Early Films
by mrbarr-04773 | created - 28 Sep 2020 | updated - 29 Sep 2020 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Scrooge; or Marley's Ghost (1901)
6 min | Short, Drama, Fantasy
It's Christmas Eve. The miser Scrooge and his assistant Bob Cratchit finish their work in the office and go home. When Scrooge is going to open his front door, he sees the face of Marley's ... See full summary »
Director: Walter R. Booth | Star: Daniel Smith
Votes: 595
2. The Suburbanite (1904)
9 min | Comedy, Short
A family moves out to the 'peaceful' suburbs where everything goes wrong, including the mother-in-law moving in.
Votes: 260
3. An Impossible Voyage (1904)
Not Rated | 24 min | Short, Action, Adventure
Using every known means of transportation, several savants from the Geographic Society undertake a journey through the Alps to the Sun which finishes under the sea.
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Fernande Albany, Jehanne d'Alcy, May de Lavergne
Votes: 3,999
4. Life of an American Fireman (1903)
Not Rated | 6 min | Short, Action
A fireman rushes into a carriage to rescue a woman from a house fire. He breaks the windowpanes and carries the woman to safety; after dangerous and uncertain moments he also saves the woman's son.
Directors: George S. Fleming, Edwin S. Porter | Stars: Edwin S. Porter, Vivian Vaughan, Arthur White, James H. White
Votes: 2,707
5. 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: 20,996
6. 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: 55,791
7. Frankenstein (1910)
Unrated | 16 min | Short, Fantasy, Horror
The first filmed version of Frankenstein. The young doctor discovers the secret of life, which he uses to create a perfect human. Things do not go according to plan.
Director: J. Searle Dawley | Stars: Mary Fuller, Charles Ogle, Augustus Phillips
Votes: 4,738
8. 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: 544
9. A Corner in Wheat (1909)
G | 14 min | Short, Crime, Drama
An unscrupulous and greedy capitalist speculator decides to corner the wheat market for his own profit, establishing complete control over the markets.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Frank Powell, Grace Henderson, James Kirkwood, Linda Arvidson
Votes: 2,745
10. The Thieving Hand (1908)
Unrated | 5 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Short
A one-armed man obtains an artificial limb which he cannot control.
Director: J. Stuart Blackton | Star: Paul Panzer
Votes: 686
11. A Fantasy (1908)
2 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The first all-animated film in history, a series of scenes without much narrative structure, but morphing into each other.
Director: Émile Cohl
Votes: 2,833
12. The Assassination of the Duke de Guise (1908)
15 min | Short, History, Drama
France, at the end of the sixteenth century. Henry III decided to eliminate his rival, the Duke of Guise, and, therefore, calls him in the castle of Blois. The mistress of the duke, warned ... See full summary »
Directors: André Calmettes, Charles Le Bargy | Stars: Charles Le Bargy, Albert Lambert, Gabrielle Robinne, Berthe Bovy
Votes: 781
13. The Adventures of Dollie (1908)
Not Rated | 12 min | Short, Action
On a warm and sunny summer's day, a mother and father take their young daughter Dollie on a riverside outing. A gypsy basket peddler happens along, and is angered when the mother refuses to... See full summary »
Directors: D.W. Griffith, G.W. Bitzer | Stars: Arthur V. Johnson, Linda Arvidson, Gladys Egan, Charles Inslee
Votes: 927
14. The 'Teddy' Bears (1907)
Not Rated | 13 min | Short, Comedy, Family
Seven toy teddy bears of varying sizes suddenly come to life, getting in all sorts of merry misadventures.
Directors: Wallace McCutcheon, Edwin S. Porter
Votes: 667
15. The Haunted Hotel (1907)
5 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
On a dark and stormy night, a traveler takes a room at a spooky hotel in the forest. As soon as the proprietor leaves, the room comes alive with ghosts and poltergeists who torment the man as he tries to unpack, eat, and go to sleep.
