The Electric Hotel

The Electric Hotel 1908

6.10

An enthusiastic young couple is astounded with modern technology's giant leaps in the fascinating field of electricity.

1908

Fantasmagorie

Fantasmagorie 1908

6.61

An animated film by French auteur Émile Cohl, one of the earliest examples of hand-drawn film animation. Drawing inspiration from J. Stuart Blackton and the Incoherents of club Hydropathes, the film, with all its wild transformations, sees our protagonist materialize a movie theatre, meet an elephant and escape from jail; A morphing, stream-of-consciousness delight.

1908

A Visit to the Seaside

A Visit to the Seaside 1908

6.50

The first successful motion picture in natural color, filmed with Kinemacolor. It is an 8 minute short film directed by George Albert Smith of Brighton, showing people doing everyday activities. It is ranked of high historical importance. Kinemacolor later influenced and replaced by Technicolor, which was used from 1916 to 1952.

1908

Rescued from an Eagle's Nest

Rescued from an Eagle's Nest 1908

5.60

A woodsman leaves a hut followed by a woman with their baby. Nearby some men chop down a tree. The baby is left outside the hut, but an eagle flies away with it.

1908

The Dream of an Opium Fiend

The Dream of an Opium Fiend 1908

5.50

The opium fiend is seen in a den, puffing on this terrible narcotic. He then falls fast asleep and dreams that he is at home with his wife. He asks for something to drink and he is given wine, which he does not care for, and he is finally given some bottled beer and a glass, but he complains that the glass is too small and he gets a very large sized glass receptacle, into which his wife and maid servant pour the contents of the bottle. As he is about to drink the glass passes from his hand mysteriously, sailing through the room and out of the window to the moon…

1908

The Good Luck of a 'Souse'

The Good Luck of a 'Souse' 1908

4.30

This film from George Melies is sadly one that's only available in fragments. The film starts off with a title card stating that a drunk man has just thrown his family out a window. We see a couple of them landing on the ground and then we go back to the room where the drunk is now trying to kill himself.

1908

The Fatal Hour

The Fatal Hour 1908

1

This one-reeler has been regarded as a classic example of a Griffith thriller. It engages with the Chinese White slave traffic from the perspective of a female detective, played by Marion Leonard, whose assignment is to expose and break the traffic ring. A fragment is widely available.

1908

The Story of Treasure Island

The Story of Treasure Island 1908

1

The first scene shows part of Flint's old pirate crew, with one-legged John Silver in the lead. They have discovered the hiding place of Billy Bones, the mate of Flint's ship, the "Walrus," and they send Black Dog, one of the crew, to tip Billy Bones to the "black spot" at the Admiral Ben Bow Inn; but Billy Bones drives Black Dog away, and will have nothing to do with him.

1908

The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew 1908

5.40

Based on Shakespeare's play. Petruchio courts the bad-tempered Katharina, and tries to change her aggressive behavior.

1908

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty 1908

4.40

Based on the story of "Sleeping Beauty" by Charles Perrault. Titles read: The Christening of the Princess; The Good Fairies Fatal Prediction; The Royal Edict; The Princess is Sixteen Years Old; Searching for the Princess; The Prediction Comes True; Thou Shalt Sleep for a Hundred Years; A Hundred Years later the Prince Charming Goes Hunting; Prince Charming Dismisses His Escort; The Castle of Sleep; The Guard's Hall; You Have Been a Long Time Coming, prince; The Wedding of the Sleeping Beauty to Prince Charming.

1908

Scullion's Dream

Scullion's Dream 1908

5.80

When the entire kitchen staff falls asleep from exhaustion, a dwarf appears and animates various objects via stop motion -- including their hands, which he cuts off while they snooze -- to do their work.

1908

The Adventures of Dollie

The Adventures of Dollie 1908

5.35

On a warm and sunny summer's day, a mother and father take their young daughter Dollie on a riverside outing.

1908

Concealing a Burglar

Concealing a Burglar 1908

1

Mack Sennett appears as a policeman and waiter in this film produced by the Biograph Company.

1908

Lion Hunting

Lion Hunting 1908

4.60

Two big game hunters are on safari in the jungle with their African guide. They observe zebras, ostrich and a hippopotamus, and catch a small monkey for a pet. During the night they are awakened by a lion which kills a small goat and then the hunters' horse. The hunters shoot the lion as it stands by the water on a beach. They discover another lion and shoot it also. The lions are gutted and skinned. The happy hunters sit and smoke cigarettes afterward.

1908

The Tempest

The Tempest 1908

5.80

Prospero and his daughter Miranda must take refuge on an enchanted island. There Prospero, who himself has magical powers, releases the spirit Ariel from a spell, and also meets the savage Caliban. Then Prospero uses his powers to create a tempest that shipwrecks some of the persons who caused his exile.

1908