This is an overview of 1921 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.
Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top nine films released in 1921 by U.S. gross are as follows: +Highest-grossing films of 1921 Rank Title Distributor Domestic rentals 1Metro $4,500,000 2 First National $2,500,000 3/4 (tie) United ArtistsParamount $1,500,000 5The Affairs of AnatolParamount $1,191,789 6Fool's Paradise $906,937 7Forbidden Fruit $848,121 8 School DaysWarner Bros. $546,000Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1–31 p. 1 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551 9 Why Girls Leave Home $410,000
Events January 21 – The silent comedy drama The Kid, written by, produced by, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin (in his Tramp character) – his first full-length film as a director – and featuring Jackie Coogan, is released in the United States. It is the year's second-highest-grossing film. March 6 – The silent epic war film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, adapted for the screen by June Mathis, is released in the United States. It is the year's highest-grossing film (and the sixth-best-grossing silent film of all time), propels Rudolph Valentino to stardom and inspires a tango craze and a fashion for gaucho pants. July 1 – The silent crime docudrama Yan Ruisheng is the first full-length feature film made in China to be released; although commercially successful it is banned within 2 years and believed lost. August 29 – Broadway's first $1 million theatre, Loew's State opens. September 5 – Popular comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle attends a party at the St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, during which actress Virginia Rappe is fatally injured; although he is eventually acquitted of rape and manslaughter, the scandal derails his career. October 21 – George Melford's silent film The Sheik, which enhances leading actor Rudolph Valentino's international reputation as a Latin lover, is premiered in Los Angeles. Within the first year of its release, it exceeds $1 million in ticket sales. October 26 – The Chicago Theatre, which will be the oldest surviving French-style Baroque Revival grand movie palace, opens. The experimental short documentary film Manhatta is shot by painter Charles Sheeler and photographer Paul Strand in New York City.
Notable films released in 1921 United States unless stated.
A The Ace of Hearts, directed by Wallace Worsley, starring Lon Chaney and Leatrice Joy Action (lost), directed by John Ford, starring Hoot Gibson The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick (lost), directed by Thomas Bentley, starring Frederick Volpe – (GB) The Adventures of Tarzan, 15-part serial directed by Robert F. Hill and Scott Sidney, starring Elmo Lincoln The Affairs of Anatol, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Wallace Reid and Gloria Swanson After Midnight, directed by Ralph Ince After Your Own Heart, directed by George Marshall, starring Tom Mix All Soul's Eve (lost), directed by Chester M. Franklin, starring Mary Miles Minter and Jack Holt, based on the 1920 stage play by Anne Crawford FlexnerWorkman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2. Among Those Present, directed by Fred C. Newmeyer, starring Harold Lloyd L'Atlantide, directed by Jacques Feyder, based on the 1919 novel by Pierre BenoitWorkman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2. – (France)
B Die Bergkatze (The Wild Cat), directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Pola Negri and Paul Heidemann – (Germany) The Bigamist, starring and directed by Guy Newall with Ivy Duke – (GB) The Blot, directed by Lois Weber The Boat, directed by Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton The Bonnie Brier Bush (lost), starring and directed by Donald Crisp – (GB) Brewster's Millions (lost), directed by Joseph Henabery, starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle Brownie's Little Venus, directed by Fred Fishback, starring Baby Peggy Buried Treasure, directed by George D. Baker, starring Marion Davies and Norman Kerry
C The Call of Youth (lost), directed by Hugh Ford Camille, directed by Ray C. Smallwood, starring Alla Nazimova and Rudolph Valentino The Case of Becky, directed by Chester M. Franklin, starring Constance Binney, based on the 1912 stage play by David Belasco and Edward Locke A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (lost), directed by Emmett J. Flynn The Conquering Power, directed by Rex Ingram, starring Rudolph Valentino and Alice Terry
D Desire (Sehnsucht) (lost), directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Conrad Veidt – (Germany) Destiny (Der müde Tod), directed by Fritz Lang, starring Lil Dagover and Rudolf Klein-Rogge – (Germany) The Devil, directed by James Young, starring George Arliss, based on the 1908 stage play by Ferenc MolnárWorkman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 233. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2. Disraeli (lost), directed by Henry Kolker, starring George Arliss The Dollar-a-Year Man (lost), directed by James Cruze, starring Roscoe "Fatty" ArbuckleKinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. . Page 124.
