9 Most Outstanding Russian SILENT Movies You Can Watch for FREE

Yakov Protazanov/Mezhrabpom-Rus, 1924

These films were made at the dawn of Russian cinematography, but still amaze viewers even today.

1 ‘The Queen of Spades’, 1916

This was one of the first experiments in Russian cinema in the horror genre. Yakov Protazanov’s film, based on Pushkin’s story, exudes a disturbing atmosphere and masterfully portrays the madness of the main character. Scenes from the countess’s youth alternate with Herman’s own story, giving the film a certain rhythm. By the way, the film was the first to use a moving camera.

Watch the movie online for free here.

2 ‘Father Sergius’, 1918

Contemporaries said that the film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Leo Tolstoy about a brilliant young soldier, who, experiencing a personal tragedy, goes to a monastery and rejects the temptations of life, shocked the audience. Against the background of frivolous melodramas, Yakov Protazanov’s film became one of the most impressive events in young cinema. Interestingly, the director had long planned to make ‘Father Sergius’ but was hampered by a ban on depicting members of the royal family and the clergy.

Watch the movie online for free here.

3 ‘Aëlita’, 1924

The first Soviet science fiction film, based on a story by Alexei Tolstoy. Earth engineers invent a machine they call “interplanetonef” to travel to other planets.

Meanwhile, their lives are observed by the Queen of Mars, Aelita, using a special device. Once they arrive on the red planet, the heroes discover that the local population is living in slave-like conditions and they rebel.

The music for ‘Aelita’ was written by composers Alexander Scriabin and Igor Stravinsky. Yakov Protazanov’s film is an example of a constructivist style. For example, the costumes for the characters were created by famous artists Alexandra Exter and Nadezhda Lamanova.

Watch the movie online for free here.

4 ‘Strike’, 1924

A worker, wrongly accused of stealing tools, commits suicide. The outraged factory workers stage a strike – refusing to go to work and demanding a wage increase and a shorter working day. The police and Cossacks suppress the riot and shoot the demonstrators. Sergei Eisenstein’s film would now be called a ‘mockumentary’: although it is fiction, it gives the impression of a documentary and amazes with scenes from the audience.

Watch the movie online for free here.

5 ‘Kino-Eye’, 1924

Like Dziga Vertov’s other films, ‘Kinoglaz’ (‘Kino-Eye’) was a huge experiment. It would be the first in the ‘Uninsured life’ cycle. There are no professional actors or sets. The camera lens shows ordinary people going about their usual activities. Each episode is a short story: about the first Soviet pioneer camp, baking bread, training athletes. Sometimes the film goes in the other direction (and then the audience watches a loaf of bread turn back into ears of corn). The unusual approach impressed not only the Soviet, but also the international audience: the film received a silver prize at the World Exhibition in Paris.

Watch the movie online for free here.

6 ‘The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks’, 1924

A comedy by Lev Kuleshov about an American in the USSR with the subtitle: “The punished and rewarded curiosity of the Yankees.” Mr. West, arriving in the Soviet Union, immediately falls into the clutches of local swindlers. His bodyguard Jeddy fires a gun in search of his boss and races cars and train cars. The film is a kind of encyclopedia of the prejudices that existed at the time about the USSR and its inhabitants. History buffs will appreciate views of Moscow’s original Cathedral of Christ the Savior; a few years after filming it was blown up.

Watch the movie online for free here.

7 ‘Battleship Potemkin’, 1925

Initially, director Sergei Eisenstein planned to make a film about the 1905 revolution in various cities in Russia. But deadlines were tight and the director decided to limit himself to just the episode about the battleship uprising. This is how the film appeared, which has been on the lists of masterpieces of world cinema for many years. And the scene of the execution on the Potemkin steps, as a stroller rolls down, still makes the heart clench with fear.

Watch the movie online for free here.

8 ‘Mother’, 1926

A film by Vsevolod Pudovkin based on the novel of the same name by Maxim Gorky, but with a noticeably changed plot. Factory worker Vlasov drowns his life in alcohol. His wife, the silent and submissive Nilovna, endures all his attacks. But his son Pavel, who does not want the same fate as his father, joins the revolutionary movement. Gradually the mother takes her son’s side. But their fate is tragic: they both die during the breakup of the demonstration.

Watch the movie online for free here.

9 ‘Man with a Movie Camera’, 1929

Without a script or set, without credits or actors, Dziga Vertov’s ‘Man with a Movie Camera’ is a look at life in Soviet cities, where everything is in motion. Cars speed by, people work in factories and there is a lively trade on the market: the camera observes imperturbably what is happening. The film is not only an example of avant-garde cinema, but also a real encyclopedia. It is no coincidence that Vertov called the creation of an international film language one of the goals of his film.

Watch the movie online for free here.

Dear readers,

Due to the current circumstances, our website and social media accounts are at risk of being restricted or banned. To keep up to date with our latest content, simply do the following:

• Subscribe to our Telegram channel
• Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter
• Enable push notifications on our website
• Install a VPN service on your computer and/or phone to access our website even if it is blocked in your country

If you use the content of Russia Beyond in whole or in part, always maintain an active hyperlink to the original material.