A breakthrough film in many respects, The Jazz Singer was the first feature-length movie with synchronized sound. Based on the real-life story of legendary entertainer Al Jolson, the restoration of this 85 year-old film is superb. Be advised that most of the film is silent with titles and it does have a few scenes with Jolson in "blackface".
A deeply moving, beautiful, and transcendent look at the trial and execution of Jeanne d'Arc, Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 silent masterpiece has yet to be surpassed.
Heroic quests, castles, dragons, magnificent visuals and an evocative romantic score define Fritz Lang's 1924 two-part silent fantasy classic Die Nibelungen.
Lonesome is a minor classic of the "silent" era although it has some interpolated talking scenes. Director Pál Fejös provides some cutting edge visual effects for the times, and, mostly, lets this simple love story tell itself.
The Gold Rush, an early silent-film era epic that vaulted Charlie Chaplin's career, is presented in two lovingly restored versions by the Criterion Collection. The remastering efforts result in a triumph of technology over the ravages of time making for an entertaining watch.