Foolish Wives - 1922

Foolish Wives (1922) is an American drama silent film written and directed by Erich von Stroheim. Although uncredited, the motion picture was produced by Irving Thalberg, who would go on to become one of the studio heads of all time at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The drama features von Stroheim, Rudolph Christians, Miss DuPont, Maude George, and others.
When released in 1922, the film was the most expensive film made at that time, and billed by Universal Studios as the "first million-dollar movie" to come out of Hollywood. Originally, von Stroheim intended for the film to run anywhere between 6 and 10 hours, and shown over two evenings, but the Universal studio heads were opposed to his idea. The studio bosses cut the film drastically before the release date.
In 2008, Foolish Wives was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Director: Erich von Stroheim
Writers: Marian Ainslee (titles), Walter Anthony (titles)
Stars: Rudolph Christians, Miss DuPont and Maude George

La roue - 1923

La Roue (English: The Wheel) is a French silent film, directed by Abel Gance, who later directed Napoléon and J'accuse!. It was released in 1923. Originally running over nine hours, its recent editions have been cut to about four hours. The film used then-revolutionary lighting techniques, and rapid scene changes and cuts.
Railroad engineer Sisif rescues a small orphan, whose name he learns is Norma, following a disastrous crash. He raises the little girl as his own, along with his son Elie, whose mother died during his birth.
In time, Norma becomes a lively and playful young woman. Her greatest joy is time spent with Elie, by now a handsome violin maker. whom she believes to be her natural brother. But Sisif, to his own horror, finds himself falling in love with his adopted daughter. Sisif confesses to a partner, Hersan, that he is preoccupied in an unhealthy way with Norma. Hersan threatens Sisif with blackmail if he does not consent to give Norma to him in marriage. Sisif reluctantly agrees with this arrangement, and himself drives the train that will deliver Norma to her husband. Distraught, he drives recklessly, and nearly wrecks the train.
An eye injury forces Sisif to abandon his trade, and he goes to work instead on the funicular at Mont Blanc. When Norma comes to vacation at Chamonix with her husband, she learns where Sisif and Elie live. Hersan finds out that Elie is also in love with Norma when he smashes a violin that was made by Elie. Inside is a love letter that only Hersan reads. A jealous Hersan fights with Elie on the mountain. Elie falls to his death, but not before mortally wounding Hersan. Sisif, enraged by Elie's death, blames Norma and drives her away. But she returns, and with Sisif's eyesight almost completely gone, manages to live undetected in his shack for a time. When he at last realizes she is there, they cling to one another, time and tragedy having restored the balance in their father-daughter relationship.
Sisif grows old, cared for by Norma. After sending her out to join in a local festivity, Sisif waits at the window, watching not with his eyes but with his mind. As Norma dances, Sisif dies.
Director: Abel Gance
Writer: Abel Gance
Stars: Séverin-Mars, Ivy Close and Gabriel de Gravone

J'accuse - 1919

J'accuse (1919, I Accuse) is a French silent film directed by Abel Gance. It juxtaposes a romantic drama with the background of the horrors of World War I, and it is sometimes described as a pacifist or anti-war film. Work on the film began in 1918 and some scenes were filmed on real battlefields. The film's powerful depiction of wartime suffering, and particularly its climactic sequence of the "return of the dead", made it an international success, and confirmed Gance as one of the most important directors in Europe.

Kong Haakon 7 kommer til Kristiania -1905

22. november 1905. Ikke lyd. Film: Hans Berge

Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman - 1917

Raffles The Amateur Cracksman is a 1917 silent film starring John Barrymore. The film also co-stars Frank Morgan, Evelyn Brent and Mike Donlin. The film was directed by George Irving.
A J Raffles a handsome jewel thief masquerades as a gentleman of society fitting in with well-to-do people. He dons a mask and waits for an opportune moment to steal belongings, usually some jewelry and to take advantage of unsuspecting women whether at an estate or aboard a passenger ship. Raffles knows secret passage ways to aid his escape from capture such as disappearing into a large grandfather clock that is really a secret doorway. He even eludes capture by jumping off a ship and swimming to shore while women passengers fire pistols at him.
Director: George Irving
Writers: E.W. Hornung (stories) (play "Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman"), Anthony Paul Kelly, and 1 more credit »
Stars: John Barrymore, Christine Mayo and H. Cooper Cliffe

Hull Fair -1902

The film is silent, but given the liveliness of the crowd it's easy to speculate on the banter being exchanged between the crowd and the black boxers. Their existence almost fifty years before the main wave of commonwealth immigration is evidence that black people have been part of everyday British society for longer than official history books have chosen to acknowledge. (Karen Alexander)

Petticoat Lane - 1903

This fascinating film provides an authentic view of London's East End from over a hundred years ago. Flat-capped men flow in a Sunday morning tide down Middlesex Street - better known by its unofficial name, Petticoat Lane - just as they have for generations.
This most Cockney of London markets caters to the second clothes trade: at the time when this film was made, the market was dominated by the East End street sellers and the Jewish rag trade (almost all the names on the shop fronts are Jewish). As the camera pans across the market, we see the traders raised above the general level, barking at the crowd. The few women in the picture are stall-holders, selling patched-up trousers and restored boots, while a nearby card sharp tempts the punters. (Bryony Dixon)