100 Important Early Films
We have reached the earliest years of my decades project, and so I will do something a bit differently. These one hundred films, in case you haven’t noticed, are not deemed the “best” or “top” films of any specific time period. You see, it gets incredibly strange to actually rank films if we get early enough, for a number of reasons:
1) You are comparing four hour epics to few minute long shorts (and there aren't enough quality features to just stick with features); if you go with the time period we have (the start of film altogether), you’re then ranking hours long films against two second experiments.
2) Enough films at this point are lost, so we would be left with such a shallow pool of material, that it wouldn't really compliment the time periods at all to just subjectively rank the films I can watch.
3) Far too many early films are problematic in content in a multitude of ways, and it just doesn't feel right or ethical to insinuate that some of these grotesquely hateful works are actually the “best” of anything (even though they might be the best made, it still feels wrong); considering the lack of films I can work with, I would absolutely be forced to rank these kinds of films high enough, and it doesn’t feel right.
4) The start of cinema is full of so many different goals and ambitions, that pitting these works together feels more redundant than ever before.
So, instead, I am going to make the early years of cinema more of an educational timeline. There’s going to be less scrutiny, and more opportunity to let the films speak for themselves. Here is a chronological list of works from the earliest forms of motion picture until 1919; the last year before 1920 (which would fall in my “Best 100 Films of the 1920’s” list). I have placed each film (when applicable) as a embedded link in each thumbnail for you to watch, and take part in a wonderful journey through the barest forms of the genesis of cinema as we know it. I figured it would be interesting to be able to see the medium transition gradually into feature films, animations, works from around the world, a studio art form (with the birth of Hollywood), and more. This list — unlike the others — will include features, shorts, and documentaries all together. Since we are starting at the beginning of motion pictures specifically, I am not including specific earlier periods like the use of magic lanterns (that can be a lesson for another day).
Let’s get this started! Below are one hundred films. These are either groundbreaking moments in film that created or changed the medium, or my own personal selections of notable starting points of big names in film history (especially once we reach the 1910’s). Only in chronological order, here are one hundred important films of early cinema (from 1878 to 1919).
1. The Horse in Motion (1878)
Photographer Eadweard Muybridge was trying to solve a dilemma: whether or not horses have all four hooves off of the ground at once at any point mid sprint. He set up a track where a horse would set off cameras by hoof (by pulling string triggers while running). While flipping through his findings, Muybridge discovered the illusion of movement that occurred between photographs. This was the very first instance of “motion pictures”.
2. The Horse in Motion (presented in motion) (1880)
Okay, so including The Horse in Motion twice might feel like cheating, but there’s a difference between how the images were first laid out, and how Eadweard Muybridge presented his findings via zoopraxiscope — an illusionary toy that spun around and made his horse images (amongst others) seem to move — that he presented at the California School of Fine Arts. Also, this point in time is important, because it’s where inventor Thomas Edison would be inspired to create the kinetoscope (a viewing device that preceded the film projector).
3. Roundhay Garden Scene (1888)
Louis Le Prince invented what is thought to be the earliest form of a film camera (according to a 1888 patent attributed to him), and this correlates with Roundhay Garden Scene: the earliest surviving film currently discovered (and, thus, is crowned the title of “first film ever made”). It’s two seconds of Le Prince’s family walking. That’s it. Still, it’s a massive achievement in the history of cinema, and a test run that proved that Le Prince’s invention worked.
4. Monkeyshines (1889)
Meanwhile, the Edison labs were hard at work, trying to fulfil Thomas Edison’s visions sparked at the California School of Fine Arts presentation. Monkeyshines was a test run (similar to Roundhay Garden Scene) of the technology being worked on, and was a project worked on by Edison worker-turned-independent-creator William K. L. Dickson and early cinematographer William Heise. Even though Monkeyshines is a blurry film, it’s early evidence of what film once was in its developmental phases.
5. Dickson Greeting (1891)
Soon enough, the work surrounding Thomas Edison’s filmic innovations would start to feel a bit more familiar with how we understand film now. Firstly, Dickson Greeting was shot at the Black Maria studio, what is labeled as the “First Movie Studio”. Secondly, William K. L. Dickson is shot clearly here in this three second film, where he moves his hat around in a friendly fashion. This result, unlike Monkeyshines, was actually shown to the public (particularly to a crowd at the National Federation of Women’s Clubs), and the invention of the moving picture was getting to a shareable state.
6. Newark Athlete (1891)
Like many people involved with the earliest days of cinema, William K. L. Dickson was eager to keep discovering new subjects, and bettering the technology with each test. In the same year as Dickson Greeting (where Dickson was his own subjective guinea pig), he also shot Newark Athlete: the exhibition of an exercise involving clubs.
