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Dimitrios Latsis, Associate Professor in Digital and Audiovisual Preservation at the University of Alabama, has worked extensively in the fields of American visual culture, early cinema, archival studies, and digital humanities. These interests are brought into the conversation about his five eclectic picks, in addition to some “runner-ups” that paint a fuller picture of cinema in 1904.
Dimitrios is the author of How the Movies Got a Past: A Historiography of American Cinema, 1894-1930. He has also co-edited a special issue of The Moving Image, the journal of the Association of Moving Image Archivists on the topic of Digital Humanities and/in Film Archives and an anthology on documentaries about the visual arts in the 1950s and 60s for Bloomsbury Academic.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1904!
Films and resources mentioned:
Ball Passing Through a Soap Bubble (1904) - Lucien BullA Butterfly’s Metamorphosis (1904) - Gaston VelleHow a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the New York Herald Personal Columns (1904) - Edwin S. PorterThe Impossible Voyage (1904) - Georges MélièsTracked by Bloodhounds; or, A Lynching at Cripple Creek (1904) - Harry BuckwalterThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterLife of an American Fireman (1903) - Edwin S. PorterÉvènements russo-japonais (1904) - Lucien NonguetLiving London (1904) - unknownThe Wrong Door (1904) - Ferdinand ZeccaBurglars at Work (1904) - Gaston VelleJapanese Varieties (1904) - Gaston VellePersonal (1904) - Wallace McCutcheonA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsHow the Movies Got a Past: A Historiography of American Cinema, 1894-1930 - Dimitrios LatsisThe Red Rooster Scare: Making Cinema American, 1900-1910 - Richard Abel -
George Willeman has been the Nitrate Film Vault Leader at the Library of Congress for 41 years. Having been in love with movies as far back as he can remember, George is still constantly amazed at the discoveries found within the Library’s nitrate film collection, and his picks reflect the enthusiasm and intrigue that occur at least weekly in his role.
At a young age, George got hooked on 8mm releases from the renowned Blackhawk Films company. He brought this lifelong passion to his degree in film production and began his time at the Library with a part-time job as an inspector of nitrate film cans.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1904!
Films and resources mentioned:Gage d’amour (1904) - Alice Guy-BlachéThe Great Train Robbery (1904) - Siegmund LubinThe Terrible Turkish Executioner (1904) - Georges MélièsThe Impossible Voyage (1904) - Georges MélièsDog Factory (1904) - Edwin S. PorterThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterSaving Brinton (2017) - Tommy Haines and Andrew SherburneThe Heart of Lincoln (1922) - Francis FordThe Heart of Lincoln (1915) - Francis FordWhen Lincoln Paid (1913) - Francis FordA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and the Moon (1907) - Georges MélièsThe Conquest of the Pole (1912) - Georges MélièsMon Oncle (1958) - Jacques TatiThe Patriot (1928) - Ernst LubitschWonder Dogs -
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Film historian Steve Massa is a particular expert on silent film comedy. His five choices for 1904 certainly reflect that interest, as they feature premises and gags that can still rouse surprise, chuckles, and laughs today.
Steve is the author of Lames Brains and Lunatics: The Good, the Bad, and the Forgotten of Silent Comedy and its sequel as well as many other books. He also co-hosts Silent Comedy Watch Party with Ben Model, has curated comedy film programs for institutions and festivals, and has provided essays and commentary tracks for DVDs and Blu-rays.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1904!
