Faust is definitely worth watching, although not up to the level of Sunrise or Tabu. The appearance of Mephistopheles over the city, or later when Faust calls him up, are well-done. Haven't seen The Haunted Castle.

Passion of Joan of Arc is truly an amazing film. It's very modern-looking in its composition and close up shots.

A Place in the Sun is an adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's classic novel, An American Tragedy. While there are some common themes, Sunrise comes from a different source (I'm pretty sure).

One of them was made on a low budget a few years ago: The Call of Cthulhu. It seemed appropriate to make it as a silent. They did a good enough job making it look like an old film I've had to correct people who thought it actually was from the 1920's. It actually does capture some of the weirdness of Lovecraft.

Of course, that was a stunt of sorts, so your point stands.

So I just got this from Netflix and watched it for the first time. I would agree that it's a very interesting silent movie, but I wouldn't rate it quite as high as JB. A little more backstory about the man and his affair would have helped for me. But the special effects shots and Moviephone technology were very interesting.

As usual, with silent movies, I found the commentary on the DVD to be even more interesting than the movie by itself. In this case, a famous cinematographer analyzed each shot. I'm always impressed at how these early directors used extensive imagery in their compositions to evoke emotions. I'm not sure that everyone in the audience "got" the point of these symbolisms, but they were undoubtedly important in silent films where audio cues were not possible.

[quote="slksc"]As usual, with silent movies, I found the commentary on the DVD to be even more interesting than the movie by itself./quote]

Have you tried any Chaplin? His movies are pretty accessible.

James

I have to say that it's some kind of wonderful to see your reel views on "The Great Movies"

Sunrise has stuck in my mind and will be revisited. It's a profound film from a long gone age. The commentary is quite sensational.

Seriously looking forward to your thoughts on Joan.

Rob