The year 1910 in film involved some significant events.

Events

*ca. March – Florence Lawrence becomes America's first publicly named motion picture actress; she is generally regarded as the first true movie star. *March 18 – The first cinematic version of

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...

's ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...

'' (1818) is released in the United States by Edison Studios. One of the first horror films, it features (unbilled) actor Charles Ogle as the monster. *May 6 – Newsreel footage of the

funeral of Edward VII The state funeral of Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, occurred on Friday, 20 May 1910. The funeral was the largest gathering of European royalty ever to take place, and the last before ma ...

in London is shot in

Kinemacolor Kinemacolor was the first successful colour motion picture process, used commercially from 1908 to 1914. It was invented by George Albert Smith in 1906. He was influenced by the work of William Norman Lascelles Davidson and, more directly, E ...

, making it the first color

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, inform ...

. *July – The Johnson-Jeffries Fight footage causes race riots and is banned in the South of the US. *August 2 – A

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

melodrama, ''

The White Slave Trade ''The White Slave Trade'' ( da, Den hvide slavehandel) is a 1910 Danish silent drama film directed by August Blom. It is the only August Blom movie from 1910 that has been preserved. The film produced by Nordisk Films was the company's first fea ...

(Den Hvide Slavehandel)'', marks the first time film is used to study prostitution. *August –

Kalem Studios The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to Vi ...

director

Sidney Olcott Sidney Olcott (born John Sidney Allcott, September 20, 1872 – December 16, 1949) was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Born John Sidney Allcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great direc ...

becomes the first American to make a motion picture outside of the United States, ''

The Lad from Old Ireland ''The Lad from Old Ireland'', also called ''A Lad from Old Ireland'', is a one-reel 1910 American motion picture directed by and starring Sidney Olcott and written by and co-starring Gene Gauntier. It was the first film appearance of prolific ac ...

'' (released November 23). *

Pathé News Pathé News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 to 1970 in the United Kingdom. Its founder, Charles Pathé, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as British Pathé. Its col ...

is formed in London, producing newsreels and documentaries in the UK until 1970. *

Marcus Loew Marcus Loew (May 7, 1870 - September 5, 1927) was an American business magnate and a pioneer of the motion picture industry who formed Loew's Theatres and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio (MGM). Life and career Loew was born in New York City, ...

partners with Adolph Zukor,

Joseph Schenck Joseph Michael Schenck (; December 25, 1876 – October 22, 1961) was a Russian-born American film studio executive. Life and career Schenck was born to a Jewish family in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russian Empire. He emigrated to New York City ...

and

Nicholas Schenck Nicholas M. Schenck (14 November 1880, Rybinsk, Russia – 4 March 1969, Florida) was a Russian-American film studio executive and businessman. Biography Early life One of seven children, Schenck was born to a Jewish household in Rybinsk, ...

renaming his theatre chain Loew's Consolidated Enterprises.

Films released in 1910

* ''

Abraham Lincoln's Clemency ''Abraham Lincoln's Clemency'' was a 1910 American film directed by Theodore Wharton and produced by Pathé Films. The plot revolves around U.S. President Abraham Lincoln pardoning a hapless sentry who had fallen asleep while on duty during the h ...

'' * '' The Abyss (Afgrunden)'', starring Asta Nielsen * ''Aeroplane Flight And Wreck'' * ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creature ...

'' * ''Der Alpenjager'' * ''

Am Abend ''Am Abend'' ("''In the Evening''") is an early 20th century German stag film which was made in 1910. Along with the Argentinian film '' El Satario'' (c. 1907–1915) and the American film '' A Free Ride'' or ''A Grass Sandwich'' (c. 1915–1 ...

'', one of the earliest works of hardcore pornography * ''The American Suicide Club'' (French-U.S. co-production/ Lux) * ''Another's Ghost'' (French/ Pathe) starring Mevisto, Henri Etievant, Henry Krauss * ''

As It Is In Life ''As It Is In Life'' is a 1910 silent short film directed by D. W. Griffith and produced and distributed by the Biograph Company. Mary Pickford appears in the film. The film is preserved from Library of Congress paper prints. Plot The film starts ...

