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1926 Movies

Take a nostalgic look back at the top movies of 1926, celebrating the films, directors and actors that defined the year and left a lasting legacy in the world of entertainment.

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The Son of the Sheik
Written by: Frances Marion, Fred de Gresac, George Marion Jr.
Directed by: George Fitzmaurice
Starring: Rudolph Valentino, Vilma Bánky, Montagu Love, Karl Dane, George Fawcett
Country: United States of America
Outline: The son of the sheik and a dancing girl fall in love, but when he is made to believe she has betrayed him he seeks revenge.
source: imdb.com
The Black Pirate
Written by: Jack Cunningham
Directed by: Albert Parker
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Tempe Pigott, Donald Crisp
Country: United States of America
Outline: Pirates loot a ship of its riches before blowing it up. Father-and-son survivors of noble birth wash ashore of an island, and the injured father perishes. The son (Douglas Fairbanks) promises to seek revenge by infiltrating the same band of buccaneers and bringing them to justice. Posing as the 'Black Pirate,' he defeats the captain, captures a merchant ship single-handedly and earns himself a role as their new leader. Unanticipated is a princess (Billie Dove) who needs protection.
source: imdb.com
Don Juan
Written by: Gerald Duffy, John Barrymore, Jack Lait, Jr.
Directed by: Alan Crosland
Starring: John Barrymore, Mary Astor, Estelle Taylor, Montagu Love
Country: United States of America
Outline: The legendary lover Don Juan comes to the aid of a young woman whose father is being threatened by a powerful nobleman.
source: imdb.com
Beau Geste
Written by: Percy S. Foster, William J. Locke, J. E. Harold Terry
Directed by: Herbert Brenon
Starring: Ronald Colman, Neil Hamilton, Ralph Forbes, William Powell
Country: United States of America
Outline: Three brothers join the French Foreign Legion and are stationed in the Sahara Desert, where they face numerous challenges and dangers.
source: imdb.com
Brown of Harvard
Written by: George Ade, William Hurlbut
Directed by: Jack Conway
Starring: Jack Pickford, Mary Brian, William Haines, Claire Adams
Country: United States of America
Outline: A young man from Harvard University faces challenges and temptations as he strives to uphold his family's honor and legacy.
source: imdb.com
The General
Written by: Al Boasberg, Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, Charles Smith
Directed by: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
Starring: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack
Country: United States of America
Outline: During the American Civil War, engineer Johnnie Gray embarks on a daring mission to retrieve his stolen locomotive, The General, from Union spies. His journey becomes a thrilling chase through enemy lines, blending action and comedy.
source: imdb.com
Faust
Written by: Gerhart Hauptmann, Hans Kyser, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Directed by: F.W. Murnau
Starring: Gösta Ekman, Emil Jannings, Camilla Horn
Country: Germany
Outline: In this German silent classic, the demon Mephisto wagers with an archangel that he can corrupt the soul of the good alchemist Faust. Mephisto's temptations lead Faust into a downward spiral, testing his morality and soul.
source: imdb.com
Ella Cinders
Written by: Frank Griffin, Mervyn LeRoy
Directed by: Alfred E. Green
Starring: Colleen Moore, Lloyd Hughes
Country: United States of America
Outline: Ella Cinders, oppressed and abused by her stepmother and stepsisters, wins a contest for a film role in Hollywood.
source: rottentomatoes.com
Bardelys the Magnificent
Written by: Dorothy Farnum
Directed by: King Vidor
Starring: John Gilbert, Eleanor Boardman, Roy D'Arcy, Karl Dane
Country: United States of America
Outline: A dashing rogue assumes the identity of a dead traitor and hides at the estate of a lovely, but icy, aristocrat.
source: rottentomatoes.com
The Canadian
Written by: Arthur Stringer, Julian Johnson, W. Somerset Maugham
Directed by: William Beaudine
Starring: Thomas Meighan, Mona Palma, Wyndham Standing, Dale Fuller, Charles Winninger, Billy Butts
Country: United States of America
Outline: A Canadian wheat farmer, Frank Taylor, faces hardships when his sister-in-law, Nora Marsh, moves in after losing her wealth in England. Tensions rise as Nora clashes with Frank's wife, Gertie, leading to unexpected consequences.
source: imdb.com
The Belle of Broadway
Written by: J. Grubb Alexander, Jean Perry
Directed by: Harry O. Hoyt
Starring: Betty Compson, Herbert Rawlinson, Edith Yorke
Country: United States of America
Outline: Adele, once the star of Paris theater, faces obscurity in her later years. She enlists a young woman, Marie, to impersonate her, leading to a revival of her former success.
source: imdb.com
Devil's Island
Written by: Leah Baird
Directed by: Frank O'Connor
Starring: Pauline Frederick, Marian Nixon, George J. Lewis, Richard Tucker, William R. Dunn, Leo White, John Miljan, Harry Northrup, Tom Mintz
Country: United States of America
Outline: A French surgeon, Jean Valyon, is sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. His fiancée, Jeannette Picto, joins him, leading to a complex tale of love and sacrifice.
source: imdb.com
Spangles
Written by: Leah Baird, Hugh Hoffman, Nellie Revell
Directed by: Frank O'Connor
Starring: Marian Nixon, Pat O'Malley, Hobart Bosworth, Gladys Brockwell
Country: United States of America
Outline: Spangles, a circus bareback rider, becomes entangled with Dick, a fugitive she believes innocent of murder. Their love story unfolds amidst circus life and a series of misunderstandings.
source: imdb.com
The Duchess of Buffalo
Written by: Hanns Kräly, George Marion Jr.
Directed by: Sidney Franklin
Starring: Constance Talmadge, Tullio Carminati, Edward Martindel, Rose Dione, Chester Conklin
Country: United States of America
Outline: Set in pre-revolutionary Russia, Marian Duncan, an American dancer, becomes the fiancée of army officer Vladimir Orloff, unaware that the Grand Duke is also in love with her, leading to comedic complications.
source: imdb.com