With Gandhi Talks Now In Theatres, Here's A Look At IMDb's Top-Rated Silent Films

Hyderabad: The silent film Gandhi Talks hit theatres on January 30, 2026, and now audiences are once again appreciating the allure of movies that tell stories without spoken words. Directed by Kishor Pandurang Belekar and starring Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swamy, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Siddharth Jadhav, the film highlights how money and emotions shape people's lives. As this unique film releases, here's a look at some of IMDb's top-rated silent films that viewers can enjoy at home.

City Lights (1931)

IMDb Rating: 8.5

Director: Charles Chaplin

Cast: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers

City Lights is a romantic comedy-drama film by Charlie Chaplin, who wrote it, directed it, produced it, and acted in it. The film has sound effects and music but no spoken dialogue. It narrates the tale of Chaplin's character, the Tramp, who develops feelings for a blind woman (played by Virginia Cherrill) and makes friends with a wealthy but excessively inebriated man (played by Harry Myers).

Man With A Movie Camera (1929)

IMDb Rating: 8.5

Director: Dziga Vertov

Cast: Mikhail Kaufman, Elizaveta Svilova

Man With A Movie Camera is an experimental film shown in six parts. It uses creative editing like slow motion, fast motion, split images, and quick cuts. The film follows a cameraman travelling around cities to record daily life. It shows life in urban areas and people from different social classes. Although it says there are no actors, some scenes are staged. The film also shows the editor at work and uses stop-motion to make objects and even a camera appear to move on their own.

Metropolis (1927)

IMDb Rating: 8.2

Director: Fritz Lang

Cast: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich

Metropolis is a sci-fi movie set in a future city where the wealthy live in skyscrapers, and the workers live underground, operating the machinery. Freder, the son of the ruler of the city, discovers the plight of the workers after he meets Maria, a compassionate woman who wants there to be peace between the workers and the wealthy. An inventor creates a robot copy of Maria to trick the workers into rebelling, which causes chaos and a flood. The real Maria and Freder save the children. Ultimately, Freder demonstrates how empathy and understanding can bring the wealthy and the working class together.

The Kid (1921)

IMDb Rating: 8.2

Director: Charles Chaplin

Cast: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan

The Kid is a silent film by Charlie Chaplin about a poor man, the Tramp, who finds an abandoned baby and raises him with love. They live happily despite being poor and make money by performing some tricks. The real mother of the child, who is rich, meets him unknowingly. When the authorities try to take the boy away, the Tramp fights for him. Finally, the mother finds her child, and the Tramp is reunited with them, which is a beautiful example of love, care, and family.

The Kid was Chaplin's first feature film as a director. It was a massive hit and was the second-highest-grossing film of 1921.

Napoleon (1927)

IMDb Rating: 8.2

Director: Abel Gance

Cast: Albert Dieudonné, Nicolas Roudenko, Edmond Van Daële

Napoléon is a French silent epic historical film that tells the story of Napoleon's early years. Written by director Abel Gance, his original script was published in 1927. Many scenes he wrote were later cut and are not in any known version of the film.

The movie begins with young Napoleon at a military school in Brienne, where he turns a snowball fight into a smart battle plan but gets mocked by other boys. Years later, during the French Revolution, he is a young officer. Danger in Corsica forces him and his family to escape to France. He proves his talent at the Siege of Toulon and earns a promotion. After a short time in prison during political unrest, he is freed. He falls in love with Joséphine, protects the government, rises as a top commander, marries her, and leads France to victory in Italy.

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