Director: J. Stuart Blackton | Stars: Paul Panzer, William V. Ranous
Votes: 527
16. Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906)
3 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A cartoonist draws faces and figures on a blackboard - and they come to life.
Director: J. Stuart Blackton | Star: J. Stuart Blackton
Votes: 1,462
17. Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906)
Not Rated | 7 min | Short, Comedy, Fantasy
The fiend faces the spectacular mind-bending consequences of his free-wheeling rarebit binge.
Directors: Wallace McCutcheon, Edwin S. Porter | Star: Jack Brawn
Votes: 1,993
18. A Fool There Was (1915)
Not Rated | 67 min | Drama
A married diplomat falls hopelessly under the spell of a predatory woman.
Director: Frank Powell | Stars: Theda Bara, Edward José, Mabel Frenyear, May Allison
Votes: 1,040
19. Children of Eve (1915)
73 min | Drama
Young Henry Clay Madison, a clerk, falls in love with Flossy Wilson, a prostitute from New York's East Side. Although she reforms under his influence, Flossy believes that she is unworthy ... See full summary »
Director: John H. Collins | Stars: Viola Dana, Robert Conness, Tom Blake, Nellie Grant
Votes: 131
20. The Cheat (1915)
Not Rated | 59 min | Drama, Romance
A venal, spoiled stockbroker's wife impulsively embezzles $10,000 from the charity she chairs and desperately turns to a Burmese ivory trader to replace the stolen money.
Director: Cecil B. DeMille | Stars: Fannie Ward, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Dean, James Neill
Votes: 2,763 | Gross: $0.21M
21. The Captive (1915)
50 min | Drama, Romance, War
With her brother killed Sonya is given Turkish captive Mahmud to do the hard work on the farm. After they become fond of each other he strikes a Turkish officer. When peace arrives, his ... See full summary »
Director: Cecil B. DeMille | Stars: Blanche Sweet, House Peters, Gerald Ward, Page Peters
Votes: 160 | Gross: $0.06M
22. The Birth of a Nation (1915)
TV-PG | 195 min | Drama, History, War
The Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper
Votes: 26,342 | Gross: $10.00M
23. After Death (1915)
46 min | Drama, Horror
Andrei lives a secluded life with his aunt, studying and thinking about his now-deceased mother. His friend Tsenin is concerned, and tries to get Andrei to accompany him to social events. ... See full summary »
Director: Yevgeny Bauer | Stars: Vitold Polonsky, Olga Rakhmanova, Vera Karalli, Mariya Khalatova
Votes: 1,023
24. Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914)
Not Rated | 82 min | Comedy
A con man from the city dupes a wealthy country girl into marriage.
Directors: Mack Sennett, Charles Bennett | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand, Mack Swain
Votes: 3,724
25. The Perils of Pauline (1914)
Passed | 199 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Pauline, a young maiden, must protect herself from the treacherous "guardian" of her inheritance, who repeatedly plots to murder her and take the money for himself.
Directors: Louis J. Gasnier, Donald MacKenzie | Stars: Pearl White, Crane Wilbur, Paul Panzer, Edward José
Votes: 1,087
26. Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)
Not Rated | 11 min | Short, Comedy
The Tramp wanders into and disrupts the filming of a go-kart race.
Director: Henry Lehrman | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Henry Lehrman, Gordon Griffith
Votes: 3,312
27. Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
Not Rated | 12 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The cartoonist, Winsor McCay, brings the Dinosaurs back to life in the figure of his latest creation, Gertie the Dinosaur.
Director: Winsor McCay | Stars: Winsor McCay, George McManus, Roy L. McCardell, Thomas A. 'Tad' Dorgan
Votes: 3,654
28. Cabiria (1914)
Not Rated | 148 min | Adventure, Drama, History
Cabiria is a Roman child when her home is destroyed by a volcano. Sold in Carthage to be sacrificed in a temple, she is saved by Fulvio, a Roman spy. But danger lurks, and hatred between Rome and Carthage can only lead to war.