Films and resources mentioned:
Burglars at Work (1904) - Gaston VelleAs Seen on the Curtain (1904) - A.E. WeedHow a French Nobleman Got a Wife through the New York Herald Personal Column (1904) - Edwin S. PorterDog Factory (1904) - Edwin S. PorterThe Impossible Voyage (1904) - Georges MélièsThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Steve MassaA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsA Trip to Jupiter (1909) - Segundo de ChomónPull the Curtain Down, Susie (1904) - A.E. WeedA False Beauty (1914) - Ford SterlingShoulder Arms (1918) - Charlie ChaplinThe Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) - Lotte ReinigerPersonal (1904) - Wallace McCutcheonThe Policemen’s Little Run (1907) - Ferdinand ZeccaSeven Chances (1925) - Buster KeatonThe Mechanical Butcher (1895) - Louis LumièreThe Sausage Machine (1897) - unknownFun in a Butcher Shop (1907) - Edwin S. PorterHam and the Sausage Factory (1915) - Marshall NeilanThe Man with the Rubber Head (1901) - Georges MélièsJoan of Arc (1900) - Georges MélièsRobinson Crusoe (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon (1907) - Georges MélièsThe Conquest of the Pole (1912) - Georges MélièsHugo (2011) - Martin ScorseseThe One-Man Band (1900) - Georges MélièsBluebeard (1901) - Georges MélièsBroadway (1929) - Paul FejosLonesome (1928) - Paul FejosThe Last Performance (1929) - Paul FejosThe Kid Brother (1927) - Ted Wilde and J.A. HoweKing of Jazz (1930) - John Murray AndersonThe Kingdom of the Fairies (1903) - Georges MélièsWhat Demoralized the Barber Shop (1898) - William HeiseLames Brains and Lunatics: The Good, the Bad, and the Forgotten of Silent Comedy - Steve Massa -
While 1904 doesn't have an iconic film like the past two seasons have each featured, that doesn't mean it doesn't have its share of worthwhile films and intriguing aspects of film history to explore. From the eve of the nickelodeon boom to expanding narrative ambitions, this season will explore both returning and new threads of the cinematic discourse of the early cinema period, from its time to now.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own picks for 1904!
Films mentioned:
A Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. Porter -
While one particular film was explored in-depth this season, every guest (whether they selected The Great Train Robbery or not) explored lesser known or at least lesser appreciated arenas of cinema in 1903. The myth busting, amateur spotlighting, and spectacle showcasing elements of this season's conversations make the case for the expansion of the art form in this calendar year, which may indeed deserve its special attention.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to view the full list of films submitted for 1903 (and beyond)!
Films mentioned:
The Enchanted Well (1903) - Georges MélièsAlice in Wonderland (1903) - Cecil HepworthThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterThe Infernal Cauldron (1903) - Georges MélièsThe Kingdom of the Fairies (1903) - Georges MélièsWhat Happened in the Tunnel (1903) - Edwin S. PorterThe Execution (1903) - Peter ElfeltMary Jane’s Mishap (1903) - George Albert SmithA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges Méliès -
Colin Williamson, Assistant Professor in Cinema Studies at University of Oregon, has wide-ranging interests, including animation, special effects, and media archaeology. With these angles and more in mind, he brings a unique perspective and some myth busting to his standout films of 1903.
Colin is the author of Hidden in Plain Sight: An Archaeology of Magic and the Cinema and the forthcoming Drawn to Nature: American Animation in the Age of Science. He is also currently Associate Editor at Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal.
Films and resources mentioned:
Electrocuting an Elephant (1903) - Edwin S. PorterThe Cheese Mites (1903) - F. Martin DuncanThe Kingdom of the Fairies (1903) - Georges MélièsMary Jane’s Mishap (1903) - George Albert SmithThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterExecution of Czolgosz with Panorama of Auburn Prison (1901) - Edwin S. PorterThe Unclean World (1903) - Cecil HepworthA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsBlade Runner (1982) - Ridley ScottUnder the Seas (1907) - Georges MélièsHugo (2011) - Martin ScorseseCitizen Kane (1941) - Orson WellesUncle Tom’s Cabin (1903) - Edwin S. PorterWhat Happened in the Tunnel (1903) - Edwin S. PorterLife of an American Fireman (1903) - Edwin S. PorterArrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1896) - Louis Lumière -
Film archivist and historian Rob Stone has always been interested in silent film. With his five picks, he charts evolving storytelling capabilities in the medium’s earliest days and the darker side of the fading actuality, mostly as represented by one filmmaker!
Rob’s publishing company Split Reel specializes in books and other media highlighting lesser-known aspects of the entertainment industry, especially the silent era. He was also Moving Image Curator at the Library of Congress for over 15 years.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1903!
