1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
This list is based on film reference book edited by Steven Jay Schneider with original essays on each film contributed by over 70 film critics.
1. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
Professor Barbenfouillis and five of his colleagues from the Academy of Astronomy travel to the Moon aboard a rocket propelled by a giant can...
2. The Great Train Robbery (1903)
After the train station clerk is assaulted and left bound and gagged, then the departing train and its passengers robbed, a posse goes in hot...
3. The Birth of a Nation (1915)
Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron i...
4. Les Vampires (1915)
Two journalists attempt to uncover the truth behind the criminal organisation, known as The Vampires, who are terrorizing Paris.
5. Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916)
The story of a poor young woman, separated by prejudice from her husband and baby, is interwoven with tales of intolerance from throughout hi...
6. Broken Blossoms (1919)
The love story of an abused English girl and a Chinese Buddhist in a time when London was a brutal and harsh place to live.
7. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Al...
8. Within Our Gates (1920)
Abandoned by her fiancé, an educated negro woman with a shocking past dedicates herself to helping a near bankrupt school for impoverished ne...
9. Orphans of the Storm (1921)
France, on the eve of the French Revolution. Henriette and Louise have been raised together as sisters. When the plague that takes their pare...
10. The Phantom Carriage (1921)
It's New Year's Eve. Three drunkards evoke a legend. The legend tells that the last person to die in a year, if he is a great sinner, will ha...
11. Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922)
Dr. Mabuse and his organization of criminals are in the process of completing their latest scheme, a theft of information that will allow Mab...
12. Nanook of the North (1922)
This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production...
13. Nosferatu (1922)
Vampire Count Orlok is interested in a new residence and in his real estate agent’s young wife. F. W. Murnau’s unauthorized adaptation of Bra...
14. Häxan (1922)
Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen's legendary film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to e...
15. Foolish Wives (1922)
“Count” Karamzin, a Don Juan, lives off the money he scams from rich ladies who are attracted by his charms and his title. Having set up shop...
16. The Smiling Madame Beudet (1923)
One of the first feminist movies, this is the story of an intelligent woman trapped in a loveless marriage.
17. Our Hospitality (1923)
A man returns to his Appalachian homestead. On the trip, he falls for a young woman. The only problem is her family has vowed to kill every m...
18. La Roue (1923)
Sisif, a railwayman, saves a young girl named Norma orphaned by a train crash and raises her as his own daughter alongside his son, Elie. As ...
19. The Last Laugh (1924)
An aging doorman, after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious Hotel is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbours and ...
20. Sherlock Jr. (1924)
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's f...