5. The Kid
By the time Charlie Chaplin directed The Kid, he was already the most famous entertainer in the world and one of the richest men alive. He had already written and directed many of his most popular short films but in 1921 he decided to give a full length feature a try and the result was one of the most impressive debut films of all silent directors. The Kid was one of the first movies to combine humor and drama effectively and also gave the world its first child star in Jackie Coogan. Most importantly however, The Kid was a chance for Chaplin to have more than an hour to show off all his abilities and the success of the film both critically and commercially set off one of the most impressive directorial streaks in film history. The Kid is one of the most watchable of all silent films, combining humor that still works today and drama that remains quite affecting. Although Chaplin went on to make much larger and more impressive films, his debut film is still more enjoyable than all but a few debuts in film history.