7. Pauvre Pierrot, Le Clown et ses chiens, and Un bon bock (1892)
Over in France during this time, Charles-Émile Reynaud invented the praxinoscope (which functioned similarly to the zoopraciscope) to create illustrated movement, in what is thought to be the earliest forms of animation. To make up for using The Horse in Motion twice, I have included three Reynaud creations all released in 1892 on the same date (October 28th): Pauvre Pierrot (clickable in the thumbnail), Le Clown et ses chiens, and Un bon bock.
8. Blacksmith Scene (1893)
By 1893, William K. L. Dickson wasn’t slowing down. The kinetoscope was ready for public exhibition by now, and this meant that the best work of the Edison Manufacturing Company was now needed. Dickson saw potential, here. Life was being captured on film (like in Newark Athlete), but there had to be a way to film actions that he might not have had access to. Introducing the first use of actors on film: performers mimicking the work of blacksmiths. Acting wasn’t a foreign concept by any means by 1893, so adapting this activity to film was only a matter of time.
9. The Dickson Experimental Sound Film (1894)
William K. L. Dickson's access to any of Thomas Edison’s inventions meant he could get creative with his filmic creations. So, naturally, he used a phonograph to create The Dickson Experimental Sound Film: the first film with sound ever (that we know of). Although a phonograph was needed to play the sound with the film (and the audio wasn’t a part of the film itself, thus not being a “sound film” but a film with accompanied sound), this is still the first instance where a film had audible accompaniment (take that, The Jazz Singer). The sound of the violinist is captured on a wax cylinder that can reproduce said sound (you can see him recording in the film via the phonograph’s horn).
10. Carmencita (1894)
William K. L. Dickson captured Carmen Dauset Moreno in the act of dancing for Carmencita. While an important work in crafting entertainment in early film (depicting how fluid movement and interpretive dance resonates on film), it is also quite possibly the first Edison related film to involve a female in any capacity.
11. Annie Oakley (1894)
With the capturing of real life and entertainment on film, the documenting of major names was going to happen eventually. One of the earliest examples of this is the recording of sharpshooter Annie Oakley in this Edison recording of her excellent accuracy on full display.
12. Sandow (1894)
In the way that life and entertainment could be replicated in film, so could other ideas like science and art. Bodybuilder Eugene Sandow was captured in a variety of shorts where he posed for the camera. As simplistic as this might seem, the depth of Sandow's figure was an indication of light and shadows being picked up by a camera, showcasing the capabilities of this device.
13. Fred Ott's Sneeze (1894)
So, William K. L. Dickson shot an Edison assistant (Fred Ott) sneezing. Fascinating. Well, believe it or not, Fred Ott’s Sneeze is the first film to ever be copyrighted. Naturally, the copyright for the film expired decades ago.
14. Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory (1895)
We’ve finally reached the brothers Lumière (Auguste and Louis) over in France, who held a 1895 screening for the “Society for the Development of the National Industry” (an organization created to inspire and fulfil the innovations and pitched ideas of France businesses and inventions). The presentation had ten short films, but it all started off with their most iconic creation Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory (also known under other names): a minute-long documentation of the Lumière employees going on lunch break.
15. L’Arroseur Arrosé (1895)
Another notable Lumière innovation was the oldest known recording of intended comedy on film (meaning a set up and punch line are included). Furthermore, L’Arroseur Arrosé allegedly features the first created story (progressing from William K. L. Dickson’s use of acting on film); the forty five second short also had a poster to advertise the film (movie posters had to start somewhere, although posters promoting cinematic events were made before; this poster specifically promoted the contents of this film). The film features a child spraying a gardener in the face with a hose, only to be chased angrily afterwards.
16. Akrobatisches Potpourri (1895)
Germany boasted one of the great industries of early cinema, and its origins lie with Akrobatisches Potpourri by the Skladanowsky brothers, who created the bioscop: an early film projector used for public screenings that actually predated the presentation by the Lumière brothers (their work gets less recognition, however).
17. Incident at Clovelly Cottage (1895) (lost)
The earliest British film exists only in a few frames currently. Created by Brit Acres, Incident at Clovelly Cottage was produced by Robert W. Paul, who took Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope and created his own European patented version. As for the film itself (which came after some trial films), not much is known about Incident at Clovelly Cottage, given how little of it has survived.
18. Annabelle Serpentine Dance (1895)
Moving back to William K. L. Dickson, the innovator began working with colour with films like Annabelle Serpentine Dance. Performer Annabelle Moore was recorded mid act, and each and every frame was hand-tinted (coloured in) to create an artificial colour motion picture.
