Landmarks of Early Film DVD (1997)
by egmeinder | created - 29 Dec 2012 | updated - 29 Dec 2012 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Kiss (1896)
Not Rated | 1 min | Short, Romance
In a medium close-up shot of the first kiss ever recorded on screen, two fervent lovers cuddle and talk passionately at hair's breadth, just before the love-smitten gentleman decides to give his chosen one an innocent peck.
Director: William Heise | Stars: May Irwin, John C. Rice
Votes: 3,670
2. Annabelle Serpentine Dance (1895)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short
Annabelle (Whitford) Moore performs one of her popular dance routines. She uses her dance steps and her long, flowing skirts to create a variety of visual patterns.
Directors: William K.L. Dickson, William Heise | Star: Annabelle Moore
Votes: 2,402
3. Sandow: The Strong Man (1894)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short
Eugen Sandow, who claims to be the strongest man in the world, appears in the Edison Company's film studio.
Director: William K.L. Dickson | Star: Eugen Sandow
Votes: 1,231
4. Glenroy Brothers (Comic Boxing) (1894)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short, Sport
The Glenroy Brothers perform a portion of their vaudeville act, "The Comic View of Boxing: The Tramp & the Athlete", which depicts a boxer with a classic style trying to contend with an opponent who uses a very unorthodox approach.
Director: William K.L. Dickson | Star: The Glenroy Brothers
Votes: 850
5. The Cock Fight (1894)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short
Two gamecocks fight in the Edison Company film studio. This feature was remade later in the same year, with additional detail added.
Director: William K.L. Dickson
Votes: 649
6. The Barbershop (1893)
1 min | Documentary, Short
Customer gets a lightning-fast shave.
Directors: William K.L. Dickson, William Heise
Votes: 1,205
7. Feeding the Doves (1896)
Not Rated | 1 min | Short, Documentary
A woman and a young girl each carry containers of bird feed, and they toss occasional handfuls to the chickens and doves in the farmyard. Most of the chickens stay nearby, but the doves occasionally fly off and then return to eat more.
Director: James H. White
Votes: 908
8. Seminary Girls (1897)
Not Rated | 1 min | Short, Comedy
"A number of young ladies, in their night robes, are having a frolic, and are interrupted by a teacher. One girl makes herself *very* conspicuous by crawling under a bed."
Director: James H. White
Votes: 925
9. Leaving the Factory (1895)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short
Workers leaving the Lumière factory for lunch in Lyon, France in 1895; a place of great photographic innovation and one of the birth places of cinema.
Director: Louis Lumière
Votes: 7,546
10. The Arrival of a Train (1896)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short
A train arrives at La Ciotat station.
Directors: Auguste Lumière, Louis Lumière | Stars: Madeleine Koehler, Marcel Koehler, Mrs. Auguste Lumiere, Jeanne-Joséphine Lumière
Votes: 12,863
11. Baby's Meal (1895)
1 min | Documentary, Short
As part of a maiden public film screening at the Salon Indien, on December 28, in Paris, Auguste Lumière pivots the centre of attention around his baby daughter, as he tries to feed her from a spoon.
Director: Louis Lumière | Stars: Auguste Lumière, Mrs. Auguste Lumiere, Andrée Lumière
Votes: 3,513
12. The Waterer Watered (1895)
Not Rated | 1 min | Short, Comedy
An impudent child plays a prank on a gardener innocently watering his plants.
Director: Louis Lumière | Stars: François Clerc, Benoît Duval
Votes: 5,839
13. Dragoons Crossing the Sâone (2016)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short
A stationary camera looks across Burgundy's River Sâone toward a small military encampment. Four horsemen enter the water in the foreground, each riding his horse as it swims across toward ... See full summary »
Votes: 622
14. Promenade of Ostriches, Paris Botanical Gardens (1896)
1 min | Short, Documentary
Fin de siécle elegance. A parade of sorts passes in front of a stationary camera. An ostrich pulls a cart in which two well-dressed girls sit, two mules pull a large cart full of children, ... See full summary »
Director: Louis Lumière
Votes: 629
15. Childish Quarrel (1896)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short
"Two babies are shown seated in high chairs and apparently enjoying themselves. Suddenly one snatches a toy from the other, and they indulge in hair-pulling."