Films and resources mentioned:Alice in Wonderland (1903) - Cecil HepworthElectrocuting an Elephant (1903) - Edwin S. PorterLife of an American Fireman (1903) - Edwin S. PorterThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterWhat Happened in the Tunnel (1903) - Edwin S. PorterWhen Comedy Was King (1960) - Robert YoungsonThe Golden Age of Comedy (1957) - Robert YoungsonFire! (1901) - James WilliamsonThe Lucky Dog (1921) - Jess RobbinsPokes & Jabbs: The Before, During and After of the Vim Films Corporation - Rob StoneLaurel or Hardy: The Solo Films of Stan Laurel & Oliver "Babe" Hardy - Rob StoneLaurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies - Randy SkretvedtMack Sennett’s Fun Factory: A History and Filmography of His Studio and His Keystone and Mack Sennett Comedies, with Biographies of Players and Personnel - Brent E. WalkerVictor Moore and His Klever Komedies - Steve Massa and Rob StonePoverty Row Royalty: The Films of Producer Sigmund Neufeld and His Brother, Director Sam Newfield - Thomas ReederHometown Tinsel: The Life, Career, and Friendships of Virginia Karns - Jim KerkhoffStory of Grover Jones - Rob Stone -
Pordenone Silent Film Festival director Jay Weissberg has facilitated an array of programs that expand the canonical ideas about what was made in the silent era and what can be appreciated now. With his picks (which he stretches a bit past five with two more must-sees), he showcases international, amateur, and aesthetic ambitions in 1903.
Jay also worked as a film critic for 18 years with Variety and contributes essays for a host of festivals, retrospective catalogues, and international publications with a particular focus on contemporary Arab cinema. Among his published works as a film historian are essays on the American films of Albert Capellani and Balzac in silent cinema.
Films and resources mentioned:
Blackpool North Pier (1903) - Mitchell & KenyonThe Tarantella from ‘Napoli’ (1903) - Peter ElfeltHe Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (1903) - Wallace McCutcheonMary Jane’s Mishap (1903) - George Albert SmithFamilie Neubronner geht spazieren (1903) - Julius NeubronnerThe Kingdom of the Fairies (1903) - Georges MélièsThe Execution (1903) - Peter ElfeltMove On (1903) - Alfred C. AbadieAnna Held (1901) - Frederick S. ArmitageThe Great Ziegfeld (1936) - Robert Z. LeonardThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterAlice in Wonderland (1903) - Cecil HepworthLife of an American Fireman (1903) - Edwin S. PorterThe Finish of Bridget McKeen (1901) - Edwin S. PorterA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsConclave (2024) - Edward BergerThe Slave (1917) - William NighLondon After Midnight (1927) - Tod BrowningBeyond the Rocks (1922) - Sam WoodA Pictorial History of the Silent Screen - Daniel BlumCinema’s First Nasty Women -
Silent film historian Bruce Calvert has been collecting silent film memorabilia for 30 years, showcased on his site The Silent Film Still Archive. He shares his story of how he came to develop this interest and addresses how supporting materials can help us understand how incomplete, missing, and even fully surviving movies were made, seen, and received.
Bruce is also a moderator of the classic film discussion site NitrateVille.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1903!
Films and resources mentioned:
The Melomaniac (1903) - Georges MélièsEccentric Waltz (1903) - unknownA Search for Evidence (1903) - Billy BitzerMary Jane’s Mishap (1903) - George Albert SmithThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterElla Cinders (1926) - Alfred E. GreenA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsThe One-Man Band (1900) - Georges MélièsThe Great Train Robbery (1904) - Siegmund LubinStar Wars (1977) - George LucasNapoléon (1927) - Abel GanceA Pictorial History of the Silent Screen - Daniel BlumThe Film Preservation SocietyCinema’s First Nasty Women -
Neil Brand has been a silent film accompanist for nearly 40 years. He shares his musical expertise, which also includes composing new scores for silent film re-releases, while exploring exciting threads of fantasy, comedy, and violence in his five picks.
Neil regularly plays at the Barbican and BFI National Film Theatres in London and film festivals around the world. His scores include Blackmail (1929), Underground (1928), Easy Street (1917), Robin Hood (1922), and The Lodger (1927) and he is also a prolific writer, television presenter, and Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1903!
