The Best 100 Films of the 1920's — Films Fatale
Andreas Babs
The 1920's is the earliest decade that seemed right to rank, given the amount of classics and innovative productions from this roaring time. Andreas Babiolakis has selected the one hundred greatest pictures of this time: from silent epics to the greatest early talkies.
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Films Fatale
Well, we have reached the final decade list of my experiment. We will have a few additional “Best 100” lists (including the best documentaries, short films, music videos, and one hundred important early films that came before the year 1920), but this “Best 100 Films of the 1920’s” is as far back as I’m going with selecting the greatest feature films of an entire decade. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, the 1920’s, while excellent, was a signal that ranking works from here on out is only going to become even more shallow. Secondly, we’re at a point where the majority of films are problematic in a multitude of ways, and I fear that trying to label some of the earlier films as “better” than others (especially when there are so many aspects of early film history that I’m not exactly thrilled about) just feels wrong. Besides, the ‘20s was when film was becoming what we know it as now. There are definitely feature works that came before this decade, but this was the first chunk of time when there are enough excellent feature films to make a list like this.

So, let’s take this opportunity to soak in where we’re at right now. At this list’s oldest possible entires, some of the films here are one hundred years old. One. Hundred. Years. Old. That’s mind boggling. Thanks to the internet, film preservation, and the discoveries of lost films happening at random times, we have access to these works that depicted a world one whole century ago. That’s another key factor: these are only the best one hundred films of the 1920’s that we know about. There are countless lost films that we can only hope to find one day, if they even exist in any capacity (there’s a big chance they simply don’t). Will we be able to update this list one day when 4 Devils is finally dug up? What about our ability to reevaluate any of the films that are missing portions? We slowly found out why not many outlets have tried to make a list like this for the 1920’s: you’re sifting through a small pool of what actually once was, and any effort won’t be the ultimate representation that the time period deserves.

Nonetheless, I found the experience very fulfilling (although watching nothing but silent pictures [with the occasional talkie] was certainly interesting). The 1920’s was home to a club of hungry storytellers trying everything they can to seize this rising medium, before it was fully figured out. There are a few iconic faces and names, who were even big for their time (like Mary Pickford or Buster Keaton, amongst many others), but this is still a sandbox where so many different ideas were tossed into theatres to see what would stick. One hundred (or so) years later, we’ve had more than enough time to see what time has dictated as the finest pictures, as per the evolution of cinema from this point on. Out of all of the films I could actually watch, I feel like this is a fine selection of inspirational pictures in the roaring ‘20s: both the works and their respective era chased for the future of innovation, art and culture. Here are the best one hundred films of the 1920’s.

Disclaimer: Documentaries and shorts are to be featured on upcoming lists, and will not be included here.

Be sure to check out my other Best 100 lists of every decade here.

1. Metropolis

Okay, so we have a bit of an obvious first place pick here, but hear me out. Consider how many different ideas and experiments took place in all of the 1920’s, as a means of exploring how far one can go within the cinematic medium. We’ve seen a whole range of different attempts through rising filmmakers, nations wanting to come out on top, and citizens with something to say in this fresh artistic medium. With all of this in mind (and the crazy competition throughout these ten years), it’s honestly a miracle that Metropolis is the absolutely certain answer as to what the best film of the decade is. Think about it: to be this certifiably profound, impactful, innovative, and monumental in a decade full of creation and prowess with such certainty over ninety years later has to mean something.

Fritz Lang’s magnum opus, in short, changed science fiction (on any front, and not just in film) forever. Period. That’s the least that it did, and it’s already an extraordinary achievement. Every sci-fi piece since has been tethered to Metropolis’ depictions of classes in a futuristic setting, including the dystopian sufferings of the impoverished and the godly paradise of the upper class (as if it were all but a dream). The way Lang painted a future civilization in all of its highest of highs (flying vehicles) and lowest of lows (people who literally live in the depths of the city) is an image countless storytellers have copied, parodied, and aspired to best ever since, but every attempt pales in comparison. Is Metropolis the best silent picture ever? Yes, but it’s so much more than that as well. It keeps up with any masterful talkie and shines as one of the greatest films ever made.

The greatest joy of Metropolis is how it has received a number of rebirths over the years, as if viewers have been inspired to create life (as is done in the picture). These include new original scores and remixes of the picture. These also match the discoveries of new portions of the film that were previously lost, and Metropolis only continues to get better and better with each reunited piece; we’re still missing portions of the film, and it’s perfect regardless. At this point, Metropolis is like a miraculous artifact that you’ll never fully know the story of, but it doesn’t matter. What you have is pure brilliance enough. In a picture full of steel, dark magic, machinery, and death, there is a link between soul and thought: the union between the hard workers and the fortunate dreamers. Fritz Lang embodied all of this as a director, and there’s no greater piece of evidence of this than Metropolis: the greatest film of the 1920’s.