National Film Registry: 1899-1911
by majfoalbkeopaza | created - 26 Jun 2020 | updated - 6 months ago | Public- Genres
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1. Demolishing and Building Up the Star Theatre (1901)
Unrated | 2 min | Documentary, Short
Time-lapse photography is used to show the manual dismantling and demolition of New York's Star Theatre over a period of about 30 days.
Director: Frederick S. Armitage
Votes: 1,095
Class of 2002
2. 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: 20,998
Class of 1990
3. 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: 2,709
Class of 2016
4. Rip Van Winkle (1896)
Not Rated | 4 min | Short, Comedy
A compilation of eight earlier films, also from 1896, that chronicle the adventure of Rip van Winkle. Rip encounters dwarf-like mountain-dwellers, gets drunk with them and awakes after twenty years, having significantly aged.
Director: William K.L. Dickson | Star: Joseph Jefferson
Votes: 490
5. New York Subway (1905)
Unrated | 6 min | Short, Documentary
In one long take, the camera shows us the journey of a subway train as it makes its way from Union Square to the old Grand Central Station.
Director: G.W. Bitzer
Votes: 814
Class of 2017
6. 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
Class of 2015
7. 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: 2,746
Class of 1994
8. Lady Helen's Escapade (1909)
8 min | Short, Comedy, Drama
A bored rich woman goes slumming as a domestic at a boarding house, where she falls in love with a sensitive young musician.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Florence Lawrence, Dorothy Bernard, John R. Cumpson, Anita Hendrie
Votes: 58
Class of 2004
9. Princess Nicotine; or, the Smoke Fairy (1909)
Unrated | 5 min | Comedy, Short, Fantasy
A drowsy pipe-smoker attempts to nap, only to be tormented relentlessly by the mischievous Princess Nicotine and her fairy companion.
Director: J. Stuart Blackton | Stars: Paul Panzer, Gladys Hulette
Votes: 1,026
Class of 2003
10. 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: 1,849
Class of 2009
11. The Cry of the Children (1912)
Not Rated | 29 min | Short, Drama
An indictment of the evils of child labor, the film was controversial in its time for its use of actual footage of children employed in a working mill.
Director: George Nichols | Stars: Marie Eline, Ethel Wright, James Cruze, Lila Chester
Votes: 329
Class of 2011
12. A Cure for Pokeritis (1912)
13 min | Comedy, Short
Wife plots to cure her husband of his inveterate poker playing.
Director: Laurence Trimble | Stars: John Bunny, Flora Finch, Leah Baird, Charles Eldridge
Votes: 395
Class of 2011
13. Assembling a Generator (1904)
3 min | Documentary, Short
A group of men work on various parts of a large generator, assembling the pieces. A crane carries a large piece of the generator over to the rest of the machine, and the men guide it down ... See full summary »
Votes: 210
14. Assembling and Testing Turbines (1904)
3 min | Documentary, Short
A turbine is shown operating. Two men walk up to it, check the running of various parts on it, and write their findings down on paper. A third man is seen walking through a few times, once stopping to look at one of the men's writings.
Votes: 201
15. Casting a Guide Box (1904)
6 min | Documentary, Short
A large bucket full of molten material is poured into a large container, possibly a mold, by a group of men using machinery. Some other men stoke the fire under the container. When finished... See full summary »
Votes: 171
16. Coil Winding Machines (1904)
2 min | Documentary, Short
Numerous women stand in rows at winding machines, taking material from large spools behind them. A male supervisor walks down the aisle, checking the work of the women.
Votes: 175
17. Coil Winding Section E (1904)
2 min | Documentary, Short
Rows of women are shown at tables with winding machines. They wind using material from spools behind them, apparently putting the finished products on the table in front of them. Various ... See full summary »
Votes: 134
18. Girls Taking Time Checks (1904)
3 min | Documentary, Short
Almost 200 women file by a device on the wall from which they take their time checks. A man runs half-way across the screen at the end of the film.
Votes: 174
19. Girls Winding Armatures (1904)
Not Rated | 2 min | Documentary, Short
Numerous women sit in rows at machines where they appear to be winding some type of wire and tooling it onto machines. Two young men push spools of this wire down the aisle. Supervisors, ... See full summary »
Votes: 168
20. Panorama Exterior Westinghouse Works (1904)
6 min | Documentary, Short
The view from a moving train shows some of the Westinghouse interests and the surrounding areas. It appears that the film is in two parts and has been incorrectly spliced together with the ... See full summary »
Votes: 123
21. Panorama View, Street Car Motor Room (1904)
3 min | Documentary, Short
A camera moving forward on an overhead crane gives a traveling view of men working on machinery. Carts carrying parts and pieces of machinery pass by on rails; cranes lift machinery; and ... See full summary »
Votes: 314
22. Panorama of Machine Co. Aisle (1904)
3 min | Documentary, Short
A camera on an overhead crane travels down a large, long aisle where men are shown working on large machinery on either side. Carts carrying equipment are shown traveling on rails down the aisles. There are also men walking in the aisles.
Votes: 120
23. Steam Hammer (1904)
4 min | Documentary, Short
From what appears to be a furnace, a large, glowing block is lifted with the help of a crane over to a table by a group of men. A hammer comes from above and pounds down on the block ... See full summary »
Votes: 126
24. Steam Whistle (1904)
1 min | Documentary, Short
A closeup of the steam whistle blowing at the "Westinghouse works" complex of factories in Pennsylvania, probably at the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co.
