We know the silent canon quite well: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and German Expressionism, Battleship Potemkin and Soviet montage films, The Lodger and Hitchcock’s first films. The European Silent Cinema Project moves beyond these well-known silent European films to delve deeper into the continent’s four decades of silent cinema. Charting a course through the development of film thousands of miles away from Hollywood, we’ll discover lesser-known films from silent cinema giants like France, Germany, and Sweden and explore under-the-radar filmmakers, national silent cinemas, and genres.
Starting with the world’s first publically projected moving pictures in 1895 and ending with the transition to talkies in 1930, I will review two European silent films each year. For the first few years, especially in the 1890s, I will discuss each year’s two chosen films in a single entry. When I reach 1910, I will start reviewing one feature and one short in separate posts to better highlight short films which are often sadly not given the attention they deserve.
The following list includes all films I have reviewed (with links to that blog post) and those that I plan on reviewing next. Films listed for future review are subject to change based on personal taste, the availability of the films, and possible suggestions from readers.
| Year | Films |
|---|---|
| 1895 | The Boxing Kangaroo (GER) Jumping Onto a Blanket (FRA) |
| 1896 | Scene on the River Thames (UK) The Panorama of the Grand Canal taken from the Boat (FRA) |
| 1897 | The Last Cartridges (FRA) Fight in Old Sweden (SWE) |
| 1898 | Come Along Do! (UK) Santa Claus (UK) |
| 1899 | Asserted Boer War Films (UK) King John (UK) |
| 1900 | Joan of Arc (FRA) Hamlet, Duel Scene with Laertes (FRA) |
| 1901 | Fire! (UK) History of a Crime (FRA) |
| 1902 | The Epic of Napoleon (FRA) The Coronation of Edward VII (FRA) |
| 1903 | A Daring Daylight Burglary (UK) Capital Execution (DEN) |
| 1904 | Scenes from My Balcony (FRA) An Interesting Story (UK) |
| 1905 | Rescue by Rover (UK) The Misadventures of a Frenchman with Pants (NET) |
| 1906 | The Life and Death of Christ (FRA) The Consequences of Feminism (FRA) |
| 1907 | Sculpteur Express (SPA) Lion Hunt (DEN) |
| 1908 | The Assassination of the Duke de Guise (FRA) Stenka Rankin (RUS) |
| 1909 | Too Nice (ITA) The Happy Microbes (FRA) |
The Boxing Kangaroo (1895)
Scene on the River Thames (1896)
King John (1899)
Rescued by Rover (1905)
The Assassination of the Duke de Guise (1908)
| Year | Features | Shorts |
|---|---|---|
| 1910 | The White Slave Trade (DEN) | A Lad from Ireland (IRE) |
| 1911 | The Fall of Troy (ITA) | Rudi Sportsman (CZE) |
| 1912 | The Gardener (SWE) | The Beautiful Leukanida (RUS) |
| 1913 | The Other (GER) | The Film Prima Donna (DEN) |
| 1914 | War is Hell (BEL) | The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand (AUS) |
| 1915 | Assunta Spina (ITA) | Pimple Has One (UK) |
| 1916 | Blind Justice (DEN) | Potato Chips (SPA) |
| 1917 | The Dying Swan (RUS) | Thomas Graal’s Best Film (SWE) |
| 1918 | The Man of Gold (HUN) | War and Peace (NET) |
| 1919 | The Oyster Princess (GER) | Bear Hunt in Parnumaa (EST) |
| 1920 | Erotikon (SWE) | Captain Grogg Among Other Strange Bodies (SWE) |
| 1921 | La Terre (FRA) | The Star of Bethlehem (GER) |
| 1922 | Fox Far (UK) | Das Wunder (GER) |
| 1923 | Raskolnikov (GER) | Glumov’s Diary (RUS) |
| 1924 | Fisherman of Myrskyluodon (FIN) | Au Secours! (FRA) |
| 1925 | Jewish Luck (RUS/Yiddish) | KIPHO (GER) |
| 1926 | The Last Days of Pompeii (ITA) | Love’s Berries (UKR) |
| 1927 | The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty (RUS) | Charleston Parade (FRA) |
| 1928 | The Italian Straw Hat (FRA) | The Bridge (NET) |
| 1929 | White Hell of Pitz Palu (GER) | Women’s Misery—Women’s Happiness (SWI) |
| 1930 | Tonka of the Gallows (CZE) | How the Berlin Worker Lives (GER) |
The Fall of Troy (1911)
Assunta Spina (1915)
Raskolnikov (1923)
Tonka of the Gallows (1930)
If you want to learn more about silent European cinema, the 1995 six-part documentary Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood was a great introduction into the era and provided me with the inspiration to start this project, giving me several ideas for films to review.
