Films and TV Shows from the 1890s

poster The Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus Affair
(3.0/5)
13mn - Drama
The first movie ever censored for political reasons. The title refers to the then contemporaneous Dreyfus affair in which a Jewish military officer was falsely convicted of treason, and it was alleged tha…
poster The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
(3.7/5)
1mn - Documentary
A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-c…
poster Kidnapping by Indians
Kidnapping by Indians
2mn - Western, Drama
Kidnapping by Indians is a 1899 British silent short Western film, made by the Mitchell and Kenyon film company, shot in Blackburn, England. It is believed to be the first Western film, pre-dating Edwin S…
poster Saut à la couverte
Saut à la couverte
(2.8/5)
1mn - Documentary
Jumping the Blanket.
poster Attelage d'un camion
Attelage d'un camion
(2.7/5)
1mn - Documentary
A parade of horses pulling a very large and, one must assume, heavy cart. Not to be confused with "Transport d’une tourelle par un attelage de 60 chevaux"
poster Sardine fishing
Sardine fishing
(2.6/5)
1mn - Documentary
Back from fishing, fishermen in a boat pull out sardines caught in the net.
poster Workers Repairing a Sidewalk with Bitumen
Workers Repairing a Sidewalk with Bitumen
(2.8/5)
1mn - Documentary
Workmen fix a walkway with bitumen.
poster Défilé de voitures de bébés à la pouponnière de Paris
Défilé de voitures de bébés à la pouponnière de Paris
(2.8/5)
1mn - Documentary
A long line of nurses pushing carts with their babies enter from the far right, cross a garden in front of the large nursery home, and leave by the close left to the camera. A few toddlers also follow in …
poster Petit frère et petite sœur
Petit frère et petite sœur
(3/5)
1mn - Documentary, Family
In a grove, a small boy and a small girl are dancing together.
poster Lyon: Quai de l'Archevêché
Lyon: Quai de l'Archevêché
(2.8/5)
1mn - Documentary
The floods of the Saône river during the first week of November, 1896.
poster The Boxing Cats
The Boxing Cats
(2.9/5)
1mn - Documentary, Comedy, Action
"A glove contest between trained cats. A very comical and amusing subject, and is sure to create a great laugh." (by Edison Films)
poster Annabelle Butterfly Dance
Annabelle Butterfly Dance
(3.0/5)
1mn - Documentary
Annabelle (Whitford) Moore performs one of her popular dances. For this performance, her costume has a pair of wings attached to her back, to suggest a butterfly. As she dances, she uses her long, flowing…
poster Luis Martinetti, Contortionist
Luis Martinetti, Contortionist
(2.8/5)
1mn - Documentary
Luis Martinetti, a contortionist suspended from acrobatic flying rings, contorts himself for about thirty seconds. This is one of the first films made for Edison's kinetoscopes.
poster Annabelle Serpentine Dance
Annabelle Serpentine Dance
(3.3/5)
1mn - Documentary
In a long, diaphanous skirt, held out by her hands with arms extended, Broadway dancer Annabelle Moore performs. Her dance emphasizes the movement of the flowing cloth. She moves to her right and left acr…
poster Bedtime for the Bride
Bedtime for the Bride
(2.7/5)
2mn - Drama
A newlywed couple in front of their wedding-bed after their wedding. The woman undresses in front of her husband. A French erotic short film considered to be one of the first erotic films made.
poster Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze
Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze
(2.7/5)
1mn - Documentary
A man (Thomas Edison's assistant) takes a pinch of snuff and sneezes. This is one of the earliest Thomas Edison films and was the second motion picture to be copyrighted in the United States.
poster The Kiss
The Kiss
(2.9/5)
1mn - Drama, Romance
They get ready to kiss, begin to kiss, and kiss in a way that brings down the house every time.
poster The Merry Skeleton
The Merry Skeleton
(3.2/5)
1mn - Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A skeleton dances joyously, often collapsing into a heap of bones and quickly putting itself back together.
poster Around a Cabin
Around a Cabin
(3.1/5)
15mn - Animation
The film consists of a series of animations on a beach containing two beach huts and a diving board. Two characters play at diving into the water from the diving board and then appear on the beach. The wo…
poster Poor Pierrot
Poor Pierrot
(3.3/5)
15mn - Comedy, Animation
One night, Arlequin comes to see his lover Colombine. But then Pierrot knocks at the door and Colombine and Arlequin hide. Pierrot starts singing but Arlequin scares him and the poor man goes away.