19. Opening of the Kiel Canal (1895)
Brit Acres captured exactly what the title suggests: the opening of the Kiel Canal. Although that doesn’t seem too exciting, what is noteworthy is that this film did more than document real life: it recorded a news worthy moment, thus being one of the earliest instances of motion pictures replicating a current event for the world to see.
20. The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895)
Don’t worry: The Execution of Mary Stuart contains zero real documentation. The film continues the idea of having acting on screen that was happening at the Edison Manufacturing Company, and was directed by Alfred Clark (who was significant in progressing film as a storytelling medium). The film includes an editing effect which allegedly predates any other: the splicing of film as a magic trick to create a “beheading” on film (when really, two closely-similar set ups are pieced together to create the illusion).
21. L’Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat (1896)
Another iconic slice of early cinema. The Lumière brothers’ L’Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat (also known more popularly as Train Pulling into a Station) carries one of cinema’s greatest urban legends on its shoulders: that early audiences feared that the titular train was about to hit them, and they fled their seats out of panic. Current studies imply this was a promotional tactic that has been blown out of proportion, but early audiences were startled a little bit by the film still, since the train seems to come towards the camera (and it was a perspective that was new at the time, in a medium that the public was still getting used to).
22. La Fée aux Choux (1896)
We have reached the groundbreaking works of Alice Guy-Blaché, who was the first female director in film history. Not only that, but her debut, La Fée aux Choux, is the first film to carry any sort of a narrative: a “Cabbage Fairy” creates babies out of, well, cabbages (this is based on a European fairy tale).
23. The Kiss (1896)
Performers May Irwin and John Rice were known for the play The Widow Jones. Thomas Edison hired them to recreate the final moment of this play for his studio. Allegedly capturing the first kiss on film, this moment — familiar to many viewers through the play — was a promotional material of the cinematic medium (as it proved what it could capture in a new way); Edison also sold this film to exhibitors, who would tag the footage at the end of any screenings they would show.
24. Le Manoir du diable (1896)
We have reached the first film of the legendary Georges Méliès on this list: a magician who used film as a means of creating magic tricks in a new way, tell fantastical stories, and push the boundaries of art. Le Manoir du diable is labeled the first horror film ever; it also showcases Méliès’ affinity with utilizing film as an art form of narratives; its three minute runtime is considerably long for its time. It’s a surviving film of Méliès, whose works were mostly destroyed in a variety of ways (including being melted and turned into boots and other objects during World War I; film was considered as dispensable as newspapers and other ephemera at the time).
25. The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight (1897)
The first feature film ever (clocking in at a whole one hundred minutes, which is an eternity for 1897) is the documentation of a boxing match between James J. Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons. The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight was shot by Enoch J. Rector, who utilized the “Latham loop" tool (it held film in place to stop vibrations and breakage, so longer strips could be used to create lengthier films). As “prizefighting” was illegal in almost half of the United States at the time, the film was the only way many people could see this kind of an event. In 2021, only a portion of the film remains.
26. Riña en un café (1897)
Thought to be the first Spanish film with a narrative. The premise of Fructuós Gelabert’s short involves a tussle between guys over a girl. The film was reconstructed by Gelabert in the ‘50s, hence its visibility today.
27. The Four Troublesome Heads (1898)
Another early experiment by Georges Méliès. In this instance, Méliès himself creates the illusion that his head can relocate elsewhere and multiply. It’s a somewhat more comedic look at Georges Méliès’s artistry, and a sign that he was always about entertaining audiences in any way.
28. Something Good – Negro Kiss (1898)
In what feels like a response to The Kiss, William Selig’s Something Good — Negro Kiss features two African American partners kissing one another for thirty seconds; possibly the first instance of this on film ever. It’s also an early indication of film that captured people of colour without the intention of mocking race or promoting stereotypes.
29. The Ball Game (1898)
Continuing the documenting of sports on film, William Heise shot a baseball game between the Newark Bears and the Reading Coal Heavers; The Ball Game was released for the Edison Manufacturing Company.
30. Momijigari (1899)
Considered to be the oldest Japanese film, Shibata Tsunekichi’s Momijigari is a four minute horror film featuring a battle between a Taira commander and a devil; it was shot to resemble kabuki theatre.
31. A Nymph of the Waves (1900)
Frederick S. Armitage’s A Nymph of the Waves is an evolution of dance on film, which features Catarina Bartho dancing along the water. More movement is picked up, but there is a long way to go still.
32. The Enchanted Drawing (1900)
J. Stuart Blackton — working for Edison — mixed both live action and animation in The Enchanted Drawing: an astounding effect created by blending traditional animation with stop motion, to have a man interact with an illustration to comedic effect.
