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One Film Per Year: 1888-2011
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90
6.7
7.3
This is the oldest surviving strip of film (shot as a filmstrip, as opposed to a series of cameras, or similar setup).
Kinda cool you can watch it on an ultramodern smartphone!
Kinda cool you can watch it on an ultramodern smartphone!
43
5.3
5
Early Edison experiment to test his camera system. As with "Dickson Greeting", of historical rather than aesthetic interest.
30
4.9
0
Another Edison experiment - One of the earliest films to be presented publicly.
53
6.1
6.5
Very early animation - and early color (as with many later "silents," the frames were individually hand painted)
54
4.9
5.4
First American film to be copyrighted - and the only one in the public domain!
/I kid
/I kid
301
7
7.4
First film of real aesthetic interest on this list. The camera is stationary, but note how the Lumiere Brothers have already developed a sense for framing motion.
One of the earliest projected films to be publicly exhibited. Apparently some members of the audience were a bit worried the train might run right through the screen.*
*that may be an urban myth/Lumiere PR
One of the earliest projected films to be publicly exhibited. Apparently some members of the audience were a bit worried the train might run right through the screen.*
*that may be an urban myth/Lumiere PR
Goofoff's rating:
50
6.3
6.3
The Haunted Castle (1897) (1897)
This very short Méliès film could be the first horror film.
Note how the framing is "theatrical," as opposed to the Lumiere brothers more "filmic" approach.
Note how the framing is "theatrical," as opposed to the Lumiere brothers more "filmic" approach.
Goofoff's rating:
2
2
4.3
The Ball Game (1898)
Another Edison - the ball game is baseball - at least the "dead ball" variety.
34
6.9
6.6
Joan of Arc (1900)
Another Méliès - this one quite an advance from The Devil's Castle.
The colors have survived nicely, but to my mind distract from the power of a story that would be told quite hauntingly 28 years later.
The colors have survived nicely, but to my mind distract from the power of a story that would be told quite hauntingly 28 years later.
Goofoff's rating:
14
5.4
5.8
Edison using new technology to display the old technology it would replace. My favorite Edison films (with, of course, the help of Edwin S. Porter).
Goofoff's rating:
1303
8
8.2
Méliès masterpiece - and rather prescient (well except for the aliens).
Goofoff's rating:
508
7.1
7.3
The Great Train Robbery (1903)
The most important early film and a lot of fun. Quite a few new techniques are introduced/perfected here. In particular, Porter's use of cross-cutting is a revelation of the power of cinema as more than just filmed theatre.
/not to mention the final shot - a great twist that supposedly caused audience members to draw their guns (again, that story is probably PR)
/not to mention the final shot - a great twist that supposedly caused audience members to draw their guns (again, that story is probably PR)
Goofoff's rating:
117
7.8
7.5
An Impossible Voyage (1904)
A fun Méliès 2-reeler - another exploration film like "A Trip to the Moon".
This one's a bit hard to follow - as with all Méliès films, I recommend finding a copy with narration (not commentary, but the narration Méliès wrote himself)
This one's a bit hard to follow - as with all Méliès films, I recommend finding a copy with narration (not commentary, but the narration Méliès wrote himself)
Goofoff's rating:
12
5.7
5.3
. . . . and long before Gone With the Wind.
A passable Porter comedy, notable for his satire of a middle-class family, and its opening series of close-ups.
A passable Porter comedy, notable for his satire of a middle-class family, and its opening series of close-ups.
Goofoff's rating:
2
5.5
5.8
Film by Alice Guy-Blaché, the first known female film director, and the only woman to run a film studio.
Goofoff's rating:
13
6.2
6.5
Le scarabée d'or (1907)
A magic act along the lines of a Méliès film. Notable for it's striking colors and use of special effects.
95
6.9
6.9
A Fantasy (1908)
Real title: Fantasmagorie
No real story, just a very creative piece of animation.
No real story, just a very creative piece of animation.
51
6.6
6.6
A Corner in Wheat (1909)
Social realism artfully made by D.W. Griffith, until he hammers home his moral. The prototype for the "message" film.
Goofoff's rating:
535
6.3
6.1
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
Rating reflects moral revulsion. However, anyone interested in film and/or American history should see the first blockbuster (and prime recruiter for the KKK) at least once.
Goofoff's rating:
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A list of films that are either the best of the year, representative of the era, or simply worth watching. I've adjusted the list a bit to ensure certain directors/actors are not overrepresented. List is limited to films I've actually seen (and thus films that survive - no films survive from 1889, hence the omission)
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