The Jazz Singer, that's the first talkie, isn't it? How is the pacing of the film and the natural quality of the dialogue. Is it noticeably awkward, or does the rawness of the synchronised sound not get in the way of your enjoyment?
I found the 1931 Dracula extremely awkward and sluggishly paced, but I loved the Frankenstein version from the same film. That could also have been due to the direction and the acting, but the use of sound was certainly a key factor there.
I also must say that it's very curious to see a range of about 80 years of personal earliest films. I love hearing about the different experiences that different people have with cinema.
I agree, Snow White was somewhat the Toy Story of its time. The first full length animation that showed the medium was capable of more than people thought. On top of that the animation still holds up today. I tried to re-watch The Wizard of Oz early last year and couldn't sit through it after the characters were introduced. It could be a common opinion to think that the majority of older films are cheesy today, just because the technology and acting style has changed so much, but this film takes it to the extreme.
You certainly know your stuff, Sylar, and I really admire you consideration of context. You seem to always judge films objectively, and avoid making modern cinema styles the central standard for judging all other films.
I watched the documentary from the Snow White video (it was a video for me) and found it fascinating how "Disney's Greatest Folly became Disney's greatest triumph). Walt even had to mortgage his house to get the funds to finish the film - just as Hitchcock had to do for Psycho - and with that one it is important to consider the limitations of the time. It's true that the Prince has hardly any screen time or character development, but according to the animators, humans are the most difficult things to animate, and male humans are much more difficult than female. They'd planned to have several fighting scenes with the prince, and even have him captured by the Queen in her dungeon, like in Sleeping Beauty, but they simply couldn't. The most complex action they could have him do was climb over the castle will from his horse to see Snow White. Still, I think his song is one of the most beautifully romantic moments in animation history.
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs part 1 - YouTube
It's also a little unsettling now to think that the most proactive and constructive thing that Snow White does is clean the Dwarfs' cottage, cook them dinner and make them wash up before eating it - housewife duties. But again, that's the values of the time, and she is a very sweet and likeable character.