Films and resources mentioned:
Alice in Wonderland (1903) - Cecil HepworthA Desperate Poaching Affray (1903) - William HaggarA Chess Dispute (1903) - Robert W. PaulThe Infernal Cake Walk (1903) - Georges MélièsThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterThe Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) - Alfred HitchcockBlackmail (1929) - Alfred HitchcockThe Third Man (1949) - Carol ReedThe Exorcist (1973) - William FriedkinRescued by Rover (1905) - Cecil HepworthThe Dog Outwits the Kidnapper (1908) - Lewin FitzhamonFirst Prize in Cello (1907) - unknownA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Impossible Voyage (1904) - Georges MélièsDeath by Laughter: Female Hysteria and Early Cinema - Maggie Hennefeld -
The law (at least in America) had a significant effect on the development of film genres, aesthetics, production, and viewing practices from 1903 on. The world over, tightly run studios were becoming more and more prevalent, shifting story films further and further into the spotlight, and dedicated filmviewing spaces were cropping up. It's difficult to define any one calendar year as fundamentally shifting the development of cinema, but as guests will demonstrate, new techniques, technologies, and industrialization make the case for an exciting year.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1903!
Films mentioned:
The Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges Méliès -
It's not like the established actuality suddenly evaporated in 1902, but as guests have pointed out throughout this season, a diversification of film topics, aesthetics, and technology fostered new genres and production styles. In this season finale, Tristan briefly summarizes the common threads of his conversations and puts together the most selected 1902 films.
Films mentioned:
The Treasures of Satan (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Spring Fairy (1902) - Ferdinand ZeccaGulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants (1902) - Georges MélièsJack and the Beanstalk (1902) - Edwin S. PorterA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsMiss Dundee and Her Performing Dogs (1902) - Alice Guy-BlachéUncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show (1902) - Edwin S. PorterHow to Stop a Motor Car (1902) - Cecil HepworthThe Eruption of Mount Pelee (1902) - Georges Méliès -
Tristan welcomes two guests to one episode for the first time: the husband-and-wife film historian, archivist, and curator duo of Tamara Shvediuk and Federico Striuli. The pair showcase spectacle with their five picks, from the féerie to chronicles of a significant political change.
Tamara has curated film programs for several events, including the Moscow International Festival of Archival Films and the Cinema Ritrovato film festival in Bologna. She also has collaborated with archives such as the Cinémathèque royale de Belgique, the Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum and the Cineteca di Bologna.
Federico holds a Ph.D. in Art History with a focus on Film Studies from the University Cà Foscari, Venice. He has lectured in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Poland, and Russia, and has curated film programs for prestigious festivals, including the Pordenone Silent Film Festival.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1902!
Films and resources mentioned:
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1902) - Ferdinand ZeccaJack and the Beanstalk (1902) - Edwin S. PorterThe Coronation of Edward VII (1902) - Georges MélièsBradford Coronation Procession (1902) - Mitchell & KenyonThe Life and Passion of Jesus Christ (1902) - Ferdinand Zecca and Lucien NonguetThe Ring (1927) - Alfred HitchcockSerenade to the Moon (1902) - unknownThe Fairy of the Stars (1902) - unknownA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterMary Jane's Mishap (1903) - George Albert SmithExecution of Czolgosz with Panorama of Auburn Prison (1901) - Edwin S. PorterThe Story of Victorian Film - Bryony Dixon -
Vanessa Toulmin, Chair in Early Film and Popular Entertainment at the University of Sheffield, is an expert on variety theater, circus, travelling exhibitions, fairgrounds, and other aspects of the history of show business. She brings this expertise to her five picks from 1902, ranging from her vast experience with the Mitchell & Kenyon films to an intriguing connection between A Trip to the Moon and an early amusement park ride.
Vanessa has published 11 books including Electric Edwardians: The Films of Mitchell and Kenyon and four books on Blackpool's entertainment heritage and was the curator of the Mitchell & Kenyon Collection for the BFI and the Crazy Cinematograph project for the City of Luxembourg. She is Chair of the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, an independent charity which is currently restoring that unique entertainment complex in northwest England.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1902!
