Explosion of a Motor Car

Explosion of a Motor Car 1900

6.06

An early trick film where a car explodes and body parts fall from the sky. A policeman witnesses and attempts to piece the remains back together.

1900

Attack on a China Mission

Attack on a China Mission 1900

5.10

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 paddles. He's over-matched. What will become of the mission, its defenders, and its occupants?

1900

The Rajah's Dream or The Bewitched Wood

The Rajah's Dream or The Bewitched Wood 1900

5.50

The picture opens with the Sultan lying down to rest on his luxurious cushioned couch. The scene changes to the grounds around the palace.

1900

The One-Man Band

The One-Man Band 1900

6.81

A band-leader has arranged seven chairs for the members of his band. When he sits down in the first chair, a cymbal player appears in the same chair, then rises and sits in the next chair. As the cymbal player sits down, a drummer appears in the second chair, and then likewise moves on to the third chair. In this way, an entire band is soon formed, and is then ready to perform.

1900

Davey Jones' Locker

Davey Jones' Locker 1900

4.90

Two sets of images are superimposed. From the side, we see a two-masted ship. Across the deck walks a skeleton. It sits down, its legs akimbo. The legs separate and continue a dance while the body of the skeleton faces us and the skull moves its jaw bone. It rises and the legs rejoin the skull and body for an additional jig back and forth on deck.

1900

As Seen Through a Telescope

As Seen Through a Telescope 1900

5.60

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 focuses on the ankle of a young woman who is a short distance away. Her husband catches the gent looking. What will the two men do now?

1900

The Enchanted Drawing

The Enchanted Drawing 1900

6.46

A cartoonist defies reality when he draws objects that become three-dimensional after he lifts them off his sketch pad.

1900

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc 1900

6.90

A divinely inspired peasant woman becomes an army captain for France and then is martyred after she is captured.

1900

Panorama of Eiffel Tower

Panorama of Eiffel Tower 1900

5.60

“Showing the entire height of this wonderful structure from the base of the dome and return, with the great Paris Exposition in the background, looking down Champs de Mars. A most realistic picture.” According to Edison film historian Charles Musser, this film features the first camera tilt among the company's surviving oeuvre.

1900

Uncle Josh in a Spooky Hotel

Uncle Josh in a Spooky Hotel 1900

4.70

Uncle Josh returns in this sequel to UNCLE JOSH'S NIGHTMARE. This time he checks into a hotel, presumably to get a better nights rest than he got at home. Of course the way bad luck follows Josh around we know this is a forlorn hope. Sure enough, quicker than you can say "Georges Méliès" a ghost pops up to make sure Uncle Josh is denied yet another good nights rest.

1900

A Fantastical Meal

A Fantastical Meal 1900

6.26

A family sits down to enjoy a meal that ends up being fraught with complications.

1900

Going to Bed Under Difficulties

Going to Bed Under Difficulties 1900

6.51

A man takes off his clothes in preparation for bed, only for new clothes to spontaneously generate, leading to comical consternation.

1900

At the Floral Ball

At the Floral Ball 1900

4.84

A turn-of-the-last-century hand-tinted short, which features two women, Miss Lally and Miss Julyett, dancing at a ball. By the legendary French filmmaker Alice Guy.

1900

A Storm at Sea

A Storm at Sea 1900

5.80

While our photographers were crossing the Atlantic Ocean a most wonderful and sensational picture was secured, showing a storm at sea. The picture was secured by lashing the camera to the after bridge of the Kaiserine Maria Theresa, of the North German Lloyd Line, during one of its roughest voyages. The most wonderful storm picture ever photographed. Taken at great risk. (Edison Films, 1901)

1900

The Landlady

The Landlady 1900

4.90

A landlady is taunted by neighborhood kids.

1900

How It Feels to Be Run Over

How It Feels to Be Run Over 1900

6.00

As the camera looks down an open road, a horse and carriage approaches, and passes by to one side of the field of view. Soon afterwards, an automobile comes up the road, straight towards the camera. As it gets nearer, the occupants start to wave frantically, but can a collision be avoided?

1900

Palace of Electricity

Palace of Electricity 1900

5.40

A panoramic shot, making a full circle, at the 1900 Paris Exposition. It begins and ends looking at the front of the Palace of Electricity. As it pans, first we see a workman hosing down the promenade. Men and women walk past, all wearing hats. We see the base of the Eiffel Tower, which the Palace faces. A couple strolls. A mother and daughter walk passed, father is slightly ahead wearing a boater. Three men in uniform walk toward the camera as it comes to a stop facing the Palace.

1900

Little Tich and His Funny Feet

Little Tich and His Funny Feet 1900

6.90

"This funny individual will make you laugh until your sides ache. He is funny in all his actions, yet when he puts on his shoes you can imagine the noise he can make when he dances an ordinary clog. The shoes referred to are made of some elastic material which enables Little Tich to bow almost to the floor without bending his legs, the spring in the shoes carrying him down and up again. He places his hat on the floor and, leaning over on the toes of his wonderful shoes, dips his head into the hat and comes up without having to move from the spot or to bend his legs. He is a comical looking sight at best, being made up to suit the part, and he will make you laugh whether you want to or not."

1900

A Railway Collision

A Railway Collision 1900

4.11

The scene is a railroad track on the side of a steep mountain, with a tunnel in the background, toward which a train is running at a high rate of speed. At this instant the audience is appalled at the sight of a second train rushing out of the tunnel. Both trains are on the same track and traveling toward each other at a high rate of speed. They collide. Cars and engines are smashed into fragments and thrown down the steep incline. (Edison Catalog)

1900