Edith, a spendthrift socialite, embezzles charity funds to fuel her lavish lifestyle.

In The Cheat (1915), Cecil B. DeMille, utilizes innovative camerawork to heighten the drama. Extreme close-ups magnify emotions on the actors' faces, particularly the captivating performances of Fannie Ward and...

Shipwrecked, mother separated from baby. Raised by prospectors, daughter seeks past in Alaska.

The Chechahcos, a 1924 silent film by Lewis H. Moomaw, isn't just a traditional adventure story following a group of prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush. This independent production was the very...

A exposé of child labor horrors. Poor family & child Alice toil under ruthless factory owner.

The Cry of the Children, a hard-hitting 1912 silent drama by George Nichols for the Thanhouser Company, tackles the social issue of child labor, a daring topic for the era, and utilizes a blend of ficti...

Chinese family faces curse for Westernization. Young love battles tradition & ancestor's wrath.

Though incomplete, the surviving reels off The Curse of Quon Gwon (1916) offer a look into early efforts at independent filmmaking and cultural exploration. Directed by Marion Wong, the film is belie...

Innocent boy framed, theft caught on film, sister fights for truth, footage exposes villain.

The Evidence of the Film is a seemingly straightforward 1913 silent crime drama by Lawrence Marston and Edwin Thanhouse. While the surface presents a familiar whodunit, the film cleverly integrates the f...

A portrayal of the dedication & impact of nurses bringing healthcare to Appalachian communities.

The Forgotten Frontier (1931), a documentary by Mary Marvin Breckinridge documenting the vital work of the Frontier Nursing Service in the Appalachian Mountains, blends documentary elements with ree...

Silent film icon Rudolph Valentino shines in this powerful anti-war epic.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a 1921 silent epic by Rex Ingram, tackles a weighty subject – the devastation of World War I – with unflinching honesty.

Graphic depictions of battlefields and the emotional toll on ...

Harold joins college hoping for fame, but clumsy attempts & mistaken identity land him as waterboy.

The Freshman (1925) by Harold Lloyd follows Harold Lamb, a wide-eyed freshman yearning for popularity, through a series of outlandish situations. Lloyd's signature brand of physical humor takes c...

Chaplin's Tramp hunts gold in Alaska, finds chaos & romance.

While audiences enjoyed the slapstick humor of Chaplin's Little Tramp persona, The Gold Rush (1925) delves into darker themes of hardship and isolation.

Chaplin draws inspiration from real-life tragedies like the Donner Party disaste...

Bandits rob a train, sparking a wild chase.

Though a short film by modern standards clocking in at just 11 minutes The Great Train Robbery (1903), a groundbreaking silent film by Edwin S. Porter, broke away from the one-shot, actuality films that dominated the era.

Porter implemented innovative...

Fishing buddies pick up escaped killer. Deadly road trip ensues. Can they escape his watchful eye?

Directed by Ida Lupino, one of Hollywood's few female filmmakers at the time, The Hitch-Hiker (1953) delves into the psychological underbelly of masculinity and violence.

The story, based on a rea...

3 houses face atomic blast. Clean home survives, raising ethical questions.

Produced for the National Paint, Varnish, and Lacquer Association and the Federal Civil Defense Administration, The House in the Middle (1954) uses unconventional tactics to deliver a very specific message.

While not ex...

Tramp's chaotic voyage leads to love in America. Hope blooms amidst poverty.

While there's a clear narrative arc of an immigrant's struggles in America, Chaplin infuses The Immigrant (1917) with moments of absurdity and social commentary. The film satirizes societal norms through exaggerated sla...

A chronicle of the epic construction of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

The Iron Horse (1924), directed by John Ford, marked a turning point in Ford's career and cemented his association with the Western genre.

The Iron Horse experimented with scale. Filmed with a lar...

Gondolier dreams US riches, finds hardship. Despair leads to loss, leaving hope unfulfilled.

The Italian, a 1915 American silent film directed by Reginald Barker, tells the story of Pietro "Beppo" Donnetti, an Italian gondolier who immigrates to America seeking a better life.

Unlike lightheart...

Cantor's son defies tradition for jazz dreams, finding success but facing family conflict.

The Jazz Singer, a 1927 part-talkie directed by Alan Crosland, is a controversial film, however, it played a crucial role in the history of cinema. While not the first film to incorporate sound, it was the...

The Kiss, a silent film made in 1896, shocked audiences with the first cinematic kiss.

Produced by Thomas Edison's company and directed by William Heise, The Kiss (1896) is one of the earliest films ever exhibited commercially. Clocking in at just 18 seconds, The Kiss depicts a scene from the st...

Boy escapes city, finds wonder in nature, chases sunset's promise. Reality or dream?

The Land Beyond the Sunset, a 1912 short film by the Edison Studios, starts as a social drama following a young boy on a charity outing, but then takes a surprising turn. The idyllic countryside becomes a spring...

1757 war: sisters seek fort, captured by Hurons. Hawkeye & Mohican Uncas help. Who survives?

The 1920 silent film directed by Maurice Tourneur, The Last of the Mohicans, retains a traditional narrative based on James Fenimore Cooper's novel, but Tourneur explores the frontiers of storytelling t...

Dreamy hopeful numbered by Hollywood, crushed, finds solace beyond studio gates.

The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra (1927), directed by Robert Florey and Slavko Vorkapić, dismantles the conventions of Hollywood glamor, instead portraying the harsh realities faced by aspiring actors. I...

Italian immigrant struggles in America without English. Learns language, finds success.

The Making of an American (1920) is a fascinating example of early cinema's exploration of film's potential as a social and educational tool. Funded by the Connecticut Department of Americanization, the film ...

Middletons explore 1939 World's Fair, daughter falls for artist, tech & family win her back.

Produced by Westinghouse for their exhibit at the fair, The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair (1939) follows a fictional family on their visit. But, beneath its seemingly conventional facade,...

Hunger, storms, and even cannibals, all with Keaton's signature deadpan humor and acrobatic stunts.

Buster Keaton's 1924 silent comedy, The Navigator, incorporates elements that redefine comedic storytelling, making it a prime example of experimental film within the silent era.

The Navigator b...

Man sings with duck, creating comical duet. Pioneering sound-on-film technology.

Theodore Case Sound Test: Gus Visser and His Singing Duck (1925) is a short and quirky film exemplifying the era of early sound experimentation. Created by Theodore Case while perfecting his sound-on-film process, t...