Crime and Punishment (1923) (Silent)

His judgment weakened by hunger and deprivation, destitute student Raskolnikov decides to murder Aliona - the old pawnbroker who has hastened his own economic ruin. In his warped mind he has deduced that killing a person, who is a toxic detriment to society, is not a crime. But when the old hag's sister stops by for a visit, Raskolnikov is obliged to murder her as well. Wracked with guilt over the double homicide, he can find no peace, even as the noose of the law draws ever tighter around him.

Dostoyevsky's classic Crime and Punishment is given a full Expressionist makeover by director Robert Wiene, best known for his masterpiece The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari (1920).

• silent