The Docks of New York

The Docks of New York (1928) is Josef von Sternberg's silent romance, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Over a single foggy night on the waterfront, a brawny ship's stoker named Bill pulls a young woman, Mae, out of the river after she tries to drown herself — and the chance rescue upends them both.

From the water they end up in a rowdy saloon, where, half-joking between drinks and a fistfight, they decide to marry. Neither quite believes the vow. Morning sobers them up, though: drunken bravado hardens into a real choice, and Bill still has to answer for a dress he stole to clothe her. George Bancroft plays Bill, with Betty Compson as Mae and Olga Baclanova in support.

This is a late jewel of the dying silent era. Von Sternberg tells almost the whole thing without title cards — just light, smoke and faces. Grimy water, sweating bodies, flickering lamps: visual poetry that filmmakers studied for decades after. At heart it's about two lost people grabbing hold of each other. Stream The Docks of New York (1928) online on iFILM.