6 Best Clarence Wilson Movies

By Vlad Zakh · May 17, 2026

Clarence Wilson brought a sharp-featured, memorable character presence to Hollywood across the silent and sound eras and frequently played officious authority figures. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans rediscovers love after a murder plan, A Girl in Every Port keeps two rival sailors’ friendship alive, The Front Page stops a star reporter from quitting, and Big News frames a hard-drinking reporter for murder. The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Penalty round out the list.

The Front Page (1931)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A newspaper editor schemes to stop his star reporter from quitting to get married.

Directed by Lewis Milestone · 1h 41m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Brew, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Criterion Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Big News (1929)

TMDB ★ 5.6

A hard-drinking newspaper reporter is framed for murder while investigating a corruption scandal.

Directed by Gregory La Cava · 1h 15m

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Pure Flix · Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Girl in Every Port (1928)

TMDB ★ 6.4

Two rival sailors' friendship survives their competition for women in ports around the world.

Directed by Howard Hawks · 1h 18m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Artiflix · Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 98% Metacritic 95

A man's planned murder of his wife unravels into an unexpected reconciliation over one day in the city.

Directed by F. W. Murnau · 1h 34m · Rated NR

Won 3 Oscars10 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)

TMDB ★ 7.2

Clarence Wilson appears in this Lon Chaney silent about a deformed bell-ringer who risks everything to protect a persecuted gypsy woman from a corrupt priest.

Directed by Wallace Worsley · 1h 53m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Brew, MGM Plus, Fandor Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Penalty (1920)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Clarence Wilson features in this Lon Chaney silent about a double amputee criminal mastermind who plots elaborate revenge against the doctor who wrongly took his legs.

Directed by Wallace Worsley · 1h 30m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: FlixFling, IndieFlix, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Clarence Wilson Movies

The Front Page (1931)

Big News (1929)

A Girl in Every Port (1928)

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)

The Penalty (1920)

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