33. Montreal Fire Department on Runners (1901)
The filming of a fire brigade responding to an emergency during the wintertime; luckily, this was just a reenactment of how the fire squad would spring into action for the Edison company, and not the filming of an actual crisis.
34. The Big Swallow (1901)
An early instance where a film breaks the fourth wall. James Williamson’s strange short The Big Swallow features the silly act of the subject opening his mouth wide enough to eat the cameraman and his cinematic apparatus. The trick was achieved by a careful approach to the lead’s mouth, with a cut to a different scene involving the camera operator (which leads us to wonder how any of this was filmed if the director was eaten, but let’s not get carried away).
35. Star Theatre (1901)
Frederick S. Armitage’s experimental short Star Theatre captures the demolition of the titular building that took place over the course of a month. The time-lapse dedication is amazing enough, but then Star Theatre replays in reverse, showcasing the capabilities of the cinematic medium whilst adding a poetic touch.
36. Scrooge, or, Marley's Ghost (1901)
Considering the amount of adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on film, there had to have been a first version. That would be Walter R. Booth’s Scrooge, or, Marley’s Ghost. This version — even in its fullest form, apparently — abandons all of the ghosts that visit after Marley, and focuses just on this first apparition alone; even still, a portion of the film remains lost today.
37. Edward Raymond Turner footage: “Children” (1902)
The very first instance of authentic colour film (so not colour tinted frames) is by British inventor Edward Raymond Turner. He invented a camera with rotating colour disk filters to achieve this. As you can see in this footage, which doesn’t actually have a proper name, the colours don’t exactly line up, and the image is tough to interpret. However, it’s still a start.
38. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
We have reached the first major narrative film on this list. Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon is the primary film on this list so far that has carried a huge amount of cultural and academic significance for any narrative film (and even arguably more than the other early shorts of any sort). Méliès’ story structure is complete and well rounded, and his production scope is truly a spectacle to watch (even today, despite how old and of another world it really is). This was the future of cinema in the span of ten or so minutes: large sets, expressive costumes and makeup, and the capability to tell any story at all. We’ve gone from people walking across a backyard, to dreamers reaching the moon and interacting with alien life.
39. The Kingdom of the Fairies (1903)
Another Georges Méliès triumph is The Kingdom of the Fairies: an adaptation of the tale Sleeping Beauty. Like A Trip to the Moon and other Méliès classics, some prints of The Kingdom of the Fairies was hand coloured with extreme scrutiny to create a lavish fantasy world.
40. The Great Train Robbery (1903)
An early influential western work is Edwin S. Porter’s The Great Train Robbery: a high-action heist gone wrong featuring bandits, gunplay, and more. While that’s all well and good, the film ends with a shot that still remains one of the finest final images in film: the lead outlaw shooting straight at the camera. This action seemingly ties the use of film as a capturing device of life (including both the norm and the unfamiliar for new audiences) and a new method of telling stories.
41. Down the Hudson (1903)
Frederick S. Armitage and A.E. Weed toyed around with film as the representation of time as a linear construct with Down the Hudson: the filming of landscapes on a boat in transit, with the footage played at different speeds (and representing the effect of motion used creatively).
42. Mary Jane's Mishap (1903)
George Albert Smith’s Mary Jane’s Mishap is a silly comedy involving the death of the lead character (in a hyperbolic fashion), with her ghost returning to the scene of the accident. Between the dark subject matter performed sillily, and the editing effects (transitions) and camera techniques (close ups), Mary Jane's Mishap was more than just a quick joke but an actual short of invention.
43. Balle traversant une bulle de savon (1904)
Continuing the notion of speed playing a major part in film, Lucien Ball’s Balle traversant une bulle de savon is the footage of a bubble being burst by a speeding bullet. The slow motion capture is achieved by a form of chronophotography similar to what Eadweard Muybridge experimented with.
44. The Impossible Voyage (1904)
While most other filmmakers were using the medium as documentation or with a series of experiments, Georges Méliès was still pushing cinema as an art form and a story telling device. With more detailed colouring, larger scope, bigger effects and sets and a longer run time (around twenty minutes, depending on the version you watch), The Impossible Voyage was a large moment for the man who is arguably cinema's first identifiable auteur.
45. An Interesting Story (1904)
Meanwhile, James Williamson continued his search for cinema’s many uses of telling jokes in new ways. An Interesting Story is a goofy short that throws many crazy scenarios in the face of normalcy, as an oblivious man cannot get pried away from his book (no matter what happens around him).
46. Dingjun Mountain (1905) (lost)
An early Chinese film (allegedly the first Chinese film, actually) directed by Ren Qingtai, that showcased the elaborate costumes and sets and pointed the nation’s cinema in a new direction. The film is lost, as the only copy was destroyed in a massive fire.