Director: Louis Lumière | Stars: Andrée Lumière, Suzanne Lumière
Votes: 960
16. Lion, London Zoological Garden (1896)
Not Rated | 1 min | Short, Documentary
A male lion, right next to bars that are about 6 or 8 inches apart, keenly watches a uniformed zoo attendant toss small morsels of food into the cage. The lion alternates between finding ... See full summary »
Director: Alexandre Promio
Votes: 709
17. Demolition of a Wall (1896)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short
Auguste Lumière directs four workers in the demolition of an old wall at the Lumière factory. One worker is pressing the wall inwards with a jackscrew, while another is pushing it with a ... See full summary »
Director: Louis Lumière | Star: Auguste Lumière
Votes: 2,768
18. Transformation by Hats, Comic View (1895)
Not Rated | 1 min | Short, Comedy
The transformation of the same character in six different characters. A vision of the act of transformation.
Director: Louis Lumière | Star: Félicien Trewey
Votes: 1,234
19. Carmaux, défournage du coke (1896)
Not Rated | 1 min | Short, Documentary
Carmaux is in south-central France, near the Tarn River. As a brick of coke, about four feet high and three feet wide, is gradually pushed out of a smelter into a yard, one worker sprays it... See full summary »
Director: Louis Lumière
Votes: 809
20. Poultry-Yard (1896)
1 min | Short, Documentary
Two young girls feed a flock of domesticated ducks while an adult woman walks by and watches them.
Director: Louis Lumière
Votes: 577
21. Bataille de neige (1897)
1 min | Documentary, Short, Comedy
People start a snowball fight on a street in Lyons, France.
Director: Louis Lumière
Votes: 1,991
22. Partie de cartes (1897)
1 min | Short
A card game over drinks with three men, including Antoine Lumiere and Felicien Trewey.
Director: Leopoldo Fregoli | Star: Leopoldo Fregoli
Votes: 515
23. New York: Broadway at Union Square (1896)
Not Rated | 1 min | Short, Documentary
Short film depicting New York's Broadway and Union Square that gives an insight of everyday life and traffic at that time.
Director: Alexandre Promio
Votes: 720
24. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
TV-G | 13 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Victor André, Bleuette Bernon, Brunnet
Votes: 55,709
25. William McKinley at Canton, Ohio (1896)
1 min | Documentary, Short
"This view was taken upon Mr. McKinley's lawn at his home in Canton, Ohio. Mr. McKinley appears walking across the lawn in company with his Secretary, who hands him a telegram, which he ... See full summary »
Stars: William McKinley, George B. Cortelyou, Ida McKinley
Votes: 579
26. Burro Pack Train on the Chilcoot Pass (1898)
1 min | Documentary, Short
During the Alaska gold rush, one way to reach the Klondike was over the Chilkoot Pass. A stationary camera is placed to see a ways down the curving trail. A pack train comes into view and ... See full summary »
Director: Thomas Crahan
Votes: 517
27. Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River (1903)
Not Rated | 3 min | Short, Documentary
This short film shows a panoramic view of Manhattan Island, as it appeared in 1903. The island is viewed from the North River (Hudson River), and the view moves down the west side of the ... See full summary »
Director: J.B. Smith
Votes: 586
28. San Francisco: Aftermath of Earthquake (1906)
1 min | Documentary, Short, History
Footage shot not long after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco is edited together so that more than one scene and more than one vantage are included. We see fire raging. We see burned-out... See full summary »
Director: Robert K. Bonine
Votes: 594
29. The Dog and His Various Merits (1908)
Not Rated | 2 min | Short, Documentary
We see a working dog, a beggar's dog, a shepherd's dog, and a milkman's dog. The working dog is locked inside a large wire wheel; the dog runs inside the wheel, turning it to run a machine.... See full summary »
Votes: 462
30. Aeroplane Flight and Wreck (Piloted by M. Cody) (1910)
4 min | Short, Documentary
Mr. Cody arrives by carriage, walks to a barn, and slides open the doors to reveal a large biplane. He pulls it out of the hanger. One man checks the engine while another starts the ... See full summary »
Star: M. Cody
Votes: 431
31. The Great Train Robbery (1903)
TV-G | 11 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A group of bandits stage a brazen train hold-up, only to find a determined posse hot on their heels.
