Guillermo Garnica Bouchot
Top Sci-fi Silent Films Numbers 40 to 31
40. A Message from Mars (1913) UK D: Wallett Waller
IMDB Rating: 5.0
163 Votes
Considered the first Sci-Fi full-length feature film in English cinema. A martian is sentence to go to earth and try to change the ways of a selfish terrestrial. BFI and BBC restored the film in 2014 and is available on the BFI site (in some countries only) and Youtube.
39. The Strange Story of Sylvia Gray (1914) US D: Charles L. Gaskill
IMDB Rating: 5.4
20 Votes
A drama where the slight nod to Sci-Fi is that we found a character named Dr. Frankenstein. Only similar to Mary Shelley’s character by name, here the doctor is a hypnotist trying to get some hidden money from a blind man by controlling her daughter. Considered lost.
38. La cité foudroyée (1924) (The City Struck by Lightning) France D: Luitz-Morat
IMDB Rating: 5.4
37 Votes
A young but greedy scientist succeeds in controlling lightning. He then decides to blackmail Paris, threatening to destroy it if he does not receive a wealthy ransom. Available in several places.
37. Alraune (1919) Hungary D: Michael Curtiz, Edmund Fritz
IMDB Rating: 5.4
46 Votes
Hungarian adaptation of the classic book written by Hanns Heinz Ewers. A mad scientist creates a beautiful but demonic girl from the union of a woman and a mandrake root. Curtiz will eventually direct the all-time classic Casablanca. Considered lost.
36. Radio-Mania (1922) aka The Man from M.A.R.S. US D: Roy William Neill
IMDB Rating: 5.6
22 Votes
An absent-minded scientist gets in touch with Martians, which provides him with valuable technical information that makes him rich. Considered lost, but some reviews exist around the net.
35. Laughing at Danger (1924) US D: James W. Horne
IMDB Rating: 5.7
38 Votes
Comedy with Sci-Fi elements. When some crooks steal a death ray invented by Cyrus, his son Alan gets involved in the adventures while trying to recover it. Alan thinks this is all a setup from his father to lift him from depression, so Alan takes all the dangers lightly. Preserved prints in Russia and the US. Available here.
34. The Ship That Was Sent Off to Mars (1921) US D: Raymond Griffith
IMDB Rating: 5.8
15 Votes
Almost no information is available for one of the only two films directed by prolific silent actor Raymond Griffith. Considered lost.
33. Black Oxen (1923) US D: Frank Lloyd
IMDB Rating: 5.8
202 Votes
Based on a best-selling book of the same name by Gertrude Atherton. This romance has a subtle Sci-Fi angle depicting a rejuvenating scientific process allowing Madame Zatianny to retain her youth. Widely available.
32. The Last Man on Earth (1924) US D: John G. Blystone
IMDB Rating: 6.0
84 Votes
Comedy/Sci-Fi where Elmer, after being rejected by his long-time sweetheart decides to flee from humanity. Then a disease kills all the males over 14 years old. After ten years in a world ruled by women, Elmer is found living as a hermit. He is now the only living male in the world. Preserved in the US and Belgique, no online sources were available.
31. She (1925) UK-Germany D: Leander De Cordova, G.B. Samuelson
IMDB Rating: 5.9
138 Votes
Based on a novel by H. Rider Haggard of the same name. While on an expedition in Ethiopia, Leo finds that he is the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian king. Preserved at UCLA in the US. Several options to watch the film.
