Cinematic Era: 1903 Vintage

An early Pathé version of Don Quixote told in 15 chapters.

After the train station clerk is assaulted and left bound and gagged, then the departing train and its passengers robbed, a posse goes in hot pursuit of the fleeing bandits.

This is the first movie version of the famous story. Alice dozes in a garden, awakened by a dithering white rabbit in waistcoat with pocket watch. She follows him down a hole and finds herself in a hall of many doors.

Alone in his room at an inn, a lustful old man is haunted by spirits.

A nude couple pose in an art studio on a square rug, while the camera does a circular traveling around them; the woman has her right knee on the floor and her right arm raised in front of her face, holding the man's thighs with her right, while the man is bent forward, as if looking in the distance.

Porter's sequential continuity editing links several shots to form a narrative of firemen responding to a house fire. They leave the station with their horse drawn pumper, arrive on the scene, and effect the safe rescue of a woman from the burning house. But wait, she tells them of her child yet asleep in the burning bedroom...

At the royal court, a prince is presenting the princess whom he is pledged to marry when a witch suddenly appears. Though driven off, the witch soon returns, summons some of her servants, and carries off the princess. A rescue party is quickly organized, but the unfortunate captive has been taken to a strange, forbidding realm, from where it will be impossible to rescue her without some special help.

The story of the life and passion of Jesus Christ, from the proclamation of his birth to his ascension into heaven.

Two impish clowns construct a magic lantern. They prop it up at an angle, and use it to project pictures onto a wall. When the picture show ends, they open up the lantern to reveal a group of dancing girls inside - and this is only the first of the indications that this lantern really is magical.

Join the Sunday morning crowds at the famous East End market, home of London's rag trade.

A lady performances the dance of Fandango.

A green-skinned demon places a woman and two courtiers into a flaming cauldron.

Filmed on a mountain railway from Caux to Rochers de Naye, Switzerland. Originally filmed in 68mm. The film was advertised as being available in 'standard Edison gauge' (35mm) at a total length of 620ft, which included both ascent and descent. The surviving combined 35mm footage (from 68mm originals) equals 519ft.

A simple scene of two rather flamboyantly-dressed Edwardian children attempting to feed a spoonful of medicine to a sick kitten. The film is important for being one of the earliest films to cut to a close-up, then back again to the same medium shot as before.

Film depicting the killing of the elephant Topsy by electrocution at a Coney Island amusement park on January 4, 1903

Stately scenes in India, likely filmed during the 1903 Delhi Durbar.

A woman being fitted for shoes exposes her ankle to the shoe clerk, who is intrigued. He kisses her, but her chaperone hits him with her umbrella.

In the next scene all that is left of the cabin is a smoldering ruin. A company of trappers come rapidly out of the forest and discover the bodies of the unfortunate man and woman. With bared heads, and in most impressive fashion they register an oath never to rest until they have wreaked vengeance on the Indian murderers and rescued the child.

With godly entrapments, Zeus appears on the horizon, engages Hermes as an audience, and tries to throw some thunderbolts. They fizzle. Hephaestus tries to make some repairs but succeeds only in heating the bolts and burning Zeus's hands. Zeus conjures nine muses, but do their incantations help? He dismisses them as well as a visiting Pan, and his fits of pique become counter-productive. Can he get his powers back?

First part in Napoleon's short film life adaptation, followed by L'Empire (grandeur et décadence). The scenes are: At school in Brienne. On the bridge of Arcole. The campaign in Egypt. Passage of the St. Bernard Pass. Garden party in Malmaison. According to Ferdinand Zecca's notes (labelled "1904"), this is the first film Lucien Nonguet shot for Pathé.

Historical legend composed of five Scenes. 1. William Tell's heroism. 2. The Plot. 3. The Apple. 4. Death of Gessler. 5. The Swiss cheer their Liberator. This popular and interesting legend takes place amidst the country life of the mountain populations. The beautiful and picturesque sites which exist in Switzerland have given us an opportunity of utilising the resources our theatre affords, and our scene-painters have been able to have a free run on their imaginations, and have completed the work by a series of magnificent scenes in the most artistic character.

The film features, in a double role, Henri Plessis, a famous and established performer in the French entertainment world. The film's attraction for contemporary audiences was to see him playing cards with himself.

