annos singulos 1908 - 11

Mack Sennett appears as a Confederate soldier and a Union soldier in this film produced by the Biograph Company.

For a short comedy of rare merit this subject is unexcelled. A chalk line series of grotesque caricatures enacted in the land of puppets. A fickle maiden gets herself into numerous embarrassing complications with her host of admirers, but the artist with lightning rapidity overcomes all obstacles and brings the maiden out victorious.

1908 French short silent film directed by Georges Méliès, which is currently presumed lost.

The first scene presents before the astonished eyes of the spectators a solid piece of marble, which the minute it is placed on a table seems to take life, and one can follow a snake-like line branding on the polished face of the stone the name of the house of Pathé Frères. As soon as this stone has been engraved, as by magic, a handsome young lady appears with a huge lump of clay covered with a cloth. As soon as the cloth is removed from the soft mass it starts whirling and turning as if stricken mad, and one is asking one's self what all the contentions are going to lead to, when the vague shape of an animal not yet discernible seems to appear, and before one has time to make one's mind as to the category of brutes to which it belongs one sees the form of a remarkably well made orang-utan modelled out of the clay, who calmly smokes his pipe. Then the statue is removed by the same winning young lady and another covered block of the same substance is carried forward.

A sheriff apprehends a bank robber and recovers the money. On the way back to town, the sheriff loses the recovered money in a crooked card game. The bank robber helps him recover it.

A comedic short film.

It’s the day of the barber’s baby’s christening, and the guests start arriving with their flowers and gifts, dropping them off while the barber is still trying to see to his last customer. As it’s taking a while, the wet-nurse is asked to take the baby on a short walk before the ceremony begins. She comes across a handsome young soldier, who she strikes up a conversation with. When an even more handsome man passes by, she hands the baby to the soldier. He has to return to the barracks, so he finds someone to leave the baby with. As time passes, the party start to wonder where the baby is. Fortunately, the baby has been handed in at the police station, where the parents reunite with their child. (stumfilm.dk)

Lost film.

A rich merchant, Antonio is depressed for no good reason, until his good friend Bassanio comes to tell him how he's in love with Portia. Portia's father has died and left a very strange will: only the man that picks the correct casket out of three (silver, gold, and lead) can marry her. Bassanio, unfortunately, is strapped for cash with which to go wooing, and Antonio wants to help, so Antonio borrows the money from Shylock, the money-lender. But Shylock has been nursing a grudge against Antonio's insults, and makes unusual terms to the loan. And when Antonio's business fails, those terms threaten his life, and it's up to Bassanio and Portia to save him.

A country girl leaving home for the seminary.

Among the many famous 16th-century samurai who made the leap from myth and ukiyo-e to early cinema screen was sword-master Miyamoto Musashi, previously depicted in prints by Kiniyoshi Yoshitoshi and others slaying an array of grotesque creatures including giant bats, giant lizards, and the mythical tengu. This imagery informed his first screen depiction in Miyamoto Musashi Taiji No Ba, which showed him combatting the mythic white ape of the mountains.

In the lonely wilds of Southern California there stands a rural tavern, kept by an old trapper, who had been widowed years ago; his wife leaving him a most precious legacy in the being of a pretty daughter.

The goddess Minerva is jealous of the young Arachne who is more clever it in weaving. Out of spite, Arachne Minerva rushed into hell, then transforms into a spider that will forever spinning its web.

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 the time the doctor realizes what has happened, his family faces a desperate situation.

Early Balkan footage.

Footage of the Mainz carnival procession.

A remarkable early short silent movie that shows what may be achieved with the technology of the day. A woman sits in front of her dressing table mirror, looking at her jewellery and her reflection in the mirror. Suddenly, another woman appears in the mirror. As the woman watches, the image changes to other women. As the woman looks at her jewellery, women's faces begin to appear in the jewellery stones.

A poor family, suffering from a lack of food, plan to sell their dog to gain some extra income. Before they act on their plan, the dog discovers some buried jewels. These turn out to be stolen, and the family are given a £100 reward.

Caught off-guard by Indian mutineers, a British soldier saves his last bullet for his daughter, lest she be taken.