Sadie Thompson (Silent, 1928) Gloria Swanson torrent

This famous story by Somerset Maugham was later told in Rain (Joan Crawford, 1932) and Miss Sadie Thompson (Rita Hayworth, 1952) and various other movies. Althogh I prefer the 1932 version (it has astonishingly good visuals, quite as good as the best silents, and the sound of continually pouring rain is well used), this silent version has a lot to offer. It is reckoned to be Swanson's best silent performance, and one of the more artistic movies of the silent era.

The last bit went missing, but it has been restored by using surviving stills interspersed with titles.