47. Interior NY Subway, 14th Street to 42nd Street (1905)
The documenting of the new subway installed in New York City directed by G. W. Bitzer. The footage shows the trains in motion, proving their speed, functionality, and capacity space (all while showing off the stations as well). The moving camera and creative editing shots helped sell this achievement (an early instance where cinema was an enhancer of something).
48. Esmeralda (1905)
In the same way A Christmas Carol has been adapted many times, so has Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, and here is the first iteration of it. Esmeralda is a ten minute adaptation by Alice Guy-Blaché and Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset, which focuses squarely on the titular character and her relationship with Quasimodo, whilst removing the rest of Hugo’s original tale.
49. Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906)
The first animated work to be made via standard picture film, J. Stuart Blackton’s Humorous Phases of Funny Faces is more than a cute rhyme. The film is made by stop motion animation of chalk illustrations and cutouts, with different filmic techniques to help with the character movement at some points (like alternating frames).
50. The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906)
Halfway through this list, we have finally reached the possible first feature length film that wasn’t a documentary of any kind. Charles Tait was an Australian filmmaker who worked on an idea with his two brothers (Frank and John Tait): the end result was the ambitious western (based on true events) The Story of the Kelly Gang. The original film lasted for about an hour (depending on projector speed), but less than twenty minutes of this film survive today.
51. The '?' Motorist (1906)
A comedy created by Walter R. Booth. The ‘?’ Motorist continues the idea that early cinematic humour was hinged around special effects and grandiose ideas, as this motorist on the run ends up in insane situations (including ending up on the rings of Saturn, of all places). There was no reason to stifle cinematic discovery whilst creating punchlines.
52. Les Résultats du féminisme (1906)
Alice Guy-Blaché was very far ahead of her contemporaries when it came to commentary, and her incredibly early satire Les Résultats du féminisme involved gender role reversals, seeing how men posed as women in society and vice versa.
53. L’Enfant prodigue (1907)
Michel-Antoine Carré created this ambitious narrative project, which is considered the first feature length film in Europe. L'Enfant prodigue is, more or less, a documentation of Carré’s play of the same name, with the intention that other audiences could watch it.
54. Les Kiriki, Acrobates Japonaises (1907)
Enhancing the ways that performance art could be achieved, cinema was able to change a circus act, like the acrobats in Les Kiriki, Acrobates Japonaises. This French film featured performers made to look Japanese; far from the first or last time this kind of representation would occur in film, sadly. Here, their act is primarily cinematic, with editing techniques being used to make their performance truly unbelievable.
55. A Visit to the Seaside (1908)
George A. Smith invented the kinemacolor process, which involved special cameras taking triple the amount of pictures (three per frame) with rotating filters capturing each colour for each image (the camera ran double the speed of regular cameras). The result is a tricolour capturing of life. The first film of this sort is A Visit to the Seaside.
56. The Humpty Dumpty Circus (1908) (lost)
Thought to be the very first stop-motion picture, J. Stuart Blackton’s The Humpty Dumpty Circus is a highly speculative picture altogether (sometimes, research and discovery can tell us so much). Its release date (1898, 1908, or even at all) is up in the air. What the film looked like is also a mystery. Still, we can try and use the little we know about The Humpty Dumpty Circus to understand the chronology of important cinematic innovations as best as we can.
57. Stenka Razin (1908)
Soviet cinema would become one of the most revolutionary around the height of the silent era, so knowing when Russian visual storytelling started feels vital. The apparent first Russian film is Vladimir Romashkov’s Stenka Razin: an embellished depiction of the uprising led by the man of the same name.
58. Humanity through the Ages (1908) (lost)
Of all of the Georges Méliès films we know of, having Humanity through the Ages remain lost hurts the most. His depiction of the evolution of civilization feels so ambitious, and feels like quite a hidden masterpiece (given what we know about his more fantasy based works). André Méliès (Georges’ son) claimed this was his father’s most fulfilling achievement. I can only hope that a copy of this film somehow appears.
59. Fantasmagorie (1908)
We have another animated picture, this time it’s Émile Cohl's Fantasmagorie. The catch this time? This is apparently the first hand-drawn animated picture, done in the form of a cartoon (through stop motion). There isn’t much of a story, but the film is a visual treat.
60. A Corner in Wheat (1909)
Throughout 1908 and 1909 until this point, there was a certain American filmmaker who was releasing countless works of his own: D. W. Griffith (you will start to see this name a little more often shortly, due to his game changing cinema and his appalling infamy). The earliest film most curriculums teach of his is A Corner in Wheat, because of his use of cross-cutting (the splicing of two related images to create a fuller, more dynamic storytelling style) and montage (the pairing of related or unrelated images for practical or poetic intent).