Director: G.W. Bitzer
Votes: 147
25. Taping Coils (1904)
2 min | Documentary, Short
Numerous women stand at several rows of tables where they appear to be wrapping tape around some devices, presumably coils. Male supervisors walk down the aisles, observing the women's work.
Votes: 111
26. Tapping a Furnace (1904)
5 min | Documentary, Short
A large bucket is lowered into a pit by male workers using machinery. Molten material from a furnace is poured into the bucket using a slide. The bucket, which has flames coming from inside, is lifted up from the pit by a crane.
Votes: 109
27. Testing Large Turbines, Westinghouse Co. Works (1904)
4 min | Documentary, Short
On the left of the screen, a small group of men lift the top off of what appears to be a turbine with a crane and continue to check the machine, tightening various parts with wrenches. On ... See full summary »
Votes: 109
28. Testing a Rotary (1904)
3 min | Documentary, Short, History
A small group of men turn on what appears to be a generator. As the rotary spins, the men make adjustments to the machine and check its operations.
Votes: 123
29. Welding the Big Ring (1904)
6 min | Documentary, Short
A group of men weld one area of a large ring in a fire. They lift the ring, which is hanging horizontally on chains, out of the fire. Four men hammer the hot area on the ring into shape ... See full summary »
Votes: 132
30. Westinghouse Air Brake Co. (1904)
3 min | Documentary, Short
A large group of men are shown performing various tasks in one room at the Westinghouse Air Brake Co. On one side, men are shown pouring a hot liquid into molds on the floor. A conveyor ... See full summary »
Votes: 115
31. Westinghouse Air Brake Co. (Casting Scene) (1904)
3 min | Documentary, Short
What appear to be molds pass some men by on conveyor belts. The men take them off the belt and dump the contents onto the ground. Other men pick up with tongs the parts that have been ... See full summary »
Votes: 111
32. Westinghouse Air Brake Co. (Moulding Scene) (1904)
4 min | Documentary, Short
Men working in teams carry buckets of molten material and pour the material into what appear to be molds lined up on the ground.
Votes: 107
33. Westinghouse Works (1904)
Not Rated | 68 min | Documentary
Collection of 21 American short silent films. The films were taken from April 18, 1904 to May 16, 1904 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and document various Westinghouse manufacturing plants.
Votes: 357
Class of 1998
34. A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire (1906)
Not Rated | 12 min | Documentary, Short
From the front of a cable car, a motion picture camera records a trip down Market Street, San Francisco, California, from a point between 8th & 9th Streets, Eastward to the cable car turnaround at the Ferry Building.
Votes: 686
Class of 2010
35. Something Good - Negro Kiss (1898)
1 min | Short, Comedy, Romance
A burlesque on the John Rice/May Irwin kiss in "The Kiss" (1896).
Director: William Nicholas Selig | Stars: Gertie Brown, Saint Suttle
Votes: 578
Class of 2018
36. Jeffries-Johnson World's Championship Boxing Contest, Held at Reno, Nevada, July 4, 1910 (1910)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, Sport
Billed as the "Fight of the Century", reigning champion Jack Johnson takes on former champion James J. Jeffries in a gruelling 15-round beatdown.
Stars: James J. Jeffries, Jack Johnson
Votes: 143
Class of 2005
37. President McKinley Taking the Oath (1901)
1 min | Documentary, Short, News
Short film which documents William McKinley's presidential inauguration.
Stars: William McKinley, Joseph Garney Cannon, John Dalzell, George Dewey
Votes: 522
Class of 2000 Part of "President McKinley Inauguration Footage" (1901)
38. President McKinley and Escort Going to the Capitol (1901)
2 min | Documentary, Short, News
Short film which documents President McKinley's escort to the Capitol building.
Stars: George Dewey, John Davis Long, William McKinley, Nelson Appleton Miles
Votes: 439
Class of 2000 Part of "President McKinley Inauguration Footage" (1901)
39. White Fawn's Devotion: A Play Acted by a Tribe of Red Indians in America (1910)
Unrated | 11 min | Short, Drama, Western
A frantic child reports to the tribal chief that her father killed her mother. The tribe chases and captures the man, dragging him back for tribal justice.
Director: James Young Deer | Star: Lucille Young
Votes: 532
Class of 2008
40. Ringling Bros. Circus Parade (1902)
3 min | Documentary, Short
Short actuality film which documents the passage of a Ringling Brothers circus parade through a prosperous Black community in Indianapolis.
Votes: 128
Class of 2021
41. Emigrants Landing at Ellis Island (1903)
2 min | Documentary, Short
Shows a large open barge loaded with people of every nationality, disembarking at Ellis Island, N. Y. A most interesting and typical scene.
Director: A.C. Abadie
Votes: 262
Class of 2019
42. San Francisco Earthquake & Fire: April 18, 1906 (1906)
13 min | Documentary, Short
Footage of the aftermath of the great San Francisco earthquake, which struck on the morning of April 18, 1906, destroying a large part of the city.
Votes: 313
Class of 2005
43. Dixon-Wanamaker Expedition to Crow Agency (1908)
26 min | Documentary, Short, History
The film captures life on Crow Agency, Crow Fair and a recreation of the Battle of Little Big Horn featuring four of Custer's Crow scouts.
Directors: Joseph K. Dixon, Roland Dixon | Star: Plenty Coups
Votes: 46
Class of 2018
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