'', directed by D. W. Griffith, starring

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

* ''Back to Life After 2,000 Years'' (aka ''The Roman's Awakening'') (French/ Pathe) * ''Bebe (series)'' * ''The Beechwood Ghost'' (Powers Films, which years later merged with Universal Pictures) * ''The Bewitched Messenger'' (British/ Bat-Brockliss) * '' The Blue Bird'' * ''Bride of the Haunted Castle'' (French film/ Artistic-Pathe) theatrically released in England and U.S. * ''The Buddha's Curse'' (French/ Lux) * ''Cagliostro'' (French film) directed by Camille de Morlhon and Gaston Velle, starring Helene du Montel, Jean Jacquinet, Stacia Napierkowska * ''The Castle Ghost'' (French/ Pathe) * ''The Cat That was Changed into a Woman'' (French/Pathe) directed by Michel Carre; this was the 2nd French film that adapted from the Aesop fable "Venus and the Cat" (see also 1909) * ''Chibusa no enoki'' (Japanese) starred Matsunosuke Onoe * ''The Children of Edward the Fourth'' (French/ Pathe-Film d'Art) directed by Henri Andreani, starring Rene Alexandre, Albert Bras, Jeanne Delvair * '' A Christmas Carol'' (Edison) * ''Countess Ankarstrom'' (German film/ Deutsche Bioscope) directed by Gebhard Schatzler-Perasini, starring Paul Bildt * ''The Curse of the Wandering Minstrel'' (aka ''The Singer's Curse'') German/ Messter, based on a ballad written by Ludwig Uhland * ''A Day in the Life of a Coal Miner'', produced by

Charles Urban Charles Urban (April 15, 1867 – August 29, 1942) was an Anglo-American film producer and distributor, and one of the most significant figures in British cinema before the First World War. He was a pioneer of the documentary, educational, propa ...

* ''Death'' (Danish/Regia Kunstfilms) directed by Holger Holm, starring Emilie Sannom and Robert Schmidt * ''The Defeat of Satan'' (French/ Pathe) directed by

Georges Denola Georges Samson Denola (; 29 August 1865, Paris, France – 3 March 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) was a French filmmaker and actor. His most notable film is ''La Jeunesse de Rocambole'', released in 1913. As an actor, Georges Denola has been seen ...

, starring Madeleine Celiat, Georges Laumonier and Jacques Vandenne * ''The Demon of Dunkirque'' (Italian/British co-production) early example of international financing * ''The Detachable Man'' (Pathe) * ''The Devil's Mother-in-Law'' (French/ Pathe) * '' Dorian Gray's Portrait'' (Denmark/ Regia Kunstfilms) directed by Alex Strom, starring Valdemar Psilander, Adam Poulsen; 1st film adaptation of the Oscar Wilde novel * ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (Denmark/ Nordisk) written and directed by

August Blom August Blom (26 December 1869 – 10 January 1947) was a Danish film director, producer, and pioneer of silent films during the "golden age" of Danish filmmaking from 1910 to 1914. Career Blom began his acting career in 1893 in Kolding, and was ...

, starring Alwin Neuss as Jekyll/Hyde, Viggo Larsen and Oda Alstrup; film is lost today * ''Dr. Mesner's Fatal Prescription'' (British/ Warwick Productions) * ''The Dream of Old Scrooge'' (based on the Charles Dickens novel "A Christmas Carol") * ''The Duality of Man'' (British/ Wrench Films) adapted ''The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

; some sources credit Harry Brodribb Irving with directing this lost film * ''The Electric Vitalizer'' (British/ Kineto) * ''The Enchanted Wreath'' (British/ Warwick) * ''The Fairy Bookseller'' (Pathe) * ''The Family Doctor'' * ''Faust'' (Italy/ Cines) directed by Enrico Guazzoni, starring Fernanda Negri-Pouget, Ugo Bazzini, Alfredo Bracci; only existing print is missing a scene * ''Faust'' (French) produced by Eclair Films * ''Faust'' (French/ Pathe) directed by Henri Andreani for Pathe Films * ''The Fiendish Tenant'' (Gaumont) * ''The Forbidden Fruit'' (French/ Pathe) written & directed by Gaston Velle * ''

