Why Jones Discharged His Clerks

Why Jones Discharged His Clerks 1900

4.00

Two delinquent clerks are seated in a broker's office engaged in a game of cards. The boss suddenly appears walking through the corridor. The cards are thrown down in great haste and when the employer enters the office the clerks are apparently busily engaged in their work.

1900

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc 1900

6.89

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

1900

Faust and Marguerite

Faust and Marguerite 1900

3.90

Marguerite is seated in front of the fireplace, Faust standing by her side. Mephistopheles enters and offers his sword to Faust, commanding him to behead the fair Marguerite. Faust refuses, whereupon Mephistopheles draws the sword across the throat of the lady and she suddenly disappears and Faust is seated in her place.

1900

Le duel d'Hamlet

Le duel d'Hamlet 1900

5.28

The movie consists solely of a saber fight. Bernhardt plays a cross-gender Hamlet, and Pierre Magnier is her fellow duelist, Laertes. A few bystanders, in Rennaissance dress, stand off to the right of the screen, and in the background, next to a painted backdrop.

1900

The Cabbage-Patch Fairy

The Cabbage-Patch Fairy 1900

5.00

The fairy at a cabbage patch hovers over the babies. This is a remake of Guy's 1896 film on the same subject, this time shot in 35 mm.

1900

Palace of Electricity

Palace of Electricity 1900

5.33

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

Going to Bed Under Difficulties

Going to Bed Under Difficulties 1900

6.40

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

1900

Champs Elysees

Champs Elysees 1900

4.00

Near the main entrance. Hundreds of carriages and characteristic Parisian busses are passing.

1900

Spiders on a Web

Spiders on a Web 1900

4.00

Consisting of a single shot, Spiders on a Web is one of the earliest British examples of close-up natural history photography. Made by one of the pioneers of the British film industry, G.A. Smith, this short film details spiders trapped in an enclosure, and despite the title, does not actually feature a web.

1900

Sherlock Holmes Baffled

Sherlock Holmes Baffled 1900

5.20

Sherlock Holmes enters his drawing room to find it being burgled, but on confronting the villain is surprised when the latter disappears.

1900

Scene in the Swiss Village at Paris Exposition

Scene in the Swiss Village at Paris Exposition 1900

3.50

The picture opens with a crowd of Swiss boys and girls dressed in native costumes, marching down the street in this very unique and picturesque village. Each happy and smiling face is clearly shown as they pass the camera. The scene ends by the boys and girls congregating in the square and dancing to the strains of an accordion played by one of the happy villagers.

1900

Coucher d'une Parisienne

Coucher d'une Parisienne 1900

1

A slightly risqué scene. In her bedroom, a young woman, standing on a rug in front of her bed, removes her corset. Smiling, she bares her shoulders and puts on her nightgown before letting her petticoat slide down. Then she picks up a daisy, plucks its petals, and gets under the covers.

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

How He Missed His Train

How He Missed His Train 1900

5.62

A man misses his train due to his clothes turning into other types of clothes.

1900

Watermelon Contest

Watermelon Contest 1900

3.90

Four men each hold a large slice of watermelon, and have a race to see who can finish eating first. All four move quickly, but one man seems to be pulling ahead of the others. Soon the contestants begin to hinder one another's efforts.

1900

Panorama of Place de l'Opéra

Panorama of Place de l'Opéra 1900

4.80

James White, the Edison Company's main filmmaker at the time, realized a burst of creativity during his visit to the 1900 Paris Exposition. It's uncertain who his cameraman was for this journey, but historian Charles Musser suggests that it might've been Alfred C. Abadie. In their Paris Exposition films, they introduced tilting (see 'Panorama of Eiffel Tower') and, although panning and panoramas had already been around for a while, they introduced some novel functions for them.

1900