The Merry Frolics of Satan

The Merry Frolics of Satan 1906

6.40

Two travellers are tormented by Satan from inn to inn and eventually experience a buggy ride through the heavens courtesy of the Devil before he takes one of them down to Hell and roasts him on a spit.

1906

The '?' Motorist

The '?' Motorist 1906

6.50

A magical glowing white motorcar ignores policemen, drives up buildings, flies through outer space, and can transform into a horse and carriage.

1906

The Mysterious Retort

The Mysterious Retort 1906

5.40

A wizard sleeps at a table in his well-appointed sitting room. From a drawer in the table, a snake appears.

1906

Dream of a Rarebit Fiend

Dream of a Rarebit Fiend 1906

6.40

A live-action film adaptation of the comic strip Dream of the Rarebit Fiend by American cartoonist Winsor McCay. This silent short film follows the established theme: the “Rarebit Fiend” gorges himself on rarebit and thus suffers spectacular hallucinatory dreams.

1906

The Story of the Kelly Gang

The Story of the Kelly Gang 1906

5.40

Just as Galeen and Wegener's Der Golem (1915) can be seen as a testament to early German film artistry, The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) symbolizes both the birth of the Australian film industry and the emergence of an Australian cinema identity. Even more significantly, it heralds the emergence of the feature film format. However, only fragments of the original production of more than one hour are known to exist, preserved at the National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra; Efforts at reconstruction have made the film available to modern audiences.

1906

Magic Roses

Magic Roses 1906

5.60

A magician performs a magic show involving women turning into bouquets of roses. Later the roses are festooned together in a fancy way to decorate the stage.

1906

A Mix-Up in the Gallery

A Mix-Up in the Gallery 1906

5.10

A photographer has an accident which not only screws up his lab but dumps a great deal of debris into the street below, causing general chaos.

1906

The Black Hand

The Black Hand 1906

5.70

Two gang members send a threatening letter to a butcher, demanding money if he did not want his shop to be destroyed and his daughter Maria kidnapped. When he is unable to meet their request, they take Maria away. The Black Hand is the earliest surviving gangster film.

1906

Living Flowers

Living Flowers 1906

4.80

Gaston Velle's 'Les Fleurs Animées' was screened by the Australian-based Corrick Family Entertainers as part of their variety act. In their advertising the Corricks described the detailed, hand-coloured production as 'The finest "Color" Film of the Twentieth Century'. Simple camera tricks create a magic fairy story in this tale of angry flowers exacting revenge on a man who has wantonly destroyed their garden.

1906

A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire

A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire 1906

6.10

A Trip Down Market Street is a 13-minute actuality film recorded by placing a movie camera on the front of a cable car as it travels down San Francisco’s Market Street. A virtual time capsule from over 100 years ago, the film shows many details of daily life in a major American city, including the transportation, fashions and architecture of the era. The film begins at 8th Street and continues eastward to the cable car turntable, at The Embarcadero, in front of the San Francisco Ferry Building. It was produced by the four Miles brothers: Harry, Herbert, Earle and Joe. Harry J. Miles cranked the Bell & Howell camera during the filming.

1906

A Funny Shave

A Funny Shave 1906

5.60

A man is trying to shave, but grotesque faces keep appearing in his mirror.

1906

The Witch

The Witch 1906

6.20

A penniless troubadour consults witch Carabosse about his future, but offends her by paying with a bag of sand. He evades the witch's revenge, and saves the beautiful princess.

1906

Otello

Otello 1906

1

An Italian movie about Othello.

1906

Skyscrapers

Skyscrapers 1906

4.50

A new skyscraper is being built in New York City, and numerous workmen are busy at hazardous jobs high above the ground. When one of the workers, Dago Pete, deliberately starts a fight, he is immediately fired. But the discharged worker soon comes up with a plan to commit a robbery and get even. His scheme could affect the lives of several others.

1906

San Francisco: Aftermath of Earthquake

San Francisco: Aftermath of Earthquake 1906

5.40

Footage shot not long after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco is edited together so that more than one scene and more than one vantage are included. We see fire raging. We see burned-out buildings, piles of rubble, and buildings with only one wall standing. People stand and watch; others walk purposely through the debris. A carriage passes; the camera pans the desolation. A horse-drawn cart is laden with a family's remaining possessions. A sign hangs outside one building: "A little disfigured but still in business. Men Wanted."

1906