'', directed by J. Searle Dawley for Edison, starred Charles Ogle, Augustus Phillips and

Mary Fuller Mary Claire Fuller (October 5, 1888 – December 9, 1973) was an American actress active in both stage and silent films. She also was a screenwriter and had several films produced. An early major star, by 1917 she could no longer gain role ...

* ''The Freak of Ferndale Forest'' (British/ Warwick Productions) * '' The Fugitive'', directed by D. W. Griffith * ''Funeral Of Edward VII'' * ''The Ghost in the Oven'', produced by

William Selig William Nicholas Selig (March 14, 1864 – July 15, 1948) was a pioneer of the American motion picture industry. In 1896 he created one of the first film production companies, Selig Polyscope Company of Chicago. Selig produced a string of c ...

* ''The Ghost of Mudtown'' (French/ Pathe) * ''The Golden Beetle'' (French/British co-production/ Continental-Warwick) directed by (and starring) Henri Desfontaines, based on ''The Gold Bug'', a story by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

* ''The Golden Supper'' (Biograph) features a premature burial * ''Haunted by Conscience'' (Kalem Films) * ''Hop-Frog'', aka ''The Jester'' (French/British co-production/ Continental-Warwick) directed by Henri Desfontaines, starring Colanna Romano, based on the 1849 short story by

(a lost film today) * ''The House of the Seven Gables'', directed by J. Searle Dawley for Edison, starring

as Hepzibah Pyncheon, based on the 1851 Nathaniel Hawthorne novel * '' The House with Closed Shutters'', directed by D. W. Griffith * ''Hugo, the Hunchback'', directed by William Selig, based on the

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

novel ''Notre Dame de Paris'' * '' Den Hvide Slavehandel'' (translation: ''The White Slave Trade''), directed by

* ''Inferno'' (Italian/ Helios Films), based on the novel by Dante; it was followed by a sequel ''Purgatory'' in 1912. * '' In Old California'', directed by D. W. Griffith. First Hollywood film in cinema. * '' In the Border States'', directed by D. W. Griffith * ''Jane Eyre'', (Thanhouser) written and directed by Theodore Marston for producer Edwin Thanhouser; starring Marie Eline, Gloria Gallop and Frank Hall Crane * ''Jane Eyre (The Mad Lady of Chester)'', directed by Mario Caserini (Italian/ Cines) * ''A Japanese Peach Boy'', produced by Thomas Edison * ''The Jealous Professors'' (Lux Film) * '' The Johnson-Jeffries Fight'' * ''The Key of Life'', produced by Thomas Edison Co. * ''King Philip the Fair and the Templars'' (French/ Eclair Film) directed by Victorin-Hyppolyte Jasset, starring Georges Saillard and Raoul d'Auchy; first film to deal with the topic of the Knights Templar * ''

A Lad from Old Ireland ''The Lad from Old Ireland'', also called ''A Lad from Old Ireland'', is a one-reel 1910 American motion picture directed by and starring Sidney Olcott and written by and co-starring Gene Gauntier. It was the first film appearance of prolific ac ...

