All Films

Tunneling the English Channel

1907 • 15 min • France

The plot follows King Edward VII and President Armand Fallières dreaming of building a tunnel under the English Channel.

Haunted Kitchen

1907 • 4 min • France

Two contortionists, dressed as devils, invade a kitchen.

The Talisman

1907 • 15 min • France

"Le Pied de Mouton" is an adaptation of an old French stage play titled "The Talisman" written by Alphonse Martainville and César Ribié. The atmosphere is hilarious, oneiric and delicious. The film tells the story of Gusman and Léonora, two lovers who must deal with many spells and troubles in order to preserve their love. The tale is full of princes and princesses, damsels in distress, good witches and wicked lords and is an amazing piece of work.

Kiri-Kis

1907 • 3 min • France

A family troupe of acrobats, made up to appear Japanese, perform various unbelievable stunts in front of the camera, achieved through a trick of the camera.

Ben Hur

1907 • 15 min • United States of America

The first adaptation of Lew Wallace's novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

The Fairy of the Black Rocks

1907 • 3 min • France

An old woman begs a young men to carry her heavy bundle of firewood. The man refuses: he rather goes to sleep. The woman, who turns out to be a witch, punishes him with terrible apparitions.

The Express Sculptor

1907 • 4 min • France

A sculptor creates several faces in a span of four minutes.

Music, Forward!

1907 • 3 min • France

“Music Forward!” is the order given by a lady in Colonial costume, and in march a group of five musicians, working industriously at their instruments. The directress stands them in a row, and taking the head off each, throws it onto a huge music staff and each becomes a note of the scale. The whole bodies appear again, after which the manipulator seems to wrap them up in a large sheet of music, which is then shown to contain nothing. The paper is rolled up again, and a cane is held, perpendicularly, in a horizontal position to the sheet.

The Doll's Revenge

1907 • 3 min • United Kingdom

A boy breaks his sister's doll and it mends, grows, tears him up and eats him.

Enchanted Glasses

1907 • 4 min • France

Devilish looking man dances with a dress in his arms. The dress stands up by itself and a woman magician appears in it. She conjures six women and then makes them disappear. She magically changes into men's clothing and lines up six boxes which begin to smoke and produce six women, whose clothing transforms from formal gowns to ballet dresses. The magician makes them disappear. She then lines up six glasses on a table, and, as she pours wine into them, a woman appears in each glass. She makes the wine go back into the container and everything on the table goes up in smoke. She transforms her clothing into a dress, then disappears, leaving the dress standing on its own. The devilish man reappears, turns the dress into torches, then disappears into smoke with the torches. (Library of Congress)

Max Learns to Skate

1907 • 6 min • France

Max causes havoc when he joins other skaters on a frozen lake.

The Clock-Maker's Secret

1907 • 11 min • France

The town-crier summons the inhabitants of the town and they read a manifesto which is posted on a wall announcing the fact that at 4 o'clock on that day the Lord Mayor will receive bids for the building of a town clock.

The Golden Beetle

1907 • 3 min • France

A magician is surprised when he attempts to transform a beetle.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

1907 • 10 min • France

The film, a parody of the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, follows a fisherman, Yves, who dreams of traveling by submarine to the bottom of the ocean, where he encounters both realistic and fanciful sea creatures, including a chorus of naiads played by dancers from the Théâtre du Châtelet. Méliès's design for the film includes cut-out sea animals patterned after Alphonse de Neuville's illustrations for Verne's novel.

The Spy: A Romantic Story of the Civil War

1907 • 20 min • United States of America

In the midst of the Civil War, a wife saves the day by swapping places with her captured and soon-to-be-executed husband.

That Fatal Sneeze

1907 • 6 min • United Kingdom

As an older man and a youth are eating at the table, the older man decides to amuse himself by using pepper to make the boy sneeze. Later, the boy retaliates by sneaking into the older man's room and putting pepper in his handkerchief, hairbrush, and clothing. But things quickly get out of hand when the sneezing that results begins to disrupt the whole town.

The Enchanted Pond

1907 • 1 min • France

In an outdoor setting, a magician makes pond nymphs and frog people appear out of water and thin air.

The Irresistible Piano

1907 • 4 min • France

A piano entices anyone who comes near.

Alice Guy Films a 'Phonoscène' in the Studio at Buttes-Chaumont, Paris

1907 • 2 min • France

Behind-the-scenes footage showing Alice Guy directing an early sound film.

The 'Teddy' Bears

1907 • 14 min • United States of America

A combination of the story of Goldlocks and the Three Bears with the true story of how Teddy Roosevelt spared a bear cub after killing its mother while hunting, an event which led to the popularization of the teddy bear. Goldilocks goes to sleep in the bears' home after watching six teddy bears dance and do acrobatics, viewing them through a knothole in the wall. When she is awoken by the returning bear family, they give chase through the woods, but she runs to the aid of the Old Rough Rider, who saves her.

Comedy Cartoons

1907 • 4 min • United Kingdom

The artist is presented, with his board: his only appearance. The hand rapidly outlines a human head, into the chalky jaws of which it inserts a cigarette. The chalk head smokes, and finally eats, the cigarette. The head of a woman is drawn, which gradually fills and becomes undoubtedly human. —Urban-Eclipse catalogue

A Seaside Girl

1907 • 5 min • United Kingdom

Three suitors try to impress a girl by chasing her all over the place. Finally she makes her choice.

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

1907 • 13 min • France

The legend of Ali Baba and the forty thieves: Ali Baba discovers a hidden cave where a band of thieves have stored their enormous treasure. Cassim also learns about the cave, but he is caught by the thieves and put to death. Knowing that their secret has been found out, the thieves devise a trick in an attempt to kill Ali Baba and anyone else who might know about their hiding place.

Once Upon a Time

1907 • 10 min • Denmark

The Princess of Illyria rejects all suitors, but suddenly begins to take an interest in a wandering pauper roaming the vicinity of the royal castle. It is none other than the Prince of Denmark and his friend, Kasper Røghat. By means of a magic toy, rattle and copper kettle, the disguised prince manages to secure himself a kiss and a night in the princess’s chamber. Kasper Røghat makes sure that the king is informed of the ‘affair’, causing the princess to be thrown out of the kingdom. She accordingly has to set out for Denmark, heading for a life as the wife of a pauper. Will this fairy tale have a happy end? (stumfilm.dk)