@mechajutaro said:

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Metropolis, and The Bat Whispers all remain highly watchable today. Options are sharply divided around Murnau's Nosferatu; I agree that it has it's shortcomings, nonetheless I continue to enjoy this one for the atmosphere and the make-up artist's remarkable work on Max Schrek alone

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll seek these out. I did like the theatrics, sets and acrobatics in 'Trip to the Moon', but it doesn't exactly hold up.

Honestly, as much as I love silent films, nope, none of them stand up to today's standards. It's kinda like comparing an old Elvis record to the latest album by Cannibal Corpse. It's not even a matter of which is "better"; the production quality is completely different, and that will always set them apart.

Content wise, acting was much different back then. The age of realism hadn't arrived so acting was very much in the old theatrical style where you gotta gesture so big that the people in the nosebleed seats can see you. That definitely dates every silent film I've seen.

But if I had to pick 1, I'd go with the Swedish film The Phantom Carriage. It surprised me as feeling very modern. The acting is subdued, pacing is slower than the average silent film, and there are some really dark & heavy themes.

Most of these, that are included in the Silent era portion of my large Classic Films DVDs collection, stand the test of time with no problem and feature either entirely or mostly naturalistic acting (all are today preserved projected at proper original natural crank speed, and most have been beautifully restored); they remain very watchable. Only a smattering of the listed films include significant broad, exaggerated acting (that style of acting already was for the most part out by the mid '20s, and [excepting primarily slapstick comedies] to large extent was no longer the norm after the early-mid or so 1910s). Lots of very good stories, that remain appealing, entertaining, and engrossing, most featuring universal themes continuingly relatable today.

Silents films shouldn't be judged by 21st century standards, as of course they're not from our times; nearly all are from before 1929, so have their own unique personality and look and are a different distinctive creative art form (which I like better and consider more appealing and timeless, not to mention they're interesting and fascinating to watch for their historical content, including the social mores, attire, furnishings, way of life, spoken expressions, etc. of back then).

...'Trip to the Moon'...doesn't exactly hold up.

I completely agree. A Trip to the Moon (that's also included in my personal collection, incidentally), a clunky cinematic artifact, is on the distant front end of the Silent films panorama. It's interesting and a bit entertaining, for a watch or two, as an historic milestone and novelty, but isn't, and shouldn't be considered, representative of other than some imaginative experimentalism during the early years of Silents.