A diva’s work is never done.
That’s what I thought the other day when I realized that I’ve been blogging (and tweeting and posting!) about classic films for a whole year.
I scoured the reaches of my imagination for some way to mark the occasion. And then, Turner Classic Movies solved the problem for me. Throughout this month, September 2013, the television epicenter of old movie love will be celebrating the milestones of film history. And I’m going with the flow.
Now, if I started blogging for one reason (other than preserving my sanity in the wake of my recent college graduation), it was because I wanted to share my passion for classic cinema with others. Over the past year, I have learned so much through my digital adventures and I very humbly hope that I’ve been able to give back a little, too. For the month of September, I’m trying something new—I’m going to concentrate primarily (perhaps entirely) on silent film.
To get the ball rolling, I’ve created a YouTube playlist containing most of the silent films that will be airing on TCM this month. Below, you’ll find the same treasure trove of film history, hours of ground-breaking cinema that you can stream or download free of charge. I could name dozens of other great silent films that everyone should watch—and I will over the next 30 days—but these are the ones that you can check out instantly. So, pardon the glaring omissions! However, if you’ve never seen a silent film before, this is a good place to start, although you might not want to start with Intolerance… And if you’ve seen all of these films, well, now you have them all at your fingertips!
Watch, enjoy, and celebrate the Seventh Art in the first spectacular flush of her youth and beauty.
Trip to the Moon (1902) – Georges Méliès
On YouTube.
Canned Harmony (1912) – Alice Guy
On YouTube.
Falling Leaves (1912) – Alice Guy
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Birth of a Nation (1916) – D.W. Griffith
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Intolerance (1916) – D.W. Griffith
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) – Robert Wiene
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Way Down East (1920) – D.W. Griffith
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
One Week (1920) – Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
The Kid (1921) – Charlie Chaplin
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Orphans of the Storm (1921) – D.W. Griffith
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
The Phantom Carriage (1921) – Victor Sjöström
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Häxan (1922) – Benjamin Christensen
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Nanook of the North (1922) – Robert J. Flaherty
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Three Ages (1923) – Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
La Roue (1923) – Abel Gance
Part I and Part II on YouTube.
The Thief of Bagdad (1924) – Raoul Walsh
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Battleship Potemkin (1925) – Sergei Eisenstein
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
The General (1927) – Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Metropolis (1927) – Fritz Lang
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Sunrise (1927) – F.W. Murnau
On YouTube.
Un Chien Andalou (1929) – Salvador Dali and Louis Buñuel
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
The Goddess (1934) – Yonggang Wu
On YouTube or download the film for free at the Internet Archive.
Nitrate Diva 