to get the necessary reaction to human slaughter. The effect is very disturbing because the animal slaughter is almost more frightening and shocking than the human slaughter.

COUNTDOWN: Just 983 movies to go!

The Thief of Bagdad-1924

U.S.

Length: 155 minutes

Director: Raoul Walsh

Cast: Douglas Fairbanks, Snitz Edwards, Charles Belcher, Julanne Johnson, Sojin, Anna May Wong, Brandon Hurst, Noble Johnson, Tote Du Crow

www.imdb.com/title/0015400/

Eric's Impressions: I'm not sure star Douglas Fairbanks meant to have his character come across so silly on the screen, but if he did, bravo. Fairbanks played the part as if he was a ballerina trapped in a theater production that just so happen to have some cameras rolling to produce the most expensive film of its time. Though most of the sets were amazing, some just looked ridiculous, but I shouldn't pile on the filmmakers as it was made in 1924. The first half was much more enjoyable because it wasn't so serious, but a love story overtook the fun as the action progressed.

Natalie's Impressions: This is the first Fairbanks movie I have ever seen. Because of this movie, I will forever associate Fairbanks with a monkey. Or maybe an orangutan. Not only does he move like an ape, he has these very silly and mischievous facial expressions. His movements are very large, almost as if he was a theater actor on a stage, trying to reach out to an audience in the last row. The little pumping hand gesture he does repeatedly is equally memorable- I won't say any more about that. You will just have to see the movie to fully appreciate it. The film as a whole starts out really strong and has a lighthearted feel to it and then it gets very serious and not as entertaining, although the sets used throughout the movie are enough to make your jaw drop considering it was made in 1924. The set designer, William Cameron Menzies, created the largest movie set in Hollywood history with his six-and-a-half-acre Bagdad set.

COUNTDOWN: Just 984 movies to go!

La Roue (The Wheel)-1923

France

Length: 273 minutes

Director: Abel Gance

Cast: Severin-Mars, Ivy Close, Gabriel de Gravone, Pierre Magnier, Gil Clary, Max Maxudian, Georges Terof

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014417/

Eric's Impressions: This movie was just a bit too long and boring throughout, but still a visual treat with some amazing acting performances. It was hard to get past the disturbing Oedipus Rex storyline with father and son battling for the love of the adopted female lead. The few ups and many downs in the life of the railman (played masterfully by Severin-Mars) carry the storyline and you can't help but feel sorry for how pathetic his plight is. We must admit that we didn't watch this all in one setting and we suggest you don't either.

Natalie's Impressions: Even though I thought this film was an hour too long (the last hour and a half could have been condensed into 15 minutes) it was still an incredible film. If there had been acting awards in 1923 Severin-Mars would have won them all. As annoying as his character became near the end of the film, it is impossible to ignore his talent. Apart from a unique story line and the rather scandalous treatment even by today's standards, of the relationship between Elie, Norma and Sisif, I thought Gance pushed the wheel metaphor in the viewer's face too much. I also thought Gance was trying to show off his intellect with the Greek mythological references, superimposed images and excessive quick cuts between scenes but fortunately none of this took away from the great acting.

COUNTDOWN: Just 985 movies to go!

Sherlock, Jr.- 1924

U.S.

Length: 44 minutes

Director: Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Buster Keaton

Cast: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton, Erwin Connelly, Ward Crane

www.imdb.com/title/tt0015324/

Eric's Impressions: It was fun watching Keaton films back-to-back and this one is my new favorite slightly over "The General." Keaton brilliantly mixes reality with illusion and the comedic timing has the viewer in stitches throughout. I love the entire "mimic the criminal" gag and I can't imagine just what went into the filming of the motorcycle handlebar ride. Knowing how much of a perfectionist Keaton was, the only conclusion is that the whole thing took a ton of time to get just right. Only 44 minutes long, the film never misses a beat and the influence it has had on future filmmakers can't be denied.

Natalie's Impressions: This short little film is probably my favorite of the Keaton films that I have seen. A few months ago I saw Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo, before watching Keaton's film that was ostensibly the inspiration for Allen's film. I remember being so impressed with what I thought was the originality of Cairo's plot but now that I have seen Keaton's film, which was one of the first films to play with the idea of the illusion of reality in film mixing with real life, I have a new appreciation for Keaton's influence on generations of film makers.

COUNTDOWN: Just 986 movies to go!

Our Hospitality-1923

U.S.

Length: 74 minutes

Director: John G. Blystone, Buster Keaton

Cast: Joe Roberts, Ralph Bushman, Craig Ward, Monte Collins, Joe Keaton, Kitty Bradbury, Buster Keaton Jr., Buster Keaton, Natalie Talmadge

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014341/

Eric's Impressions: The Keaton-Chaplin comparisons will never die as these two comedic and cinematic pioneers were constantly one-upping each other throughout the silent era. I will admit that I have always preferred Chaplin and probably always will, but as of late, my appreciation of Keaton's genius grows with each new viewing of his works. In this movie, the action in the bicycle and train sequences - all performed by Keaton himself - stand right up there with anything stunt legends like Jackie Chan have done on film. The storyline of feuding families works, but it's the antics of Keaton that make you want to watch his movies over and over.

Natalie's Impressions: Whether Keaton is rescuing a damsel in distress from plunging to the death over a waterfall or trying to escape his murderous hosts while simultaneously wooing his love interest, his facial expression characteristically remains stoic, in contrast to fellow physical comedy actor Charlie Chaplin. It is undeniably impressive that Keaton performed all his own stunts for all his films, even breaking his neck during the making of Sherlock, Jr. but what I find even more unique is the fact that his facial expression never- and I mean never- changes. He might raise an eye brow or furrow his brows once in a while but the mouth is forever frozen in a straight line even when he is head over heels in love. He is truly one of a kind.

COUNTDOWN: Just 987 movies to go!