History Main / EarlyFilms

* 1888 -- ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1i40rnpOsA Roundhay Garden Scene]]'' and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7saH58usq4 Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge]]'' -- possibly the first movies ever, and certainly the oldest known to still exist, were shot by Louis Le Prince on experimental camera.

* [[DWGriffith D.W. Griffith]] directed some of the earliest feature films, including:

** ''Film/TheBirthOfANation'' -- Groundbreaking cinematography, but horrendously racist plot.
** ''Film/{{Intolerance}}'' -- Equally impressive cinematography, but with a much more palatable plot.
** ''Film/BrokenBlossoms'' -- Notably sympathetic portrayal of Chinese people for its time, but of course they were ''played'' by white actors.

** ''EasyStreet''

** ''TheRink''

* ''TheMasterMystery''

** ''TheBirthOfANation'' -- Groundbreaking cinematography, but horrendously racist plot.
** ''{{Intolerance}}'' -- Equally impressive cinematography, but with a much more palatable plot.
** ''BrokenBlossoms'' -- Notably sympathetic portrayal of Chinese people for its time, but of course they were ''played'' by white actors.

** ''ATripToTheMoon''

[[index]]
* 1911-1914 -- {{Winsor McCay}} makes the first [[AnimationTropes animated films]], including ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seOGEwx0NfQ Little Nemo]]'' and ''{{Gertie the Dinosaur}}''.
[[/index]]

** ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSF7p_DAAxw A Corner in Wheat]]'', one of the first movies to use CameraTricks to make social commentary points;

* CharlieChaplin produced and starred in 20 pioneering {{Slapstick}} comedies at Mutual studios and First National studios, including:

Films before and around the 1920s.

[[AC: 1915-1921]]

** ''OrphansOfTheStorm''
** ''WayDownEast''

[[AC:1916-1928]]

** ''TheIdleClass''

** ''PayDay''
** ''ThePilgrim''

* He also produces four feature-length movies, three of which are comedies.
** ''TheCircus''
** ''TheGoldRush''
** ''TheKid''
** ''AWomanOfParis'' (a drama in which he only appears in a cameo)

** ''{{The Birth of a Nation}}'' -- Groundbreaking cinematography, but horrendously racist plot.

** ''{{Orphans of the Storm}}''

** ''[[Film/TheCure The Cure]]''
** ''[[{{ptitled8gznoki}} A Dog's Life]]''

* 1911-1914 -- {{Winsor McCay}} makes the first [[AnimatedTrope animated films]], including ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seOGEwx0NfQ Little Nemo]]'' and ''{{Gertie the Dinosaur}}''.

** ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XaUjhEx3mo The Man with the Rubber Head]]''

** ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOTzV_PL9vM The Four Troublesome Heads]]''

* 1893-1895 -- William K.L. Dickson, working at Thomas Edison's studio, shot ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qZa-RLtCU0 Blacksmith Scene]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PaJ1r0udvQ Fred Ott's Sneeze]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hH8BMgpQnI Carmencita]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PfqtorMruo The Great Sandow]]'', and others -- The first commercial movies ever. ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE_X3-EZz7Y Dickson Experimental Sound Film]]'', the first sound picture, and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpNQJV8KblQ The Execution of Mary Stuart]]'', the first cinematic special effects, were also produced at the studio. In 1897, it [[TheRuleOfFirstAdopters introduced the world to the first pornographic movie]] with ''TheDoloritaPassionDance'' or ''Dolorita in the Passion Dance''. The film was removed from Atlantic City Kinetoscope parlors in 1895, this being perhaps the first instance of film {{Censorship}}.

** ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG5hbpL8Njo The Musketeers of Pig Alley]]'', the first [[CrimeAndPunishment gangster film]]; and

[[AC:Early Short Films]]

* 1906 -- The first ever feature-length film, ''{{The Story of the Kelly Gang}}'', was filmed in Melbourne, Australia. Of course, in 1906, "feature-length" meant about forty-five minutes long, which was still many times longer than any other film made at that point. (Interestingly, ''The Story of the Kelly Gang'' was originally planned as a short film, but its runtime ballooned out as the filmmakers kept adding more and more footage.)

* 1906 -- ''TheStoryOfTheKellyGang'', at 70 minutes in its original version (only fragments remain), Australia's and arguably the world's first feature film.

* 1911-1914 -- {{Winsor McCay}} makes the first [[AnimatedTrope animated films]], including ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seOGEwx0NfQ Little Nemo]]'' and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY40DHs9vc4 Gertie the Dinosaur]]''.

** ''[=~A Dog's Life~=]''

** ''[[ADogsLife A Dog's Life]]''

[[index]]

* 1898-1905 -- Georges Méliès shot pioneering movies such as ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOTzV_PL9vM The Four Troublesome Heads]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XaUjhEx3mo The Man with the Rubber Head]]'', ''ATriptotheMoon'', ''[[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x67qh4_le-voyage-a-travers-limpossible_fun The Impossible Voyage]]'', and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0AOPuus_So The Black Imp]]'', establishing many kinds of special effects and {{Special Effect}}s and genres such as ScienceFiction and Fantasy.

* 1898-1905 -- Georges Méliès shot pioneering movies such as ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOTzV_PL9vM The Four Troublesome Heads]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XaUjhEx3mo The Man with the Rubber Head]]'', ''ATriptotheMoon]]'', ''[[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x67qh4_le-voyage-a-travers-limpossible_fun The Impossible Voyage]]'', and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0AOPuus_So The Black Imp]]'', establishing many kinds of special effects and {{Special Effect}}s and genres such as ScienceFiction and Fantasy.

* 1898-1905 -- Georges Méliès shot pioneering movies such as ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOTzV_PL9vM The Four Troublesome Heads]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XaUjhEx3mo The Man with the Rubber Head]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaaY2eQ1Lv4 The One Man Band]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygGkBffo66k A Trip to the Moon]]'', ''[[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x67qh4_le-voyage-a-travers-limpossible_fun The Impossible Voyage]]'', and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0AOPuus_So The Black Imp]]'', establishing many kinds of special effects and {{Special Effect}}s and genres such as ScienceFiction and Fantasy.