A servant's mistake leads to a crisis that forces the parents to reevaluate their priorities.

The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917), a silent film directed by Maurice Tourneur, is an experiment in film's portrayal of childhood and ability to convey social commentary.

While the core story — a lonely ...

Mississippi River ravaged by unsustainable farming. TVA project offers hope for healing.

Pare Lorentz's 1938 documentary, The River, chronicles the story of the Mississippi River, weaving together historical footage, stunning cinematography, and a powerful narration. At the same time, The River ...

1918 animation depicts 1915 sinking, fueling anti-German sentiment in WWI.

Through an animated depiction of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania during World War I, Winsor McCay's The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918) breaks away from the lighthearted cartoons of the era.

The film's seriousness and l...

Desert sheik's son loves dancer, betrayal sparks revenge & redemption.

A sequel to the wildly popular The Sheik (1921), The Son of the Sheik (1926) reunites Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Bánky in this more playful approach to the source material. The film incorporates elements of comedy and melodr...

Educational film explores menstruation, its biology and social stigmas, breaking taboos in 1946.

Walt Disney's 1946 film The Story of Menstruation takes an unconventional approach to health education. Commissioned by a feminine hygiene company, the film aimed to educate young girls about menstru...

Belgian soldier searches for pen pal love in America, finds adventure & true love with twist.

Harry Langdon's comedic persona is a key factor in The Strong Man (1926), a silent comedy directed by Frank Capra and starring Langdon. His character, a wide-eyed innocent named Paul, embodies a childli...

Thief charms princess, battles evil for love. Dazzling silent adventure.

Directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks, The Thief of Bagdad (1924) is a visually stunning spectacle unlike anything audiences at the time had seen before.

The Thief of Bagdad broke new ground in special eff...

Expelled son falls for parson's daughter. Love conquers class as he reunites with his Earl father.

Produced during a transitional period in filmmaking, The Wishing Ring, an Idyll of Old England (1914) bridges the gap between theatrical and cinematic storytelling.

While the plot is based on a s...

Rural youth confronts outlaws, seeking manhood through legal or vengeful action.

Tol'able David, a 1921 silent film directed by Henry King, follows a coming-of-age story set in the rural Appalachians, delving into complex themes of violence, revenge, and masculinity.

The film's experimentation ...

Showcases culture in late 1930's Bali but criticized for omitting context and focusing on spectacle.

Trance and Dance in Bali, a 1951 documentary by Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, is a pioneering ethnographic film. It documents a traditional Balinese ritual dance while the filmmakers employ ...

Silent film adaptation of Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic novel.

Based on the well-known novel, the 1914 silent film Uncle Tom's Cabin broke new ground with its casting choices. Directed by William Robert Daly, the film featured Sam Lucas, a Black actor, in the leading role of Uncle Tom. This ma...

Cowboy fights water barons in Dust Bowl, runs for Congress & wins, defying villain & saving farmers.

Under Western Stars (1938), starring Roy Rogers and directed by Joseph Kane adheres to a familiar Western storyline while tackling a socially relevant issue: the Dust Bowl crisis of the 1930s. Th...

Boxer returns home to pregnant wife. Seeking revenge for betrayal, tragedy unfolds.

Verbena Tragica, a 1939 drama directed by Charles Lamont, tackles mature themes of adultery and revenge, uncommon in Spanish-language productions of the era. This boldness extends to its exploration of social iss...

DA crusades abortion, blind to wife's secret. Tragedy unfolds, forcing choices.

Where Are My Children, a thought-provoking 1916 silent film by Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley, explores a controversial social issue — abortion — in a way unseen before.

While some silent films used didactic inter...

Wife fearing husband's departure attempts suicide, sparking tribe's wrath before true love prevails.

White Fawn's Devotion, a short dramatic film from 1910 directed by James Young Deer, features a melodrama common for the era but is innovative in other ways.

White Fawn's Devotion is believed to...

City slicker dreams of cowboys, gets staged Wild West show. Real bandits strike, slicker turns hero.

Wild and Woolly, a 1917 silent comedy directed by John Emerson, is a playful deconstruction of genre through physical humor.

The film stars Douglas Fairbanks as an easterner obsessed with romant...

Love triangle soars, war takes flight. WWI pilots, one woman's heart, aerial stunts & sacrifice.

Wings, a 1927 silent film directed by William Wellman, follows two friends turned rivals in love and war as they become WWI fighter pilots.

The aerial sequences in Wings were groundbreaking for th...

Oscar Micheaux's Sylvia fights to save a school for poor children, facing racism & a shocking past.

Produced, written, and directed by Oscar Micheaux, a pioneering Black filmmaker, Within Our Gates (1920) tackles themes of racial injustice and the Black experience in America during the early 20...