As one of the few films where star Douglas Fairbanks had spoken parts, The Iron Mask is viewed as one of his finest roles. While the stunts take a step back from his earlier films, this sequel to The Three Musketeers focuses on the character of D'Artagnan and seemingly benefits from it.

Source: https://archive.org/details/1929-the-iron-mask_202506

This Chinese romantic tragedy follows a woman from childhood up until old age as she grapples with whether to fulfill herself by being with the person she loves, or fulfill her duty to her family by marrying a wealthier man. This film was thought lost for decades before a full print was found in the 1990's.

Source: https://archive.org/details/love-and-duty-1931_202507

One of the top grossing silent films ever made, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was also a critical darling on release. It was an important success not only for director Rex Ingram and star Rudolph Valentino, but also for writer June Mathis, one of the few female writers in Hollywood at the time. The film follows a young man and his family, split between both Germany and France, as world war I begins and ravages Europe.

Source: https://archive.org/details/the-four-horsemen-of-the-apocalypse-1921-1080p-bluray-opus-1-0-x-264-retro-peeps

Erich Von Stroheim's third picture, Foolish Wives was a commercial flop that had been trimmed down by the studio from over six hours down to under two. It was billed as the first film to ever cost more than a million dollars to make. This version uses some antique footage to try and restore the picture closer to the original cut.

Sourced from Cinema4Reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2xfbRcvu-4

Source: https://archive.org/details/foolish-wives-1922_202505

The first full-length all-talking motion picture, Lights of New York was such a monumental box office smash that it essentially killed silent film overnight. It was created for about 23,000 dollars, but made over 1,250,000 by the end of its run. Contemporary and modern critics don't have much to say about the film besides as a curio, but it still is likely worth viewing for the impact that it made on the industry.

Source: https://archive.org/details/lights-of-new-york-1928_202507

The Lost Zeppelin is an Adventure film that isn't exactly remembered well. Still, it had appeal among younger audiences and a unique premise. The main character was modeled after a navy commander who had made a documentary about the south pole.

Youtube version sourced from "Full Length Movie House": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tETWZbMG2Q

Source: https://archive.org/details/the-lost-zeppelin-1929-fourtl

Banned in Chicago the year it was released for "immorality", Alibi was nominated for three Academy Awards, and was thought of as the greatest gangster film yet made. Modern reviews are less glowing, but the picture still serves as an interesting Pre-code crime drama.

Source: https://archive.org/details/alibi_1929_202506

Known for being the first American film to show a romantic/erotic kiss between two women, this film is actually a religion-based screed against fast and free living. Ironically, more than any of the messages that the writer and director wanted to convey, the film is really only mentioned now with interest in the brief, but landmark, kiss.

Source: https://archive.org/details/manslaughter-1922

One of star Lillian Gish's first big box office flops, Annie Laurie also did not have much impact critically upon release. Modern reviewers, however, find much to praise in the Scottish epic. Particularly commending Gish's performance and the setting. The story follows Annie Laurie as she falls in the middle of a clash between two Scottish clans.

Source: https://archive.org/details/annie-laurie-1927

Dolores del Rio stars in this romantic tragedy about a woman who searches years and across a continent to try to find her lost lover, though seemingly she is always just a little too late to catch up. While there is no spoken dialogue, there is an attached soundtrack, with Rio singing near the end of the picture.

Source: https://archive.org/details/evangeline-1929

The film that made Clara Bow into one of the most popular actresses of the period, "It" follows a poor girl who has a crush on the owner of the store she works at. She gets a chance to get his attention, but before long a misunderstanding makes him reconsider their relationship. A huge hit critically and commercially on release, It was also considered lost for years before a print was found in Prague.

Source: https://archive.org/details/it-1927

The first full length film to ever feature a prerecorded soundtrack, Don Juan stars John Barrymore as a cynical womanizer who finds true love, before others try to sabotage him. Critics were mostly unimpressed with the picture, but audiences came out in droves to see and hear the film with the attached soundtrack.

Source: https://archive.org/details/don-juan-1926_202507

As an early martial-arts film, Red Heroine has a lot to offer. It has fantasy elements, sword fighting, and plenty of special effects. While there doesn't seem to be much evidence of surviving reviews or box office returns, this film seems to have enough to offer that it was likely a hit on release.

Though it is the highest quality picture I could find, this version has part of the picture cut off. Because of this, new English subtitles are burnt-in to the picture to translate what is off screen or frankly just poorly translated.

Source: https://archive.org/details/red-heroine-1929

F.W. Murnau's first American film, Sunrise, is frequently lauded as one of the greatest silent films ever created. A romantic drama about infidelity, attempted murder, and rekindled love, it was a success critically and financially.

Source: https://archive.org/details/sunrise.-a.-song.-of.-two.-humans.-1927.720p.-blu-ray.x-264-hdclub-public-hd

This railroad drama was filmed in Montana, and also takes place in the state. It follows two railway men as they fight for the love of a woman. The film has rare "tug-of-war" footage between two steam locomotives, as well as the only known surviving film footage to show a dynamometer maintenance car from this era. More intriguingly, Danger Lights was the only film to be recorded in a costly widescreen format that wasn't used again until the 1950's.

Source: https://archive.org/details/danger-lights-1930_202506

This part-talkie romantic dramedy follows two New Yorkers who meet, fall in love, and then lose track of each other over a 24 hour period. Contemporary critics praised the direction but faulted the simple plot. Modern reviews think of this film as one of the great pictures that was released during the transition between silent and fully talking movies.

Source: https://archive.org/details/lonesome-1928_202507

This pioneering sci-fi/steampunk film follows jewel thief and disguise-master Filibus, as she grapples with a detective on her trail. She utilizes cross-dressing, an air ship, and even romancing the sister of the detective to get away with her crimes. Modern viewers praise the timeless themes and the uniqueness of Filibus as a character. One international film festival called her probably one of the first lesbian characters ever, while another stated that Filibus might be an early example of a gender-fluid character. Unfortunately, some reviewers have also noted that the plot seems disjointed at times.

Source: https://archive.org/details/filibus-1915

This picture follows a rambunctious young woman who is sent to a new home to settle down. Rather than do so, she dresses up as a man to escape to the night life of her new city. This romantic comedy is mostly known for the drunken kiss that is shared between what appears to be two men, though it turns out that one is just cross-dressing. Otherwise it is a simple but entertaining comedy from a prolific and distinguished director.

Source: https://archive.org/details/i-dont-want-to-be-a-man-1918

Lost for multiple decades, a 35mm print of Why Be Good? was discovered in an Italian archive in the late 1990's. It follows a man whose father states that the women of that time have no virtues. The woman he is interested in has her father repeat something similar about young men of the time. Eventually the young man decides to "test" the virtue of the woman he is in love with.

Source: https://archive.org/details/why-be-good-1929_202507

Hell's Heroes is a western film adaptation of the novel *The Three Godfathers. *In a retrospective review, Peter C. Mowrey called the film a
"masterpiece" in some regards, though limited by "almost amateurish
visual missteps."

Source: https://archive.org/details/hells-heroes-1929