Silent movie name (“You idiot!”)

I looked but didn’t have enough to go on. Here, however, is a link that you might find helpful. If you find out, let us know. This kind of thing will keep me awake into the long hours of the night…

Clarification requested:

— When you say silent film, do you mean not just silent but made during the silent era?—the 1920’s?

— If you can’t name an actor, can you rule anyone out?—can you say it wasn’t a Chaplin picture, for instance, or a Buster Keaton or a Harold Lloyd?

— Do you know if it was American-made?

@Jeruba – For sure it was on this list, as I was working through it in like 2004 when I first saw the scene. I remember being shocked at how contemporary the moment was – way beyond anything I had ever seen in the silents. Then I came across it again during that director’s commentary track – maybe in 2007. Then maybe 6 months after that I realized that I had a problem: I kept wanting to referencing it, but it was lost to me. @&#*$#

I know better know: when something “moves me” to that extent, I need to write it down.

Brainstorm: (may or may not be correct, but my best guess)
– definitely silent era. I seem to remember it being high quality, so very late silent era, or probably a restored classic.
– My gut tells me it was a German made film – a mood of sophistication – not slapstick, so no Keaton, Chaplin, Griffith, Lloyd – probably more like Murnau, Lang, Pabst – but very “real” – no “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” type stuff.
– I believe it was “off the beaten path”, since I only knocked it out toward the end of the above list-quest.
– The woman (screen right) stood next to a bellybutton high dresser with a mirror on it. She was looking to her husband (screen left) who was sitting in a rocking chair I believe.
– She was a larger woman – if I had to cast a modern actress, it would definitely be Kathy Bates, but maybe with longer dark hair. The guy may have been a “Fred Mert” body type.

(Note – it’s been so many years – it’s like remembering a dream – I may be way off on an item or two. In fact, I’m fascinated to see just how off I am.)

So I’m going to start marching through the list again. Will advise.

Thanks for any eureka moments!

That is a big clue! Several, in fact. With those hints and the little knowledge I have, I could knock a quarter to a third of the titles off the list. A true film buff could do much better. (Where’s our @filmfann ?) You might not need more than a couple of minutes’ viewing of each to eliminate most of the remainder. Not so onerous after all.

When I saw this question, I recognized the scene, but had a hard time remembering what movie it came from. After reviewing the list, I am still not sure, but you might want to check A Woman of Paris. Yes, it is Chaplin, but it isn’t the typical Chaplin.
By the way, that is a pretty good list. I would have added a few, and removed a few, but it is a solid, well thought out listing of the best of that era.