'', directed by

* ''The Legend of the Undines'' (French film/ Pathe) based on the 1814 opera by E. T. A. Hoffman (an "undine" is a female water sprite) * ''Little Snow White'' (French/ Pathe) * ''The Lobster Nightmare'' (British) * ''The Love of a Hunchback'' (British/ Empire Film) based on Victor Hugo's novel ''Notre Dame de Paris'' * ''Lucrezia Borgia'' (Italian film/ Cines) directed by Mario Caserini, starring Francesca Bertini and Maria Gasperini * ''Lured by a Phantom'', aka ''The King of Thule'' (French) directed by Etienne Arnaud and Louis Feuillade, based on a poem written by Goethe * ''Making Christmas Crackers'' * ''Max Hypnotized'' (French/ Pathe) directed by Lucien Nonguet, starring

Max Linder Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

* ''The Minotaur'' (aka ''Theseus and the Minotaur''), written and directed by J. Stuart Blackton for Vitagraph * ''Museum Spooks, or Dreams in a Picture Gallery'' (British) * ''The Mystery of Temple Court'' (Vitagraph) * ''Necklace of the Dead'' (Denmark/ Nordisk) directed by

, starring Ingeborg Middleboe Larsen, Thorkild Roose and Nicolai Neiiendam; said to be based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story ''The Oblong Box'' * ''New York of Today'', produced by Edison Studios * ''Oh, You Skeleton'' (Selig Polyscope) * ''The Phantom'' (French/ Pathe-Le Film Russe) aka ''Le Fantome'' * ''Queen of Spades'', aka ''Pikovaya dama'' (Russian film) directed by Pyotr Chardynin, based on the novel by

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

* ''Queen of Spades'' (German film/ Deutsche Bioscop) produced by Deutsche Bioscop, also based on the novel by Alexander Pushkin * ''

Ramona ''Ramona'' is a 1884 American novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Southern California after the Mexican–American War, it portrays the life of a mixed-race Scottish– Native American orphan girl, who suffers racial discrimination and ...

'', directed by D. W. Griffith, starring

* ''The Red Inn'', aka ''L'Auberge Rouge'' (French/ Pathe) directed by Camille de Morlhon, written by Abel Gance, starring Jeanne Cheirel, Julien Clement, Jean Worms, and Abel Gance, based on the novel by Honore de Balzac * ''Robert, the Devil: or, Freed from Satan's Power'' (French/ Gaumont) directed by Etienne Arnaud, starring Leonce Perret and Maurice Vinot; based on a 1831 libretto written by Eugene Scribe and Casimir Delavigne * ''The Romance of the Mummy'' (French/ Pathe) based on the Theophile Gautier book * ''Rose O'Salem Town'', directed by D. W. Griffith for American Mutoscope and Biograph, starring Dorothy West, Clara T. Bracy and

Henry B. Walthall Henry Brazeale Walthall (March 16, 1878 – June 17, 1936) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared as the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915). Early life Henry B. Walthall was born March 16, 1878 on a ...

, set against the backdrop of the

Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...

* ''St. George and the Dragon'' (Edison Co.) * ''Satan's Rival'' (aka ''A Rival to Satan'')(French) directed by Gerard Bourgeois * ''Secret of the Hand'' (French/ Lux) dealt with the subject of the Chinese Tong * ''The Skeleton'' (Vitagraph) * ''Slippery Jim'', directed by

Ferdinand Zecca Ferdinand Zecca (19 February 1864 – 23 March 1947) was a pioneer French film director, film producer, actor and screenwriter. He worked primarily for the Pathé company, first in artistic endeavors then in administration of the international ...

* ''The Snake Man'' (French/ Lux) * ''Sorceress of the Strand'' (French/ Eclair) directed by Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset, starring Eugenie Nau, Emile Keppens, and Marie Barthe * ''The Spectre'' (French/ Pathe) * ''The Spirit of the Sword'' (French/ Pathe) * ''A Spiritualistic Seance'' (French/ Gaumont) * ''Teddy Roosevelt Returns From Africa'' * ''Testing a Soldier's Courage'' (French/ Gaumont) * ''

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...

'' * ''A Trip to Davy Jones' Locker'' (French/ Pathe); a special effects film influenced by the work of George Melies * ''A Trip to Mars'' (Edison Co.) * ''Twelfth Night'' * '' The Unchanging Sea'', directed by D. W. Griffith * ''Vengeance of the Dead'' (French/ Pathe); influenced by the Oscar Wilde novel "The Portrait of Dorian Gray'' * ''Le Vitrail Diabolique'', directed by

Georges Melies Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia *Georges Quay (Dublin) * Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses * Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 19 ...

