12. The Kid (1921)
Out of all the stars of the Silent Era, Charlie Chaplin stand out above the rest. Although Buster Keaton is considered by many to be his equal, he never reached the titanic popularity that Chaplin enjoyed for much of his life and retains to this day. The lasting image of the silent era is Charlie Chaplin's "Little Tramp" character and The Kid is the first full length Chaplin film and is also one of this best. When a struggling mother abandons her newborn son in the back of a car, it ends up in the hands of Chaplin's Tramp who raises it as his own. The two become partners in crime with the kid breaking windows, only for the tramp to come by moments later to fix them for a small price. Eventually, the authorities realize that the kid and the tramp are not related and the pair go on the run in order to not be separated. A wonderfully watchable film, The Kid is a perfect introduction to Chaplin's filmography and in addition, it was one of the first films to combine humor and drama, it had the first child star, and it has aged better than almost any other silent comedy.