Films and resources mentioned:
Hull Fair (1902) - Mitchell & KenyonMiss Dundee and Her Performing Dogs (1902) - Alice Guy-BlachéThe Six Sisters Dainef (1902) - unknownHow to Stop a Motor Car (1902) - Cecil HepworthA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsFreaks (1932) - Tod BrowningSandow (1894) - William K.L. DicksonCarmencita (1894) - William K.L. DicksonThe Dancing Pig (1907) - unknownThe Countryman and the Cinematograph (1901) - Robert W. PaulUncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show (1902) - Edwin S. PorterExplosion of a Motor Car (1900) - Cecil HepworthThe Life of Charles Peace (1905) - William HaggarThe '?' Motorist (1906) - Walter R. BoothThe Automatic Motorist (1911) - Walter R. BoothLiverpool Street Scenes (1901) - Mitchell & KenyonKiri-Kis (1907) - Segundo de ChomónThe Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon: Edwardian Britain on Film - Vanessa Toulmin, Simon Popple, Patrick Russel, eds.Fantastic Voyages of the Cinematic Imagination: Georges Méliès's Trip to the Moon - Matthew Solomon, ed. -
Lea Stans has been writing about the silent era on her blog Silent-ology since 2014, informed by her college interests and even younger fascinations with the obscure. Her 1902 picks reflect the increasing diversity of the worldwide filmic output of the year, from the French féerie genre to actuality chronicles of downtown Indianapolis and northern England.
Lea is also a columnist for Classic Movie Hub and has written for The Keaton Chronicle and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1902!
Films mentioned:
Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show (1902) - Edwin S. PorterRingling Bros. Circus Parade (1902) - unknownLiving Wigan (1902) - unknownThe Spring Fairy (1902) - Ferdinand ZeccaA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Countryman and the Cinematograph (1901) - Robert W. PaulArrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1896) - Auguste and Louis LumièreLondon After Midnight (1927) - Tod BrowningFreaks (1932) - Tod BrowningThe Cabbage Fairy (1900) - Alice Guy-BlachéA Trip to Jupiter (1909) - Segundo de ChomónThe Life and Passion of Jesus Christ (1902) - Lucien Nonguet and Ferdinand ZeccaThe Impossible Voyage (1904) - Georges Méliès -
Karl Wratschko, curator, filmmaker, and artist, has been working as a film curator for the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna since 2016. He brings his experience of programming screenings based in specific years, not unlike this very show (he’s even done 1902 for the festival!), to craft an abridged program you might have seen in that year.
Karl’s artistic work includes film, photography, installation, radio art, and public art. He was co-responsible for several retrospectives of early Austrian film at the Viennale and a member of the Austrian team of the EU-funded research and development project European Film Gateway and its successor EFG1914.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1902!
Films mentioned:
The Flying Train (1902) - unknownThe Eruption of Mount Pelee (1902) - Georges MélièsLe Cake-walk au Nouveau Cirque (1902) - Louis LumièreThe Little Match Seller (1902) - James WilliamsonThe Fairy of the Stars (1902) - unknownThe Life and Passion of Jesus Christ (1902) - Lucien Nonguet and Ferdinand ZeccaIngenious Soubrette (1902) - Ferdinand ZeccaGulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and Giants (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Big Swallow (1901) - James WilliamsonBlade Runner (1982) - Ridley ScottMetropolis (1927) - Fritz LangMartinique Disaster (1902) - Ferdinand ZeccaMt. Pelee Smoking Before Eruption (St. Pierre, Martinique) - J. Blair Smith and Edwin S. PorterMt. Pelee in Eruption and Destruction of St. Pierre (Martinique) - J. Blair Smith and Edwin S. PorterBurning of St. Pierre (Martinique) - J. Blair Smith and Edwin S. PorterLe Cake-walk du Nouveau Cirque (1905) - Alice Guy BlachéThe Infernal Cake Walk (1903) - Georges MélièsThe Soldier's Return (1903) - James WilliamsonSerenade to the Moon (1902) - unknownHamlet (1900) - Clément MauriceRough Sea at Dover (1895) - Birt Acres -
Film scholar and preservationist Clara Auclair and Tristan talk quite a bit about comedy and tricks, those originating from the stage and those that could only come from the magic of filmic technology. That conversation leads into discussing the phenomenon of early recreations of real events…or are they “fakes!?”
Clara teaches media studies at DIS Stockholm and works as a consultant for film archives. She is a DAFIV research fellow and co-secretary of Domitor, the International Association for the Study of Early Cinema, and is currently working on an edited collection of essays dedicated to the films of Alice Guy-Blaché with former guest Aurore Spiers.