Ladies gathered for a Egyptian dance.

An engaged couple, dressed in white, meet each other at a train station. When the train arrives, they board, and later they enjoy the sights from their car's platform. They are married by a minister and soon, arrive at their destination.

On september 28th, 1903, the Urban Mountaineering Expedition, headed by Frank Ormiston-Smith, left Zermatt to attempt the conquest of the Matterhorn. On the 29th, the conquest was completed by the filming of the panorama from the actual summit of the mountain. The film consists of 20 scenes and illustrates the whole ascent from Zermatt through the Hornli Ridge. A copy of the film was found in Zermatt in 1953 and was was erroneously attributed to Frederick Burlingham and dated 1901. Since then, the film has been widely publicized as the first mountain film under the title of 'Cervino 1901', but this is incorrect.

A juggler enters upon the scene, picks up a skull, throws it into the air, catches it in his hands, where it is transformed into a handkerchief. The handkerchief, after being twirled about a wand, is changed to a napkin, and afterward to a tablecloth. Out of the table cloth comes a servant.

It's late in the evening, and the ballet master's bed has been prepared for him. But he cannot take his mind off of his work, and instead of going to sleep he paces the floor and tries out dance steps. Finally, he goes to bed and falls asleep, but ballet dominates even his dreams. He sees two dancers who seem to come right into his room as they perform, and that's just the beginning.

A magician performs tricks with a marvelous wreath.

An Egyptian prince has lost his beloved wife and he has sought a dervish who dwells at the base of the sphinx.

In a public place in Constantinople at the corner of a bazaar, the executioner is seated upon a stone and is resting from his daily labors while eating a crust of bread. Suddenly there come running into the place a lot of Turkish men and women preceding some Turkish policemen, who drag along four prisoners in chains. The policemen shut up the four prisoners in the pillory. Their four heads stick up through the huge plank, which is provided with four openings. One of the policemen urges the executioner to decapitate the prisoners. He accordingly seizes a mighty sabre and cuts off by a single stroke the four heads, which roll upon the ground.

The German legend of a scholar's unholy pact with the Devil would have been very familiar to most moviegoers (at least European ones), so Georges Méliès' early cinematic treatment likely got away with simply offering a fancifully illustrated late episode without the earlier narrative context (however, spoken narration provides some of the latter in this restored print). Tempted by Mephistopheles with all kinds of dancing and ethereal babes, Faust is at first excited and then terrified by the sight of various demons and monsters. The painted-set designers really went hog wild on this one, depicting the (sometimes sexy) torments of subterranean Hell with in bold terms (even when ballerinas prance in the foreground). (Dennis Harvey, Fandor)

A farmer calls on a juggler to see a few of his best tricks. The juggler has brought a bouquet of flowers, from which he takes out a charming and beautiful girl. The farmer, enraptured, attempts to kiss the beauty, and in trying to do so he only catches a devil, who beats him unmercifully and finally bursts into a thousand pieces. The juggler asks the farmer if his cares for any more exhibitions, but the poor fellow runs away in great terror.

Two Japanese ladies dance while one plays a traditional instrument.

The leader of a marching band demonstrates an unusual way of writing music.

An elderly woman is determined to board an omnibus that does not want to stop for her.

A boy is led into the frame by two nursemaids who give him a big ball to play with. For the remainder of the film heads appear and disappear, stage props blow up and turn into other objects or people, and finally Bob Kick disappears.

Fredensborg castle in North Zealand was the base of the so-called 'Fredensborg Days' in the period 1880-1898, where King Christian IX and Queen Louise would gather the family. The tradition petered out after the death of Czar Alexander III in 1894 and Queen Louise in 1898. The images nevertheless give an impression of the relaxed atmosphere at the castle.

Pierrot goes to the house of his love to serenade her, but her father kicks him out. Soon the moon and its goddess Diana come towards the man and offers him something better.

Pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès performs his cine-magic act.

Alphonse and Gaston are in an American barber shop. They interrupt business with their exaggerated politeness, and the waiting customers throw them out of the window.

Filmed on a mountain railway from Caux to Rochers de Naye, Switzerland. Originally filmed in 68mm. The film was advertised as being available in 'standard Edison gauge' (35mm) at a total length of 620ft, which included both ascent and descent. The surviving combined 35mm footage (from 68mm originals) equals 519ft.

