15 Greatest Movies That Are Over 100 Years Old (original) (raw)

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Published Aug 24, 2024, 4:10 PM EDT

Stephen is a Classic Movies writer at Screen Rant. Formerly a reporter for The Irish Independent and The Sligo Champion, he has also been published in other outlets such as the Sunday World, Connacht Tribune, and Knewz.com. With experience covering crime, human-interest, politics, and social justice movements, pop culture and entertainment always stood out as his favorite stories to pursue. Stephen also writes, produces, and presents his own music podcast series on Spotify called Sound Thinking, which explores off-beat or underrepresented genres. This podcast takes a deep dive into the careers of different artists and bands, such as Bob Dylan, David Bowie, and The Kinks.

Summary

The history of movies dates back to the late 1800s, and many films made over 100 years ago are still acclaimed and enjoyed by film lovers. Although many viewers may feel the black-and-white, silent era of movies to be an alienating sphere, those willing to delve into the far past will be rewarded with a treasure trove of cinematic wonders as engaging and enthralling as the best modern movies. This was a time of incredible experimentation, and the influence of the tremendous century-old films can still be seen in the work of contemporary actors, directors, and writers.

Some of the best silent movies are over 100 years old and include highly influential films in genres such as comedy, fantasy, horror, and even experimental semi-documentaries. This era included acclaimed filmmakers like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, who have remained at the forefront of cinematic discourse a century since some of their best work was released. While it can be difficult to know where to start with movies of the past, these century-old films have a lot to offer contemporary viewers.

15 The Astronomer's Dream (1898)

Directed by Georges Méliès

The Astronomers Dream (1898) Georges Méliès

The Astronomers Dream (1898) Georges Méliès

Runtime

3 Minutes

Director

Georges Méliès

Writers

Georges Méliès

Cast

An astronomer falls asleep and has a strange dream involving a fairy queen and the Moon.

The French director Georges Méliès led many of the most important technical and narrative developments in the history of cinema, as proven by his extraordinary three-minute movie The Astronomer’s Dream. Méliès was a talented magician who starred in the film himself and based it on one of his own magic acts. With Méliès as the titular astronomer, The Astronomer's Dream included an appearance from Satan himself and a mysterious disappearing woman. With impressive visual effects, The Astronomer's Dream still has the power to astound viewers more than 100 years later.

14 The Great Train Robbery (1903)

Directed by Edwin S. Porter

The Great Train Robbery (1903) - Poster

Release Date

December 7, 1903

Runtime

12 Minutes

Director

Edwin S. Porter

Writers

Scott Marble

Cast

The Great Train Robbery was one of the most notable films of the early days of American cinema and among the best-known silent Western movies ever. Inspired by the real-life robberies of iconic Western figures like Butch Cassidy, this legendary 12-minute feature was an unprecedented success for the way it blended dynamic action with spectacular violence. Porter also claimed this was the first Western to tell a story, although film scholars have subsequently questioned the validity of this claim.

13 Oliver Twist (1922)

Directed by Frank Lloyd

Oliver Twist (1922) - Poster

Release Date

October 30, 1922

Runtime

74 Minutes

Director

Frank Lloyd

Writers

Charles Dickens, Frank Lloyd, Harry Weil, Walter Anthony

Cast

The works of Charles Dickens have long been fodder for excellent movie adaptations, and this dates right back to the silent era with Oliver Twist starring Jackie Coogan. Having already left his mark on the movie industry with his starring role opposite Charlie Chaplin in The Kid the year before, Coogan’s role in Oliver Twist signaled him as one of the very first bona fide child stars. As a visually stunning silent film, Oliver Twist captured the spirit of the original novel, and its quality was only surpassed by David Lean’s extraordinary retelling in 1948.

12 A Woman Of Paris (1923)

Directed by Charlie Chaplin

A Woman of Paris_ A Drama of Fate (1923) - Poster

Release Date

November 4, 1923

Runtime

78 Minutes

Director

Charles Chaplin

Writers

Charles Chaplin

Cast

Although Charlie Chaplin was primarily known for slapstick comedy, the legendary filmmaker tried his hand at a genuine drama with A Woman of Paris in 1923. As the only film of Chaplin’s in which he did not appear as an actor, this beautifully directed silent movie explored a woman torn between love and comfort after running into her former fiancé. While contemporary audiences who expected more of Chaplin's signature comedic style were understandably disappointed by A Woman of Paris, modern viewers will be rewarded with a powerful romantic drama.