Films and resources mentioned:
The Six Sisters Dainef (1902) - unknownMiss Dundee and Her Performing Dogs (1902) - Alice Guy-BlachéIngenious Soubrette (1902) - Ferdinand ZeccaThe Indiscreet Bathroom Maid (1902) - Georges HatotThe Eruption of Mount Pelee (1902) - Georges MélièsA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsLife and Passion of the Christ (1903) - Ferdinand ZeccaThe Human Fly (1902) - Georges MélièsNosferatu (1922) - F.W. MurnauThe Circus (1928) - Charlie ChaplinMartinique Disaster (1902) - Ferdinand ZeccaMt. Pelee Smoking Before Eruption (St. Pierre, Martinique) [1902] - J. Blair Smith and Edwin S. PorterMt. Pelee in Eruption and Destruction of St. Pierre (Martinique) [1902] - J. Blair Smith and Edwin S. PorterBurning of St. Pierre (Martinique) [1902] - J. Blair Smith and Edwin S. PorterThe Dreyfus Affair (1899) - Georges MélièsArrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1896) - Auguste and Louis LumièreCinema's First Nasty Women -
A Trip to the Moon looms large in looking at the picture of 1902 in film. Georges Méliès' masterpiece is inarguably the most famous film of the early cinema period. But as will be explored by this season's guests, its part in reshaping the aesthetics, genres, and industrialization of the global film community exists alongside another version of film history.
Films mentioned:
A Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges Méliès -
Propaganda, comedy, tricks; these approaches may seem to obscure truths. That is certainly their potential in film, but in this 1901 season finale, Tristan reflects on the through lines of his guests' picks and the conversations that stemmed from them.
Also, he shares his personal five selections for 1901 and puts together the collective list of guest and listener submissions. That list, including all films submitted for the season, can be found at the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list.
The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever: 1902 coming soon!
Thank you to the guests of the third season:
Ian ChristiePamela HutchinsonGrazia IngravalleElif Rongen-KaynakçiLawrence NapperFilms mentioned:
The Big Swallow (1901) - James WilliamsonThe Death of Poor Joe (1901) - George Albert SmithDemolishing and Building up the Star Theatre (1901) - Frederick S. ArmitageDe Maasbrug te Rotterdam Omstreeks 1901 (1901) - unknownPanoramic View of the Morecambe Sea Front (1901) - unknownThe Brahmin and the Butterfly (1901) - Georges MélièsBluebeard (1901) - Georges MélièsThe Magic Sword (1901) - Walter R. BoothScrooge, or, Marley's Ghost (1901) - Walter R. Booth -
All but one of the picks from Lawrence Napper, senior lecturer in Film Studies at King’s College London, come from the huge trove of discovered Mitchell & Kenyon films. These fascinating records of everyday life in Victorian and Edwardian England and the United Kingdom lead to an array of exciting tangents, while Lawrence also uses his one fictional choice to make a resonant comparison between repeat film viewing and traditional religious ceremonies.
Lawrence’s publications include The Great War in Popular British Cinema: Before Journey’s End (2015) and Silent Cinema: Before the Pictures Got Small (2017). He is a regular on the KinoQuickies podcast and occasionally blogs at https://atthepictures.photo.blog/. Currently he is developing a book length study of The Opening of the Benton New Bank Tram Route (1913). Lawrence also hosts the annual British Silent Film Festival Symposium each spring at King’s College London.
Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1901!
Films and resources mentioned:
Ride on the Tramcar through Belfast (1901) - unknownPanoramic View of the Morecambe Sea Front (1901) - unknownManchester Band of Hope Procession (1901) - unknownScrooge, or, Marley's Ghost (1901) - Walter R. BoothBailey’s Royal Buxton Punch and Judy Show in Halifax (1901) - unknownRescued by Rover (1905) - Cecil HepworthA Daring Daylight Burglary (1903) - Frank MottershawMary Jane's Mishap (1903) - George Albert SmithBuy Your Own Cherries (1904) - Robert W. PaulThe Big Swallow (1901) - James WilliamsonThe Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - Brian HensonMegalopolis (2024) - Francis Ford CoppolaLa Chienne (1931) - Jean RenoirTram Ride into Halifax (1902) - unknownMovies under the Influence (2024) - Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece - Visa fler