A man and a woman talk beside a street near a corner where a cop stands. Just as a horse-drawn cart rounds the corner, the man backs off the sidewalk saying good-by to his companion. The horse and cart flatten him and continue on, out of the camera's stationary range. The cop runs after the cab, the woman dashes to the body. The cop brings back the driver; is the victim dead?

Based on the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe: Eliza, a slave who has a young child, pleads with Tom, another slave, to escape with her. Tom does not leave, but Eliza flees with her child. After getting some help to escape the slave traders who are looking for her, she then must try to cross the icy Ohio River if she wants to be free. Meanwhile, Tom is sold from one master to another, and his fortunes vary widely.

"Cholly" wishes to call on his best girl and sends her a large bouquet. To find out if the girl really loves him, he sends a note with the messenger boy requesting her to "wear this" if she does. The boy delivers the note and a package which the young lady opens and finds an old pair of trousers and other masculine wearing apparel.

The film opens on a dressing room set with a mirror, dressing table, and chair center stage and a folded dressing screen on the left. A smiling, dark-haired woman enters through the door on stage right, unbuttoning a full-length polka-dot costume. As she undresses, she frequently looks directly at the camera and smiles. She removes her sash or cummerbund, the top with its trailing sleeves, and her skirt, leaving her clothed only in a sleeveless chemise. Smiling directly at the camera, she mischievously slips a strap of the garment off one shoulder, then ducks behind the screen.

A re-telling of the classic tale of Faust in all of two minutes by French filmmaker Alice Guy.

The biggest English comedy hit of the year. The scene is laid on an English estate at the edge of a pond. A couple of laborers discover, protruding from the water a pair of female legs. They hasten to the rescue, secure a bench and a long plank so as to get out over the water to the point where the legs are sticking up. Just as they complete their preparations a policeman runs up and insists on going out to the rescue of the female in distress.

A box of valued jewels is placed inside the tomb of Delphi. A thief breaks into the tomb and steals it, but soon the ghost of Delphi appears and puts a curse on him.

Exotic street scene with men riding camels.

Pluto, having seen the earth, comes back home amazed at the success of that well-known dance, the "cake-walk." He has brought back with him two noted well-known dancers, who start their favorite dance amidst the flames.

A sentinel is surprised by some bears and climbs up onto his sentry box in order to hide himself. He takes off his uniform and throws it at the bear, but this does not affect the animals in the slightest and a gun shot has no better effect. One bear creeps into the box, when a brigand arrives who does not know that it is there, and seeing the soldier's garments wants to steal them, but no sooner is he going to take them away than the bear rushes on him. The soldier pushes the box over the fighters and calls for help. Some other soldiers are coming and they lift up the box, but to their great surprise they find only the bear's head and the brigand's cap. A drama must have happened inside.

The U.S.S. "Indiana" in action. Filmed by American Mutoscope & Biograph on November 11, 1903 in Glen Island, NY.

Early silent adaptation of the fairy-tale Puss In Boots.

This scene opens with a view of a stage setting and private box. After Miss Dolly Lightfoot has finished a clever dance, a card is placed upon the stage announcing an extra turn. An Italian vocalist appears and starts to sing. He is received with a shower of missiles. (Edison Catalog)

The scene is similar to that seen at Coney Island, where a number of shows are constantly going on.

London street scenes, showing varieties of horse-drawn traffic. Views of Parliament Square, Charing Cross, Pall Mall, the Royal Exchange and others.

Shows ceremonies and Mayor Low accepting the new bridge in behalf of Greater New York.

A 8-chapter ("tableaux") short film that tells the story of a gambler who ends his life on the guillotine.

A traveller is shown to a room in an inn. After a brief dispute with the hostess and a porter, he is left to himself. But strange things begin to happen in his room, and before long he has created a disturbance that has everyone running to his room to find out what is going on.

Two guards bring a sorcerer into the hall of a palace of the time of the Middle Ages. The king who follows them orders the sorcerer to be chained and to be condemned to death for his practice of witchcraft. He begs the king to permit him just one hour of liberty, assuring the king that he will create, thanks to his power, a charming woman, worthy of becoming the king's consort. The king, after a moment of hesitation, agrees.