Best 1900s Films
by acedreeann | created - 21 Jun 2021 | updated - 28 Jun 2021 | PublicSome of the best pictures of the very beginning of the XX century.
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1. As Seen Through a Telescope (1900)
1 min | Short, Comedy
An elderly gentleman in a silk hat sits on a stool in front of a store on the main street of town. He has a telescope that he focuses on the ankle of a young woman who is a short distance ... See full summary »
Director: George Albert Smith
Votes: 900
2. Attack on a China Mission (1900)
4 min | Short, Action, Crime
The titles tell us this film is based on an incident in the Boxer Rebellion. A man tries to defend a woman and a large house against Chinese attackers. They attack with swords, guns, and ... See full summary »
Director: James Williamson | Stars: Mr. James, Mr. Lepard, Florence Williamson
Votes: 680
3. The Countryman's First Sight of the Animated Pictures (1901)
Not Rated | 1 min | Short, Comedy
A satire on the way that audiences unaccustomed to the cinema didn't know how to react to the moving images on a screen - in this film, an unsophisticated (and stereotypical) country yokel ... See full summary »
Director: Robert W. Paul
Votes: 779
4. Bluebeard (1901)
TV-MA | 12 min | Short, Horror
A young woman becomes the eighth wife of the wealthy Bluebeard, whose first seven wives have died under mysterious circumstances.
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Jehanne d'Alcy, Bleuette Bernon, Thomas White
Votes: 1,881
5. Fire! (1901)
5 min | Short, Action, Drama
Firefighters ring for help, and here comes the ladder cart; they hitch a horse to it. A second horse-drawn truck joins the first, and they head down the street to a house fire. Inside a man... See full summary »
Director: James Williamson
Votes: 790
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: 55,757
7. The Little Match Seller (1902)
3 min | Drama, Short
A poor young girl tries to sell matches in a snowstorm. After being robbed by bullies, she lights matches which illuminate visions of a far happier Christmas than the one she faces.
Director: James Williamson
Votes: 530
8. 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: 20,989
9. Mary Jane's Mishap (1903)
4 min | Short, Comedy
Smith casts his wife as a sluttish housewife who is mutilated by lighting her oven with paraffin.
Director: George Albert Smith | Star: Laura Bayley
Votes: 1,040
10. The Kingdom of the Fairies (1903)
Not Rated | 16 min | Short, Adventure, Fantasy
In this spectacular free adaptation of the popular theatre play "La Biche au Bois", the valiant Prince Bel-Azor pursues a baleful old witch to her impregnable castle, to save the beautiful young Princess Azurine.
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Marguerite Thévenard, Bleuette Bernon, André Deed
Votes: 1,820
11. The Poachers (1903)
3 min | Short, Action, Crime
Three hunters surprise two poachers in the act. The hunters take umbrage and give chase over fences and through fields. The hunters fire away, but the poachers have guns as well, and a ... See full summary »
Director: William Haggar | Stars: Sid Griffiths, Will Haggar Jr., Walter Haggar
Votes: 437
12. The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ (1903)
45 min | Biography, Drama
The story of Jesus Christ from the proclamation of his Nativity to his crucifixion. Impressive scenes and dynamism of the actors prelude to the Italian colossal movies of the silent period.
Directors: Lucien Nonguet, Ferdinand Zecca | Stars: Madame Moreau, Monsieur Moreau
Votes: 676
13. Personal (1904)
6 min | Comedy, Short
A man who has placed a personal advertisement for a prospective wife goes to wait at the meeting place that he designated. Soon a woman comes in response to the advertisement. Before the ... See full summary »
Director: Wallace McCutcheon
Votes: 142
14. Rescued by Rover (1905)
Not Rated | 7 min | Short, Crime, Drama
A dog leads its master to his kidnapped baby.
Directors: Lewin Fitzhamon, Cecil M. Hepworth | Stars: Blair, May Clark, Barbara Hepworth, Cecil M. Hepworth
Votes: 1,320
15. 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
16. A Visit to Peek Frean and Co.'s Biscuit Works (1906)
Not Rated | 12 min | Short, Documentary
A look at typical activities taking place in the Peek Frean factory: First, the workers get up steam, as supplies of milk and flour arrive. Sheets of dough are rolled, then cut, shaped, and... See full summary »
Votes: 309
17. 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
18. The Birth, the Life and the Death of Christ (1906)
Not Rated | 33 min | Short, Biography, Drama
The life of Jesus Christ in 25 scenes.
Director: Alice Guy
Votes: 589
19. The '?' Motorist (1906)
3 min | Fantasy, Short, Comedy
A British trick film in which a motorist ends up driving around the rings of Saturn.
Director: Walter R. Booth
Votes: 1,281
20. The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906)
Not Rated | 70 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
Originally 70 minutes in running time, only 17 minutes of the world's first full-length narrative feature film survived in stills and other fragments and tell the story of Ned Kelly, an infamous 19th-century Australian outlaw.
Director: Charles Tait | Stars: Elizabeth Tait, John Tait, Nicholas Brierley, Norman Campbell
Votes: 891
21. Madame's Cravings (1907)
4 min | Comedy, Short
A heavily pregnant woman has a series of irrepressible cravings while walking with her family.
Director: Alice Guy
Votes: 515
22. The Physician of the Castle (1908)
Not Rated | 6 min | Short, Drama
Two criminals lure a doctor away from his home with a phony note about a child's illness. After the doctor rushes off, the criminals break into his house and menace his wife and child. By ... See full summary »
Votes: 352
23. 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: 2,834
24. A Drunkard's Reformation (1909)
13 min | Drama, Short
A drinking man arrives home, late and sozzled as usual. His wife reminds him that he promised to take their child to a play. The play proves to be a morality tale about the evils of drink; ... See full summary »
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Arthur V. Johnson, Linda Arvidson, Adele DeGarde, Charles Avery
Votes: 273
25. 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
26. The Battle in the Clouds (1909)
20 min | Short, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
An inventor uses a wireless controlled flying torpedo to destroy enemy airships.
Director: Walter R. Booth
Votes: 433
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