Funny, because I thought I was too Americanized in my list making. Unfortunately some silent films have had too many decades to get stale and pretentious. At their core however there are some really great films out there, and I think Metropolis is one of them, even if it seems too overanalyzed and played out today. Potemkin works separated from film academia, I think its problem is its overinflated reputation. Have you seen any of Sjostrom's Swedish films A? Not saying any of them are better than The Wind, but its certainly a place worth investigating.