Age of the Silver Screen

Dedicated to movies of the silent era, including silent stars and films, silent comedy & horror, books about the silent era, history of silent cinema and DVDs.

The idea of combining motion pictures with recorded sound is nearly as old as film itself, but because of the technical challenges involved, most films were silent before the late 1920s. The silent film era is sometimes referred to as the Age of the Silver Screen.

Top grossing silent films in dollars
1. The Birth of a Nation (1915) - $10,000,000
2. The Big Parade (1925) - $6,400,000
3. Ben-Hur (1925) - $5,500,000
4. Way Down East (1920) - $5,000,000
5. The Gold Rush (1925) - $4,250,000
6. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - $4,000,000
7. The Circus (1928) - $3,800,000
8. The Covered Wagon (1923) - $3,800,000
9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) - $3,500,000
10. The Ten Commandments (1923) - $3,400,000
11. Orphans of the Storm (1921) - $3,000,000
12. For Heaven's Sake (1926) - $2,600,000
13. Seventh Heaven (1926) - $2,400,000
14. Abie's Irish Rose (1928) - $1,500,000

Essential Must-See Silent Films of the 1920s
1922
Robin Hood
Orphans of the Storm
Tess of the Storm Country
Blood and Sand
Oliver Twist
Dr. Jack
Smilin' Through
One Exciting Night
Foolish Wives
Manslaughter
Nosferatu

1923
The Covered Wagon
The Ten Commandments
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Safety Last
Why Worry
Rosita

1924
The Iron Horse
The Sea Hawk
The Thief of Bagdad
Hot Water
Girl Shy
America

1925
The Big Parade
The Gold Rush
The Freshman
Don Q, Son of Zorro
The Phantom of the Opera
The Merry Widow
The Lost World
Charley's Aunt

1926
Ben-Hur
What Price Glory?
Beau Geste
For Heaven's Sake
The Black Pirate
Son of the Sheik

1927
Wings
The Jazz Singer
King of Kings
The Kid Brother
The Gaucho
Uncle Tom's Cabin