The Black Imp

The Black Imp 1905

6.49

A traveler at an inn is harassed by a mischievous devil in his room.

1905

The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas 1905

6.14

On Christmas Eve, Santa feeds his reindeer and loads his sleigh, before going on his journey to deliver toys to the children of the world.

1905

New York Subway

New York Subway 1905

5.80

The camera platform was on the front of a New York subway train following another train on the same track. Lighting is provided by a specially constructed work car on a parallel track. At the time of filming, the subway was only seven months old, having opened on October 27, 1904. The ride begins at 14th Street (Union Square) following the route of today's east side IRT, and ends at the old Grand Central Station, built by Cornelius Vanderbuilt in 1869. The Grand Central Station in use today was not completed until 1913.

1905

The Capture of Roma

The Capture of Roma 1905

5.60

The film recreates the final events leading to Italian unification in September 1870.

1905

The Palace of the Arabian Nights

The Palace of the Arabian Nights 1905

5.61

A poor but honest man wins great wealth, and the hand of a beautiful princess, after facing a series of exciting trials in the tunnels and catacombs of ancient Araby. Guided by the mysterious Khalafar, the troupe (alongside him go some cowardly scholars) encounter skeletons, fire-breathing lizards, and mirages on their journey through the lower world.

1905

Peeping Tom in the Dressing Room

Peeping Tom in the Dressing Room 1905

4.30

A young man leers through a peephole in the wall separating two dressing rooms, but he is caught, and is humiliated by his victims, two pretty ladies.

1905

An Adventurous Automobile Trip

An Adventurous Automobile Trip 1905

5.70

A man needs to get to Monte Carlo from Paris, but finds out that a train will take 17 hours to get there. He decides to go with a man with a special car, who claims that he can get there in just two hours. Complications ensue.

1905

Coney Island at Night

Coney Island at Night 1905

6.00

A panorama of Coney Island, taken at night: the camera sweeps across the scene from a vantage point well above the area. It then moves in for closer views of Dreamland and Luna Park.

1905

The Nihilists

The Nihilists 1905

4.50

A happy Russian family is broken up when their patriarch is arrested for treason. His distraught wife joins the secret society of nihilists and is assigned to commit an act of terror. Based on the play "Vera; or, The Nihilists" by Oscar Wilde.

1905

The Life of Charles Peace

The Life of Charles Peace 1905

4.20

The story of Charles Peace, one of Britain's most notorious criminals. Peace was an expert in cat burglary. The film reconstructs Peace's real-life leap from a train on his way to trial for the murder of Arthur Dyson.

1905

Rip's Dream

Rip's Dream 1905

5.79

The Melies version of the old Rip Van Winkle tale.

1905

Félix Mayol Performs

Félix Mayol Performs "The Trottins' Polka" 1905

5.00

Félix Mayol performs The Trottins Polka (La Polka des Trottins, by A. Trebitsch and H. Christine) in this phonoscene by Alice Guy. This early form of music video was created using a chronophone recording of Mayol, who was then filmed "lip singing". Guy would film phonoscenes of all three major Belle Époque celebrities in France: Polin, Félix Mayol, and Dranem.

1905

A Crazy Composer

A Crazy Composer 1905

5.30

A silly-looking composer attempts to compose. He then falls asleep, and dreams of all manner of bizarre nonsense.

1905

The Enchanted Sedan Chair

The Enchanted Sedan Chair 1905

4.91

A fine magician of the Royal Court materialises an elegant attire from a transparent glass container, and then, a refined dandy appears, as an ornate palanquin is summoned. Now, what does the illusionist have in mind?

1905