IMO, for whatever reason, the great comedies of the silent era are a lot more approachable to a modern viewer than the great dramas. Even the lesser comedies ar

IMO, for whatever reason, the great comedies of the silent era are a lot more approachable to a modern viewer than the great dramas. Even the lesser comedies are usually quite watchable. Of the dramas I'd recommend The Passion of Joan of Arc over anything else I've seen, for someone who hasn't watched much from that time period. It's both excellent, and easier to watch (in one sense, I mean, obviously the subject is pretty rough) than most other non-comedy silent films.