When I do watch a silent movie or one of the first "talkies", it's more from the historical perspective than for enjoyment, as the technical abilities back then were rather limited.
Some Buster Keaton's films are (also) technically amazing, especially Playhouse and Sherlock Jr. But of course, he was far the best of the silent movie makers. His films are also more exciting, because the stunts are real, and we see the long shot action, not the actors' faces acting excitement. Bill Hart did a lot of his own stunts too, and he had a wonderful companion in many of them, his small pinto Fritz. Yes, the stories are simple, the acting often melodramatic and the defects of movie making patched with overlong intertitles, but what they may lack technically, they compensate with authentic atmoshere that I don't think has quite been reached since.