61. Les Misérables (1909)
J. Stuart Blackton was back at it again (this time, we have a clear understanding of this release) with this early release of Les Misérables. It was released in four parts (single reel shorts), which could be combined to make a fully fledged feature film. Of course, this is the second time a Victor Hugo film had been released after Esmeralda.
62. The Hasher's Delirium (1910)
This animated short features the use of illustrations to depict a crazy, elaborate dream, which pushed the limits of animation early on. A bunch of unrelated images appear in a dream “bubble”, with some transitions (from object-to-object) being smoother and more graceful than others.
63. In Old California (1910)
So, In Old California is just another D. W. Griffith short, really. However, its production is what is important here. Griffith shot this picture in a California town he frequented: Hollywood. This is the very first Hollywood production of any sort (Cecil B. Demille’s The Squaw Man of 1914 is the first Hollywood feature, however).
64. Frankenstein (1910)
Well before the Frankenstein that would forever trip up pop culture into thinking that the creation holds the titular name and not Dr. Frankenstein, there was the initial depiction of Mary Shelley’s iconic gothic tale: J. Searle Dawley’s Frankenstein short, created by J. Searle Dawley for the Edison Manufacturing Company.
65. Algie, the Miner (1912)
Alice Guy-Blaché continued to break ground with the release of Algie, the Miner (co-directed by Harry Schenck and Edward Warren). It is one of the earliest films to contain homosexuality (and all LGBTQ+ themes) of any sort, although the theme of trying to cure a gay character is problematic.
66. A Ruined Life (1912)
One of the great European directors to break into the height of the silent era is Sweden’s Victor Sjöström, who made his debut in 1912 with A Ruined Life. Naturally, the film contains Sjöström’s themes of domestic philosophy even at the very start of his career; he would perfect these ideas later on.
67. A Fool and His Money (1912)
Surprise, surprise. Here’s Alice Guy-Blaché being progressive again, this time with the apparent first all African-American cast (so more than two people, in this case). A Fool and His Money is a comedic take on the upper class, continuing Guy-Blaché’s use of film as satire or commentary.
68. With Our King and Queen Through India (1912)
Part of the beauty of film history is not just seeing the moments of invention, but the combinations of ideas and progressions. With Our King and Queen Through India is a documentary by cinematic educator Charles Urban, which is undeniably a feature length film (over two hours, reportedly), shot in Kinemacolor. The picture focuses on King George V’s coronation in India (Queen Mary is the other titular appearance). Only two reels of the film exist today, and they're both of completely different parts of the film (having little correlation with each other).
69. Quo Vadis (1913)
While the term “blockbuster” came after the release of Jaws, we can still look back and find films of a similar production and successful stature. The possible first film of this magnitude is Enrico Guazzoni’s Quo Vadis, which featured thousands of extras, a two hour runtime (an hour and forty minutes or so remain), and other tropes of epic films that we are now accustomed to. The film is about emperor Nero’s various acts of corruption, including the burning of Rome.
70. Suspense (1913)
Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley created the early mysterious thriller Suspense. While narratively solid (with winding plot lines and increasing tension), the main draw of Suspense is its gorgeous split screen technology, which captured multiple perspectives in a fresh way, with more time devoted to telling more story as a result.
71. Raja Harishchandra (1913)
Before Bollywood and other South Asian forms of cinema, there had to have been the first film. Potentially, it might be Raja Harihchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke (dubbed the “father of Indian cinema”). It is a forty minute feature containing a king’s rise and all as a challenge for him to overcome (a fable of sorts).
72. The Merchant of Venice (1914) (lost)
One of the earliest William Shakespeare adaptations is The Merchant of Venice by Phillips Smalley and Lois Weber. It is also an early release by the Universal Film Manufacturing Company (now famously known as Universal Pictures), which was conceived two years prior. The film is considered lost.
73. A Florida Enchantment (1914)
Sidney Drew seems to have continued the train of thought that Les Résultats du féminisme began with his film A Florida Enchantment. Featuring gender reversals (through transformation), same sex experimentation, bisexuality, and more, A Florida Enchantment was a heavily progressive picture in most ways; its use of blackface, however, hasn’t aged at all well in comparison.
74. Neptune’s Daughter (1914) (lost)
A triumphant fantasy film — seemingly following in the footsteps of Georges Méliès — is Herbert Brenon’s Neptune's Daughter: a feature length film that blurred the lines between a mythological world and reality. It was also the first Brenon film to star Annette Kellerman, who would work with the director again. The film is considered lost.