Director: Edwin S. Porter | Stars: Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson, A.C. Abadie, George Barnes, Justus D. Barnes
Votes: 20,979
32. The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog (1905)
Not Rated | 5 min | Short, Comedy, Family
The Whole Dam Family and The Dam Dog is a popular fad which has been widely advertised by lithographs and souvenir mailing cards, and has recently been made the subject of a sketch in a New... See full summary »
Director: Edwin S. Porter | Stars: William Courtenay, Frank Daniels, May Irwin, Charlotte Walker
Votes: 748
33. The Golden Beetle (1907)
Not Rated | 3 min | Short, Fantasy
A sorcerer tosses an iridescent little beetle into a flaming ceremonial cauldron, and much to his amazement, a six-winged fairy in the body of a beautiful young woman emerges. Is his sorcery potent enough to tame her?
Directors: Segundo de Chomón, Ferdinand Zecca
Votes: 927
34. The Policemen's Little Run (1907)
6 min | Comedy, Short
A policeman spots a dog stealing a piece of meat from a butcher's shop, and gives chase. Soon several more policemen have joined the pursuit. But the chase does not turn out as the policemen expect.
Director: Ferdinand Zecca
Votes: 676
35. Troubles of a Grasswidower (1912)
TV-G | 10 min | Short, Comedy
An elegant dandy - he of suit, vest, tie, and top hat - ignores his wife at dinner in favor of his newspaper, so she tearfully leaves him and returns home to mother. He is ecstatic, dancing... See full summary »
Director: Max Linder | Stars: Max Linder, Delphine Renot, Jane Renouardt
Votes: 325
36. Nero. Or the Fall of Rome. (1909)
Not Rated | 14 min | Short, Drama
Roman emperor Nero is used to getting what he wants. He has grown tired of his wife Octavia, and has become infatuated with Poppea. He succeeds in making Poppea the new empress, but soon he faces opposition from an outraged populace.
Directors: Arturo Ambrosio, Luigi Maggi | Stars: Alberto Capozzi, Lydia De Roberti, Mirra Principi, Luigi Maggi
Votes: 543
37. Winsor McCay, the Famous Cartoonist of the N.Y. Herald and His Moving Comics (1911)
Not Rated | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Cartoon figures announce, via comic strip balloons, that they will move - and move they do, in a wildly exaggerated style.
Directors: Winsor McCay, J. Stuart Blackton | Stars: Winsor McCay, John Bunny, Maurice Costello, George McManus
Votes: 1,846
38. The Girl and Her Trust (1912)
17 min | Short, Drama, Thriller
Some tramps assault the telegraph office trying to rob $2000 delivered by train. The telegraphist girl, trying to help, telegraphs the next station and then the men are captured.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Dorothy Bernard, Wilfred Lucas, Alfred Paget, Charles Hill Mailes
Votes: 1,297
39. Bangville Police (1913)
Not Rated | 8 min | Short, Comedy
At a farm near Bangville, the young daughter see strangers in the barn. She quickly rushes to the house and calls the police. The police engage in a haphazard rush across the countryside to get there in time.
Director: Henry Lehrman | Stars: Mabel Normand, Fred Mace, Nick Cogley, Charles Avery
Votes: 842
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