E El Capullo Marchito, directed by José Nepomuceno – (Philippines) El Dorado, directed by Marcel L'Herbier – (France) Enchantment, directed by Robert G. Vignola, starring Marion Davies Experience (lost), directed by George Fitzmaurice, starring Richard Barthelmess
F The Fire Eater, directed by B. Reeves Eason, starring Hoot Gibson Fool's Paradise, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Conrad Nagel and Mildred Harris Forever (lost), directed by George Fitzmaurice, starring Elsie Ferguson and Wallace Reid The Four Feathers, directed by René Plaissetty – (GB) The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, directed by Rex Ingram, starring Rudolph Valentino
G The Goat, directed by Mal St. Clair and Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton The Ghost in the Garret (lost), directed by F. Richard Jones, starring Dorothy Gish Godfather Death (Der Gevatter Tod), directed by Heinz Hanus, based on the 1884 short story Der Pate des Todes by Rudolf Baumbach – (Austria) Das grinsende Gesicht (), directed by Julius Herska, based on the 1869 novel The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo – (Austria) The Gunsaulus Mystery (lost), written and directed by Oscar Micheaux
H Hail the Woman, directed by John Griffith Wray, starring Florence Vidor The Haunted Castle (Schloß Vogelöd), directed by F. W. Murnau, based on the novel by Rudolf Stratz – (Germany) The Haunted House, directed by Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton The High Sign, directed by Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton His Brother's Keeper (lost), directed by Wilfrid NorthWorkman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2. L'Homme qui vendit son âme au diable (The Man Who Sold His Soul to the Devil), directed by Pierre Caron – (France) The Hound of the Baskervilles, directed by Maurice Elvey, starring Eille NorwoodKinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. . Page 125. – (GB) Humor Risk (unreleased), directed by Dick Smith, starring the Marx Brothers
I The Idle Class, a Charles Chaplin short The Indian Tomb (Das Indische Grabmal), directed by Joe May, starring Conrad Veidt – (Germany) The Island of the Lost (Die Insel der Verschollenen), directed by Urban Gad, based on the 1896 novel The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells without authorizationWorkman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 238. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2. – (Germany)
J Jane Eyre, directed by Hugo Ballin, starring Norman Trevor and Mabel Ballin, based on the 1847 novel by Charlotte Brontë Jánošík, directed by Jaroslav Jerry Siakeľ – (Czechoslovakia) Jim the Penman, directed by Kenneth Webb, starring Lionel Barrymore Journey into the Night (Der Gang in die Nacht), directed by F. W. Murnau – (Germany)
K The Kid, a Charlie Chaplin film, with Jackie Coogan Kipps, directed by Harold M. Shaw, starring George K. Arthur, based on the 1905 novel by H. G. Wells
L Land of My Fathers directed by Fred Rains, starring John Stuart – (GB) Leaves from Satan's Book (Blade af Satans Bog), directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer – (Denmark) Little Lord Fauntleroy, directed by Alfred E. Green and Jack Pickford, starring Mary Pickford The Lost Shadow (Der Verlorene Schatten) (lost), directed by Rochus Gliese, starring Paul WegenerKinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. . Page 126. – (Germany) The Lotus Eater (lost), directed by Marshall Neilan, starring John Barrymore and Colleen Moore The Love Light, directed by Frances Marion, starring Mary Pickford Lucky Carson (lost), directed by Wilfrid North, starring Earle Williams The Lucky Dog, directed by Jess Robbins, starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
M Mathias Sandorf, directed by Henri Fescourt, starring Romuald Joubé – (France) The Mechanical Man (L'uomo meccanico) (lost), starring and directed by André Deed – (Italy) A Message From Mars, directed by Maxwell Karger, starring Bert Lytell A Midnight Bell (lost), starring and directed by Charles Ray, based on the 1889 stage play by Charles H. Hoyt Miss Lulu Bett, directed by William C. deMille, starring Lois Wilson and Milton Sills Il mostro di Frankenstein (The Monster of Frankenstein) (lost), directed by Eugenio TestaKinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN 0-7864-0036-6. Page 118. – (Italy)
N Never Weaken, directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, starring Harold Lloyd The Nut, directed by Theodore Reed, starring Douglas Fairbanks and Marguerite De La Motte
O The Offenders (lost), directed by Fenwicke Holmes Orphans of the Storm, directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Lillian Gish and Dorothy Gish The Other Person (Onder spiritistischen dwang), directed by Maurits Binger and B. E. Doxat-Pratt, based on the 1920 novel by Fergus HumeWorkman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 242. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2. – (Netherlands/GB)
P The Painting of Osvaldo Mars (Il quadro di Osvaldo Mars), directed by Guido Brignone, starring Mercedes Brignone – (Italy) Pan Twardowski, directed by Wiktor Biegański – (Poland) The Passion Flower, directed by Herbert Brenon, starring Norma Talmadge Peck's Bad Boy, directed by Sam Wood, starring Jackie Coogan The Phantom Carriage (aka Korkarlen/ The Wagoner), directed by Victor Sjostrom, starring Sjostrom, Hilda Borgstrom and Tore Svennberg, based on the 1912 novel Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness! by Selma Lagerlof; this film influenced the later works of Ingmar BergmanWorkman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 229. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2. – (Sweden) The Playhouse, directed by Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton
Q The Queen of Sheba (lost), directed by J. Gordon Edwards, starring Betty Blythe
S A Sailor-Made Man, directed by Fred C. Newmeyer, starring Harold Lloyd School Days, directed by William Nigh, starring Wesley Barry Sentimental Tommy (lost), directed by John S. Robertson, starring Gareth Hughes Seven Years Bad Luck, a Max Linder film The Sheik, directed by George Melford, starring Agnes Ayres and Rudolph Valentino The Silver Lining, directed by Roland West, starring Jewel Carmen The Sky Pilot, directed by King Vidor, starring Colleen Moore