75. Mabel’s Blunder (1914)
One of the first comedy icons, Mabel Normand, wrote, directed, and starred in this iconic short titled Mabel’s Blunder. Similar to a few other works mentioned here already, Normand’s picture involves cross dressing to play on the idea of gender bending (Normand disguises herself as a man). She would have countless successful shorts before and after.
76. Rags (1915)
Now that we're reaching fully fledged pictures, we will begin to see the best works of this early period of cinema. One of those cases includes James Kirkwood’s Rags, starring the iconic Mary Pickford in this tragic take on addiction and mental health issues. It’s an early triumph of Paramount Pictures.
77. The Birth of a Nation (1915)
So we've finally reached The Birth of a Nation. I won’t lie. This film is a main reason why I decided to devise the one hundred early films this way. I knew there was groundbreaking-yet-problematic works like this, and it just didn’t make sense to rank films when the “finest” pictures are as disgustingly racist as The Birth of a Nation. On one hand, D. W. Griffith’s film revolutionized the scope of the motion picture, through its cross-cutting editing, three hour scope, three act story structure, super imposed images, fading transitions and more. On the other hand, the film is far too repulsive in its depictions of African Americans with its pro Klu Klux Klan stance. It’s a damn shame that one of the earliest important pictures that changed the ways of cinema is this drivel.
78. Hypocrites (1915)
Outside of the pornographic works that had been passed around, the first instance of nudity in a film (for more artistic purposes) is in Hypocrites. Margaret Edwards’ naked scenes were shot with only her and the necessary crew on set, and then this footage was super imposed onto other footage where Edwards would “interact” with others (as an apparitional representation of sinful behaviours in this religious picture).
79. The Curse of Quon Gwon (1916) (incomplete)
Marion E. Wong was a major figure in how national cinema was reflected outside of one’s motherland. Having brought a Chinese tale to the United States (a family of immigrants having a conflicting time due to their new surroundings), Wong used this as the debut film for the Mandarin Film Company: a studio entirely funded by and for Asian Americans. The majority of this film is now lost.
80. When Little Lindy Sang (1916)
One of Lule Warrenton’s most significant pictures is the race-relations drama When Little Lindy Sang: a story of racist ostracizing. It was an early case of how cinema discussed society’s prejudices, as Warrenton provides a heart for the film in the form of one fellow student of a bullied black girl who defends her.
81. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)
Stuart Paton’s 20’000 Leagues Under the Sea is a wonderful marriage of portions of cinematic history; it feels like the works of Georges Méliès blending with the technological advancements of the current state of film. Taking Jules Verne’s novel and being able to apply it to the big screen, Paton continues the use of the medium as a conveyance of magic and inspiration.
82. Intolerance (1916)
As a (pesudo) apology for The Birth of a Nation (not for any of its blatant racism, though), D. W. Griffith aimed to get bigger and better, which he fully achieved with Intolerance. Splitting up society into a handful of chapters, Intolerance is a massive undertaking narratively; it is only matched by its endless sets, insane camerawork, and other accomplishments. Griffith would never return to this level of art, having funded the majority of this film with his own money, rendering him poor for the rest of his career. It is his masterpiece, nonetheless, and arguably the greatest film of this decade.
83. El Apóstol (1917) (lost)
Returning to the evolution of animation, Quirino Cristiani's El Apóstol is the first animated film to be of feature length. The film is made via moving cut outs, and runs for an hour and ten minutes.
84. The Immigrant (1917)
Charlie Chaplin had taken part and made a number of films before The Immigrant: one of his first great successes. This short film places Chaplin (as an unnamed, titular immigrant, but still very much the Tramp character we would love in most ways) on a boat making its way across the ocean. It contains his signature form of physical, clever comedy.
85. Cleopatra (1917) (lost)
One of the great epics of the 1910’s is J, Gordon Edwards’ Shakespeare adaptation Cleopatra. Like Intolerance, Cleopatra was massive in scale, with elaborate sets and costumes. Theda Bara was Cleopatra in this two hour, dynamic silent film. So much of the film is lost that Cleopatra only exists in small pieces of footage, so you can’t get a good idea of how the film was by watching any of the remnants.
86. The Rough House (1917)
The Rough House was one of the classic films of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle (who worked alongside Buster Keaton often). For the most part, it’s a standard Arbuckle affair. Arbuckle himself was a part of one of Hollywood’s biggest controversies, when he was accused of raping Virginia Rappe (and furthermore accused of manslaughter when she died of her wounding) in 1921. The trial ended with Arbuckle being acquitted (late 1922); the case and outcome was a major turning point in how Hollywood would attempt to cleanse itself to pass off an all-positive image (eventually leading to censorship like the Production Code). Arbuckle’s career was never the same.