* ''Im Wannseebad'' * ''Wanted – A Mummy'' (British/ Cricks & Martin) directed by A. E. Coleby * ''Wedded Beneath the Waves'' (French/ Gaumont) * '' What the Daisy Said'', starring

* ''

White Fawn's Devotion ''White Fawn's Devotion: A Play Acted by a Tribe of Red Indians in America'' is a 1910 Cinema of the United States, American short film, short drama film, dramatic silent film. Although a few writers believe the film features Young Deer's wife, L ...

'', directed by James Young Deer the first Native American Director * '' Wilful Peggy'', directed by D. W. Griffith, starring

* ''The Witch of the Glen'' (British/ Warwick Productions) * ''The Witch of the Ruins'' (French/ Pathe) * ''The Witches' Spell'' (British/ Urban Films) produced by Charles UrbanWorkman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 81. . * ''

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz afte ...

Births

Deaths

Debuts

Leah Baird Leah Baird (born Ada Frankenstein; June 20, 1883 – October 3, 1971) was an American actress and screenwriter. Life Baird was born in Champaign County, Illinois. on June 20, 1883, the daughter of William Frankenstein and Bertha Schreiver Fran ...

– Jean and the Waif * Carlyle Blackwell – Uncle Tom's Cabin (short) * Eleanor Caines – The New Boss of Bar X Ranch (short) *

Grace Cunard Grace Cunard (born Harriet Mildred Jeffries; April 8, 1893 – January 19, 1967) was an American actress, screenwriter and film director. During the silent era, she starred in over 100 films, wrote or co-wrote at least 44 of those production ...

– The Duke's Plan (short) *

Margarita Fischer Margarita Fisher (née Fischer, February 12, 1886 – March 11, 1975) was an American actress in silent motion pictures and stage productions. Newspapers sometimes referred to her as "Babe" Fischer. Early life Margarita Fischer was born on Fe ...

– There, Little Girl, Don't Cry (short) * Helen Gardner – How She Won Him (short) *

Hoot Gibson Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson (August 6, 1892 – August 23, 1962) was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitioned ...

–

Pride of the Range ''Pride of the Range'' is a 1910 American short silent Western film directed by Francis Boggs. It features Hoot Gibson in his first on-screen role. Cast * Tom Mix * Art Acord * Milton Brown * Hoot Gibson * Al Green * Betty Harte * Tom San ...

Alice Joyce Alice Joyce Brown ( Joyce; October 1, 1890 – October 9, 1955) was an American actress who appeared in more than 200 films during the 1910s and 1920s. She is known for her roles in the 1923 film '' The Green Goddess'' and its 1930 remake of ...

– The Deacon's Daughter (short) * J. Warren Kerrigan – A Voice from the Fireplace (short) *

Mae Marsh Mae Marsh (born Mary Wayne Marsh; November 9, 1894U.S. Census records for 1900, El Paso, Texas, Sheet No. 6 – February 13, 1968) was an American film actress with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life Mae Marsh was born Mary Wayne M ...

– Ramona (short) * Asta Nielsen – The Woman Always Pays (short) * Mabel Normand – Indiscretions of Betty * Wallace Reid – The Phoenix (short) *

Marin Sais Marin Sais (born Mae Smith; August 2, 1890 – December 31, 1971) was an American actress whose career was most prolific during the silent film era of the 1910s and 1920s. Sais' acting career spanned over four decades and she is possibly best ...

– Twelfth Night (short) *

Norma Talmadge Norma Marie Talmadge (May 2, 1894 – December 24, 1957) was an American actress and film producer of the silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most pop ...

– The Household Pest *

Pearl White Pearl Fay White (March 4, 1889 – August 4, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career on the stage at the age of six, and later moved on to silent films appearing in a number of popular serials. Dubbed the "Queen of ...

– The Missing Bridegroom (short)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:1910 In Film Film by year