11 The Ten Commandments (1923)

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille

Moses with a tablet in The Ten Commandments

Director Cecil B. DeMille may have felt the need to revisit his religious epic The Ten Commandments with his iconic 1956 remake, which expanded on its story in scale and scope, but his original film was already an astounding achievement. As a retelling of the biblical story of the Exodus, DeMille pushed special effects to their absolute limit to believably depict Moses parting the Red Sea in a visually impressive scene, even by today’s standards. As a major box office hit at the time of its release, The Ten Commandments was a testament to the increasing potential of cinema in the 1920s.

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10 Dr. Mabuse The Gambler (1922)

Directed by Fritz Lang

Dr. Mabuse The Gambler (1922) - Poster

Release Date

August 8, 1922

Runtime

271 Minutes

Director

Fritz Lang

Writers

Nortbert Jacques, Thea von Harbou

Cast

As one of the most iconic names in German expressionism, Fritz Lang directed some of the most influential movies of all time, including his magnum opus Metropolis in 1927. However, even over 100 years ago, he was at the forefront of filmmaking with his incredible two-part mystery thriller about the arch-criminal Dr. Marbus, the Gambler. This darkly twisted tale of a criminal mastermind with powers of mind control was a true less in style and substance that addressed the hyperinflation that had disseminated Germany in the aftermath of World War I.

9 The Birth Of A Nation (1915)

Directed by D. W. Griffith

Two characters from The Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation was one of the most controversial movies ever made for its racist depiction of African Americans as unintelligent sexual abusers of white women. This reprehensible and inflammatory content did not stop the film from being one of the most successful movies of all time when adjusted for inflation. Yet, despite the unquestionably horrific aspects of this silent epic, The Birth of a Nation was also an extraordinary piece of filmmaking whose technical excellence laid the groundwork for cinema to expand and improve.

8 Intolerance (1916)

Directed by D. W. Griffith

Intolerance Movie Poster

Release Date

September 5, 1916

Runtime

197 Minutes

Director

D. W. Griffith

The censorship that director D. W. Griffith faced for his previous film, The Birth of a Nation, inspired him to explore the theme of prejudice in his follow-up feature, Intolerance. This was yet another tour de force of technical wonder as the three-and-a-half-hour epic intercut between four parallel storylines taking place from 539 BC right up to the year 1914. As a sprawling epic, Intolerance did not have the same racial representation issues viewers had with Griffiths's previous film and was another extraordinary achievement in the art of filmmaking that helped inspire subsequent epics by later directors.

7 The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1923)

Directed by Wallace Worsley

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1923) - Poster

Release Date

September 6, 1923

Runtime

113 Minutes

Director

Wallace Worsley

Cast

Writers

Victor Hugo, Perley Poore Sheehan, Edward T. Lowe Jr., Chester L. Roberts

Main Genre

Drama

As the most successful film of 1923 (via Variety), The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a fantastic adaptation of Victor Hugo’s iconic 1831 novel that featured an astounding performance by screen legend Lon Chaney as Quasimodo. Chaney perfectly embodied the hideously deformed resident of Notre Dame Cathedral in the 15th century as director Wallace Worsley powerfully captured the sorrowful atmosphere of Paris in the past. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was an impressive piece of cinematic history that proved the eternal resonance of Hugo’s classic sorrowful story.

6 Häxan (1922)

Directed by Benjamin Christensen

Haxan Movie Poster

Release Date

September 18, 1922

Runtime

108 Minutes

Director

Benjamin Christensen

Writers

Benjamin Christensen

Studio(s)

Svensk Filmindustri

Distributor(s)

Filmindustri AB Skandias Filmbyrå, The Criterion Collection, HBO Max

Main Genre

Documentary

The Swedish horror Häxan blended documentary and narrative styles to chart the historical roots of witchcraft as caused by misunderstandings of mental or neurological disorders, which triggered mass hysteria. While Häxan was widely censored for its graphic depiction of torture, nudity, and sexuality, it was also a striking modern film that utilized a trailblazing, unique style and impressive visual imagery to produce a film unlike anything else from its time. As director Benjamin Christenensen’s masterpiece, Häxan was equal parts an academic study around ancient fears, an experimental visual showcase, and a pioneering genre-bending trailblazer.