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Greatest Films
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Greatest Films
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Return
1927
- The General (1927), 74 minutes, D: Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton's silent masterpiece, a great comedy set during the Civil War. Keaton plays Johnnie Gray, a devoted engineer of his Confederate locomotive, The General. His train (with his girl tied and gagged in one of the cars) is hijacked by Union soldiers behind Southern lines, and taken North. He masterfully and single-handedly pursues them to recapture his train and his girl in one of the greatest chase sequences of all time. The acrobatic stuntwork, Keaton's deadpan expressions, location photography and sight gags are remarkable.
- The Jazz Singer (1927), 89 minutes, D: Alan Crosland
A milestone film in cinematic history, the first film to incorporate sound, the first "talkie." With only a few ad-libbed or spoken lines, most of the sound sequences are musical performances by Al Jolson, including "Toot, Toot Tootsie Goodbye," "Blue Skies" and "Mammy." The film is the story of a Jewish cantor's son Jakie/Jack Robin (Al Jolson) who breaks his orthodox father's heart by becoming a jazz singer in show business. But on the night of his Broadway opening, he returns home to sing the "Kol Nidre" in his dying father's place.
- Metropolis (1927), 120 minutes, D: Fritz Lang, remade in 1984 with rock music and selective color tinting
Set in the year 2026, the film is the story of a mad scientist Rotwang, who believes robots could replace the discontented human workforce. He creates a beautiful female robot (identical to Maria, a peace-loving young girl who is respected by the workers) to provoke the workers into a revolt, leading to their destruction by a great flood.
- Sunrise (1927), 97-110 minutes, D: F.W. Murnau
Subtitled, "A Song of Two Humans." The poignant tale of a country village farmer (George O'Brien) who is seduced by a sophisticated, city-wise temptress (Margaret Livingston) to plot the drowning/murder of his wife (Janet Gaynor), his true love.
- Wings (1927), 139 minutes, D: William Wellman
The first Oscar-winning film for Best Picture, and the only non-speaking film ever to win the Academy Award. One of the most exciting silent dramas, with spectacular action and aerial photography of the dogfight/combat flying sequences (including actual WWI wartime combat footage), some of which are color-tinted. The film is the story of two American pilots from the same hometown who enlist together in the Army Air Corps in World War I. They are sent to France to battle the Germans. They both compete for the love of small-town girl next door (Clara Bow). Includes a remarkable death scene of one of the two flyers.
Created in 1996-2008 © by Tim Dirks. All rights reserved.
