10 Greatest Silent Films of All-Time

One of the most underrated acting skills is the ability to convey what is happening without talking. Most actors use their mouth for about 80% of their acting but the best actors use facial expressions and body language. This is never more obvious than in movies where they don't talk. If you want to see how to use your face and your actions to act then rent some of the best silent films. These are 10 silent films that every movie buff should see.

"The Battleship Potemkin"
In 1958 the Brussels World's Fair named "The Battleship PotemkIn" as the greatest film of all-time. "The Battleship Potemkin" is based on a true story when the crew of a Russian battleship decided to mutiny and rebelled against the Tsar.

"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"
Horror movies thrive on quiet suspenseful moments with no words so it's no surprise for horror movies to make the list of best silent films. "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is considered one of the best horror films of all-time and the director, Robert Wiene, basically created the "twist ending" concept.

"City Lights"
Talking films began to get really popular in 1928 but in 1931 "City Lights" was still considered a great movie even though it was a silent film. It was still enjoyed thanks in large part to Charlie Chaplin and his Tramp character. The Tramp talks a millionaire out of committing suicide and the millionaire becomes best friends with the Tramp...but only when he is drunk. When he is sober he never remembers the Tramp. Meanwhile, The Tramp meets a blind girl and falls in love with her. He then poses as a millionaire and tries to help her raise enough money to have her eyes fixed.

"The General"
"The General" stars another silent film icon, Buster Keaton. "The General" was adapted from "The Great Locomotive" by William Pittenger, a book about the Great Locomotive Chase from 1862. When this silent film was released it was unsuccessful at the box office but is now considered one of the greatest films of all-time.

"The Gold Rush"
In the 1925 silent film, "The Gold Rush", Charlie Chaplin stars as The Tramp once again. This time The Tramp goes to the Yukon to take part in the gold rush. Later in his career Charlie Chaplin was asked what movie he wanted to be best known for and "The Gold Rush" was the film he named. "The Gold Rush" was named as the 58th greatest film of all-time by the American Film Institute and the 25th greatest comedy.

"Metropolis"
"Metropolis" was a film that was way ahead of its time. "Metropolis" is easily the best science fiction film from the early days of movies and is one of the first films about a dystopian future. "Metropolis" is about a world where the high society lives in tall skyscrapers while the lowly workers toil underground. The city is run by Josh Frederson, but one day his son, Freder, journeys underground and begins to have feelings for the workers and how they are mistreated.

"Nosferatu"
Long before vampires sparkled in the Twilight series, the original vampire movie hit theaters. Nosferatu was basically an adaptation of Bram Stoke's Dracula but director F. W. Murnau was not authorized to use the names of the characters because the studio could not obtain the rights. Instead Murnau used "nosferatu" instead of "vampire" and the famous Count Dracula was replaced by Count Orlok.

The Passion of Joan of Arc
"The Passion of Joan of Arc" is a 1928 silent film that told the story of Joan of Arc's trial, her imprisonment and eventually her execution. "The Passion of Joan of Arc" was considered to be ahead of its time as far as quality. The production of the silent film, Carl Theodor Dreyer's direction and Renee Jeanne Falconetti's performances were all possibly the greatest in movie history up to that point.

"Sherlock Jr."
"Sherlock Jr." is another silent film starring Buster Keaton and it also made the AFI's list of top 100 movies of all-time, ranking in at #62. "Sherlock Jr." is about a janitor that falls in love with a girl. A watch belonging to the girl's father disappears and Keaton's character is accused of stealing it. One day at work Keaton's character falls asleep at work and dreams that he is a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective and that he solves the case of the missing piece of jewelry.

"Sunrise: A Song for Two Humans"
In this 1927 silent film a married farmer falls in love with another woman from the city. The woman then tries to convince the farmer to drown his wife. "Sunrise: A Song for Two Humans" was ranked 82nd on AFI's greatest films of all-time and won three Oscars including Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Cinematography and Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production.