Director: Giovanni Pastrone | Stars: Italia Almirante-Manzini, Lidia Quaranta, Bartolomeo Pagano, Carolina Catena
Votes: 3,960
29. By the Sun's Rays (1914)
Not Rated | 11 min | Short, Action, Drama
A company detective goes undercover to expose a gang that uses inside information to rob gold shipments.
Director: Charles Giblyn | Stars: Murdock MacQuarrie, Lon Chaney, Seymour Hastings, Agnes Vernon
Votes: 290
30. Traffic in Souls (1913)
TV-PG | 88 min | Crime, Drama
With aid from her police-officer sweetheart, a woman endeavors to uncover the prostitution ring that has kidnapped her sister and the philanthropist who secretly runs it.
Director: George Loane Tucker | Stars: Jane Gail, Ethel Grandin, William H. Turner, Matt Moore
Votes: 731 | Gross: $0.43M
31. The Student of Prague (1913)
Approved | 85 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Balduin, a student of Prague, leaves his roystering companions in the beer garden, when he finds he has reached the end of his resources. He is scarcely seated in a quiet corner when a ... See full summary »
Directors: Hanns Heinz Ewers, Stellan Rye | Stars: Paul Wegener, Grete Berger, Lyda Salmonova, John Gottowt
Votes: 2,397
32. Der Andere (1913)
48 min | Drama, Thriller
A man has an accident while out riding his horse one day. He soon discovers that he now has a split personality, and that his alternate is helping a criminal to rob his house.
Director: Max Mack | Stars: Albert Bassermann, Emmerich Hanus, Nelly Ridon, Hanni Weisse
Votes: 114
33. The Last Days of Pompeii (1913)
88 min | Adventure, Drama
Two love triangles intersect in ancient Pompei.
Directors: Mario Caserini, Eleuterio Rodolfi | Stars: Fernanda Negri Pouget, Eugenia Tettoni Fior, Ubaldo Stefani, Antonio Grisanti
Votes: 622
34. Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913)
Not Rated | 54 min | Crime, Drama
Inspector Juve is tasked to investigate and capture an infamous criminal Fantomas.
Director: Louis Feuillade | Stars: René Navarre, Edmund Breon, Georges Melchior, Renée Carl
Votes: 2,486
35. 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: 844
36. Atlantis (1913)
121 min | Drama
After Dr. Friedrich's wife becomes mentally unstable and his research papers are rejected, he leaves the country to respite.
Director: August Blom | Stars: Olaf Fønss, Ida Orloff, Ebba Thomsen, Carl Lauritzen
Votes: 480
37. An Unseen Enemy (1912)
Not Rated | 17 min | Crime, Short, Thriller
A brother and his two younger sisters inherit a modest amount from their father. When the brother is away, their shady housekeeper decides to take it for herself.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Elmer Booth, Robert Harron
Votes: 973
38. The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912)
Not Rated | 17 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A tender young woman and her musician husband attempt to eke out a living in the slums of New York City, but find themselves caught in the crossfires of gang violence.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Elmer Booth, Lillian Gish, Clara T. Bracy, Walter Miller
Votes: 2,491
39. In Night and Ice (1912)
30 min | Short, Action, Drama
On its maiden voyage in April 1912, the supposedly unsinkable RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
Director: Mime Misu | Stars: Waldemar Hecker, Mime Misu, Otto Rippert, Ernst Rückert
Votes: 281
40. 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: 1,298
41. Friends (1912)
Not Rated | 17 min | Short, Western, Romance
The orphan Dora is courted by two different gold miners.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Mary Pickford, Henry B. Walthall, Lionel Barrymore, Harry Carey
Votes: 313
42. À la conquête du pôle (1912)
Not Rated | 33 min | Short, Adventure, Horror
Aboard the futuristic flying machine of his own invention, Professor Mabouloff and his team of intercultural explorers set off on yet another impossible expedition to North Pole's vast landscapes. What wonders await the bold adventurers?
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Fernande Albany
Votes: 1,199
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