All Films

The Merchant of Venice

1911 • 19 min • Italy

With a friend desperate for money, a merchant takes out a loan from a ruthless money-lender. Confident that his ships will soon be bringing him great wealth, the merchant willingly agrees to conditions of the loan that put him at great personal risk.

The Crutches

1911 • 12 min • France

A film crew goes to a mansion to shoot a movie. The actor playing the thief is confused and is shot by the owner with a shotgun. In compensation, he is taken care of in the house and falls in love with the daughter of the owners.

A Victim of the Mormons

1911 • 50 min • Denmark

On a holiday, the family Gram meets a young, mysterious man who turns out to be a Mormon. In spite of her fiancèe's presence, the daughter Nina is drawn to the stranger. Hypnotized, she soon follows his every step. When she finally awakes from her trance, she finds herself on a ship to Utah, in the clutches of a dangerous man. (Stumfilm.dk)

The Toss of a Coin

1911 • 10 min • United States of America

A lost film. Dan Gardner, a young man, is down and out. Arrested as a tramp, he is thrown into jail. He is released with but a single coin in his pocket. Arriving at a bridge, he gazes into the water and his thoughts turn to suicide. He reaches in his pocket, extracts the coin and flips it up. Heads he dies and tails he lives. Farmer Barton, drives onto the scene keen to hire a man to assist him in his farm work. Dan is more than anxious to secure employment and accompanies the kind-hearted farmer home. Alice Barton is the farmer's daughter, and while working on the farm Dan begins to fall in love.

Her Darkest Hour

1911 • 10 min • United States of America

A lost film. A Teacher is struggling to control her classroom. Her failure has evidently reached the ears of the members of the board of education, and a committee of the guardians of public instruction visits the school. and the shortcomings of Ruth, the teacher, are apparent. She is dismissed from her position in disgrace; a holiday is proclaimed. The children depart, and Ruth is alone in her sorrow and bitterness of her failure. Sorrowfully she dons her wraps and leaves the school room with its disappointing memories. Ruth then applies for the position of a stenographer in an office.

As a Boy Dreams

1911 • 12 min • United States of America

A cabin-boy gets to take center stage during a riotous adventure story involving mutineers and pirates and buried treasure.

You'll Go Away, Youth

1911 • 12 min • France

Leontine's Boat

1911 • 5 min • France

Léontine cannot resist her desire to sail her new toy boat indoors. She plugs up the drains and turns on the faucets, flooding the house as water rains down through the floorboards and collapses the ceilings.

A Romance of the Cliff Dwellers

1911 • 15 min • United States of America

The story itself deals with the primitive instinct of mankind; to desire was to take at strength of arms, and thus one of the chiefs chose for his own a maiden fair who was loved in turn by a young brave, and whose admiration she returned. But like unto the dark ages, whenever a man desired a maid he took her with or without her leave. Thus far did the chief go, but her lover decides to match his strength of arms for so fair a bride, and they fight upon the cliff's edge. But here the maid takes up the bow of fate and sends an arrow into the heart of her captor. Thus the two forest lovers are united, but a life for a life is the law of their race and the lover is brought to the council chamber and tried before his kinsmen. To shield the woman he loves he remains silent.

Little Dove's Romance

1911 • 15 min • United States of America

A white woodsman rescues Little Dove from danger on two occasions and she crushes out on him... but wiser heads prevail.

The Romanian Minister Istrate Visits Bitola

1911 • 2 min • Macedonia

Early Balkan footage.

His Bogus Uncle

1911 • 10 min • United States of America

A scheming suitor ends up losing his girl to a rival even after he receives an inheritance.

The Mexican Joan of Arc

1911 • 11 min • United States of America

When her husband and sons are executed without trial by Colonel Cephis, Señora Talamantes vows revenge. She rallies a band of Mexicans and Indigenous fighters, joins the Insurrectos, and lures the Colonel into a trap. Captured and condemned by a drumhead court martial, he faces the same fate he dealt to her family. With justice served, the widow returns to her people.

In Northern Forests

1911 • 10 min • United States of America

A story of escape and manhunt in the Canadian forests.

Little Moritz Wants to Marry Rosalie

1911 • 6 min • France

Wimpy Little Moritz needs to toughen up to win Rosalie, but ends up smashing everyone and everything in sight when boxing lessons turn him into a mindless fighting machine. (MoMA)

The Law of the Range

1911 • 9 min • United States of America

A white man befriends a half-breed, who subsequently saves his life.

Pirates of 1920

1911 • 18 min • United Kingdom

A band of futuristic cutthroats terrorize the skies on board their powerful airship. After bombing a liner and stealing gold bullion from its hold, the ruffians try to escape, facing only Jack Manley, a valiant naval officer, and Marie Thompson, his sweetheart. (The surviving print lacks the story resolution, which apparently ends when the hero and the police rout the pirates and rescue the kidnapped heroine.)

The Price

1911 • 14 min • United States of America

Pretty Ann, and Joe, the hostler, one day chance to meet. Strong is Joe, and simple, and Ann is shy and sweet. As man and maid have done before, they love, and marry, too. And live happy ever after? Ah, this tale is new to you! Yes, the tale is drear, prosaic; and so poetry won't do. A baby boy comes to bless the union. Joe is working in the stables when they tell him of his joy: his heart is gay and happy, and he tells the horses so. Then, it might be the angels were jealous of such mortal happiness; it might be the devil, seeing the stage so set, entered to play the leading role.

An Up-To-Date Squaw

1911 • 7 min • United States of America

A party of tourists visiting an Indian reservation turn one poor squaw's head with the beauty of their wearing apparel. This Indian woman steals away from camp and decks herself out in the most remarkable finery. She is followed by her husband through the streets of the town, causing consternation everywhere. Ultimately she is followed by an English dandy, who mistakes her for a beautiful white woman, but they are caught in each other's company by the brave and the Englishman is scalped.

The Aviator's Generosity

1911 • 26 min • Denmark

When journalist Warren discovers that a charming pilot is about to seduce his wife, he decides to take revenge. He sneaks into the aircraft and turns it into a death trap. There’s a threat of a fatal ending, but the seducer also has an ace up his sleeve. In the end, both men learn a lesson they’ll never forget. (stumfilm.dk)

The Trust, or The Battles for Money

1911 • 25 min • France

A young inventor is kidnapped to force him to tell the secret of his invention, but he foils his captors thanks to a pen with invisible ink.

Josh's Suicide

1911 • 7 min • United States of America

Josh doesn't like the way things go at home and decides to quit and get out. Later, his wife gets what purports to be his farewell letter, which is intended to lead her to believe he has committed suicide. He, however, goes to New York to have a good time, and he does, "by gosh." The wife, believing herself a widow, makes a trip to New York with her admirer. Well, you may guess the rest.

Amour de Page

1911 • 12 min • France

Story set in the Middle Ages. A page and the daughter of a baron want to marry each other against the will of her father, who wants his daughter to marry another man. A sorceress predicts the future for the couple and provides the page with a bottle of poison for the other marriage candidate, which almost falls into the wrong hands.

The Beautiful Voice

1911 • 8 min

An eccentric Frenchman passing along the avenue, hears the sound of a beautiful voice and forthwith falls in love with the unseen singer, assuming that she must be as charming as her voice. He bestows upon her several presents before he has the courage to introduce himself