87. The Gulf Between (1917) (incomplete)
Checking back in with colour in film, we now find the first Technicolor feature film achievement. At just under an hour long, The Gulf Between was created via a prism-split two-colour system; red captures were placed behind the main footage, whereas green capturing was placed in front, creating a dual tone colourful image. Most of the film is lost.
88. Bread (1918)
Ida May Park was a pivotal female filmmaker in the early days of cinema. One of her greatest films is the feature Bread: a feminist depiction of poverty in an unforgiving society.
89. The Blue Bird (1918)
Another early cinema great is the fantasy opus The Blue Bird by Maurice Tourneur. It’s fascinating to see how on screen magic had evolved from the early days of Georges Méliès, into something as poetic and mesmerizing as Tourneur’s sublime masterpiece.
90. Carmen (1918)
Ernst Lubitsch would be one of the great auteurs of the ‘20s. One of his early successes is the German romance Carmen. The film itself isn't particularly great, but it is neat to see how one of the great filmmakers of the silent era began to leave their mark during this impressionable time in film.
91. Stella Maris (1918)
The reign of Mary Pickford continued, as she really changed how invested performers could be in cinema. In Stella Maris, she plays two characters of different natures, as well as performing one of those characters as paralyzed. Of course, acting has been important since near the very start of film, but it was thanks to icons like Pickford that it started to become a serious focal point of cinema.
92. The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1918) (lost)
If you're a monster film buff, then you might want to thank Willis O’Brien, whose The Ghost of Slumber Mountain featured two massive dinosaurs fighting in a human world. It is the first feature film to mix stop motion and live action footage together, creating an overwhelming illusion of titanic proportions.
93. The Outlaw and His Wife (1918)
Meanwhile, Victor Sjöström was still going strong, and only getting better. His feature The Outlaw and His Wife would be one of his greatest works before the ‘20s; it features a fugitive living a double life in hiding. Of course, Sjöström would go on to make even better films, but a film like The Outlaw and His Wife marks the importance of foreign film industries that were only catching up with (and even surpassing some of the works of) the earliest cinematic nations.
94. Different from the Others (1919)
There have been a few LGBTQ+ films on this list, but these previous works either used these themes at the detriment of the community, or for the intentions of heterosexual audiences (comedically or seriously). Richard Oswald’s Weimar Republic film Different from the Others is an understanding gay film of a forbidden love in a non-understanding society. It is possibly the first LGBTQ+ release to be fully supportive of the community. A good portion of the film is missing.
95. The Homesteader (1919) (lost)
Oscar Micheaux was a groundbreaking African American director who helped pave the way for marginalized American filmmakers and performers. His first film was The Homesteader: a tale featuring racism in society, and the multiple takes on it of varying different moralities. Micheaux would work with the Lincoln Motion Picture Company: a studio made by and for African Americans (although The Homesteader wasn't made via this company); the production house would last from 1916 to 1921.
96. Broken Blossoms (1919)
After Intolerance, D. W. Griffith would work smaller in scale (although not too small, mind you), and one of his best follow up achievements is Broken Blossoms. Starring Lillian Gish (who would dominate the ‘20s), this film features the mixture of British and Chinese cultures. Unsurprisingly (in usual Griffith fashion), the leading role of Cheng Huan is Richard Barthelmess in racial makeup; Griffith stood by his decisions, no matter how obviously racist they may have been.
97. The Courageous Coward (1919) (lost)
A much more tasteful American depiction of Asian cultures (presumably, as the film is lost and so we don’t know for sure) is William Worthington’s The Courageous Coward: a picture from the United States featuring actual Japanese stars (including Tsuru Aoki, and Asian-American legend Sessue Hayakawa.
98. His Majesty, the American (1919)
Douglas Fairbanks would be another ‘20s legend who was making his rounds at the end of the previous decade. His Majesty, the American is one of his early pictures that he co-wrote, produced, and starred in. An interesting tidbit is that cinematographer Victor Fleming would go on to direct Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
99. The Miracle Man (1919) (lost)
A mostly lost picture, The Miracle Man is significant for its early appearance of one Lon Chaney, who would go on to be an inspirational actor (between his use of thick, chameleon-esque makeup, and his complete physical devotions to performances; he would be known as “The Man of a Thousand Faces”).
100. Madame DuBarry (1919)
We end on another Ernst Lubitsch picture Madame DuBarry, which features an additional upcoming star of the 1920’s (and beyond): Emil Jannings. Both Lubitsch and Jannings would transition into Hollywood pictures and dominate the industry; it’s fascinating to see the artists of other nations slowly work their way over into Hollywood (a development that would further continue in the upcoming era).
We thank you for learning about the earliest days of cinema with us. Please explore the rest of film history through my various “Best Films” lists of every decade.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.