Classic Movies

Demolition of a Wall (1896) Auguste Lumière directs four workers in the demolition of an old wall at the Lumière factory. One worker is pressing the wall inwards with a jackscrew, while another is pushing it with a pick. When the wall hits the ground, a cloud of white dust whirls up. Three workers continue the demolition of the wall with picks -- IMDB Directed by Louis Lumière Produced by Louis Lumière Starring Auguste Lumière Cinematography Louis Lumière Release date 1895 Country France Language Silent

People start a snowball fight on a street in Lyons, France -- IMDB Directed by [Unknown] Produced by Lumière brothers Release date 1897 Country France Language Silent

Carmaux is in south-central France, near the Tarn River. As a brick of coke, about four feet high and three feet wide, is gradually pushed out of a smelter into a yard, one worker sprays it with water from a hose while two workers with long metal rakes wait to spread it out. Other workers buzz in and out of the foreground of the stationary camera. Atop the first level of the brick smelter, workers push full carts of coal along a track -- IMDB Produced by Lumière Distributed by Lumière Release date 1896 Running time 38 seconds Country France Languages Silent film French intertitles

A train arrives at La Ciotat station -- IMDB Directed by Auguste Lumière Louis Lumière Produced by Auguste Lumière Louis Lumière Cinematography Louis Lumière Production company Société Lumière Distributed by Société Lumière Release date 25 January 1896 Running time 50 seconds Country France Language Silent

A soldier stands guard at a sentry box and leaves it unprotected for a moment, a moment that two men take advantage of to put up posters where it is prohibited -- IMDB Directed by Georges Méliès Release date 1896 Running time 74 seconds Country France Language Silent

In what is considered to be the first remake in the history of cinema, the grand French director, Georges Méliès, directs his very first short film, influenced by the Lumière Brothers' original story in "Partie d'écarté (1896) -- IMDB Directed by Georges Méliès Release date 1896 Running time 67 seconds Country France Language Silent

As an elegant maestro of mirage and delusion drapes his beautiful female assistant with a gauzy textile, much to our amazement, the lady vanishes into thin air -- IMDB Directed by Directed by Georges Méliès Starring Georges Méliès Jehanne d'Alcy Production company Star Film Company Release date 1896 Running time Approx. 75 seconds[1] Country France Language Silent Starring Georges Méliès Jehanne d'Alcy Production company Star Film Company Release date 1896 Running time Approx. 75 seconds[1] Country France Language Silent

Directed by Georges Méliès Based on Up the River by Robert W. Paul Produced by Georges Méliès Production company Star Film Company Release date May 1896 Country France Language Silent

With the help of a magic cauldron, Mephistopheles conjures up a variety of supernatural characters -- IMDB Directed by Georges Méliès Produced by Georges Méliès Starring Jehanne D'Alcy Jules-Eugène Legris Production company Star Film Company Release date 24 December 1896 – 1897 Running time 60 meters[1] (3 min) Country France Language Silent

Directed by Georges Méliès Production company Star Film Company Release date 1896 (France) Running time original running time unknown, but the film was 20 metres long. Only 6 seconds[1] remain. Country France Language Silent

A man tries to get a good night's sleep, but is disturbed by a giant spider that leaps onto his bed, and a battle ensues in hilarious comic fashion -- IMDB Directed by Georges Méliès Produced by Georges Méliès Release date 1896 Country France Language Silent

In this fantastic scene, a man who is eager to retire has a difficult time finding peace, as his nocturnal illusions come to life out of thin air -- IMDB Directed by Georges Méliès Production company Star Film Company Release date 1896 Running time 1 min Country France Language Silent film

Directed by Gabriel Veyre Release date 1896 Running time 1 minute Country Mexico Language Silent

Directed by Birt Acres Produced by Birt Acres Cinematography Birt Acres Release date 1896 Running time 20 secs Country United Kingdom Language Silent

The sea is quite rough, and at Dover a series of heavy waves pounds against a pier and along the adjacent shoreline. The scene then shifts to a different view of flowing water, and shows a heavy current from a point along a riverbank -- IMDB Directed by Birt Acres Produced by Birt Acres Robert W. Paul Cinematography Birt Acres Release date 14 January 1896 Running time 39 seconds Country United Kingdom Language Silent

Directed by Birt Acres Release date 1896 Country United Kingdom Language Silent

Boxing match between a kangaroo and a human boxer -- http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/B/BoxingKangaroo1896.html Directed by Birt Acres Produced by Birt Acres Robert W. Paul Cinematography Birt Acres Release date January 1896 Country United Kingdom Language Silent

The first film directed by a female director, "The Cabbage Fairy" presents a brief fantasy tale involving a strange fairy who can produce and deliver babies coming out of cabbages. Gently moving through the cabbages and using of lovely gestures, she takes one baby out of there, then makes more magic and delivers two more -- IMDB Directed by Alice Guy Written by Alice Guy Release dates 1896, 1900, and 1902 Running time 60 seconds (1896 and 1900) Country France Language Silent film 1896 Country France Language Silent

Pelicans at the zoo bathe themselves as people watch -- IMDB Directed by Alexandre Promio Produced by Auguste and Louis Lumière Release date 1896 Country France Language Silent

A male lion, right next to bars that are about 6 or 8 inches apart, keenly watches a uniformed zoo attendant toss small morsels of food into the cage. The lion alternates between finding the food on the cage floor and reaching through the bars to swipe at the man, who stays alarmingly close to the beast. In the background are the large rocks and brick wall at the back of the lion's habitat -- IMDB Directed by Alexandre Promio Produced by Auguste and Louis Lumière Release date 1896 Country France Language Silent film

A man and woman are flirting when a professor turns on an X-ray machine, revealing their insides. After turning it off again the two have a dispute and break up -- IMDB Directed by George Albert Smith Produced by George Albert Smith Starring Tom Green Laura Bayley Cinematography George Albert Smith Production company G.A. Smith Distributed by Warwick Trading Company Release date October 1897 Running time 44 seconds Country United Kingdom Language Silent

Under bombardment, five sailors load and fire a cannon on a naval ship, as their captain supervises -- IMDB Directed by Georges Méliès Produced by Star Film Company Distributed by Star Film Company Release date 1897 Running time 20 meters/65 feet[1] Country France Languages Silent French intertitles

In one of his numerous reconstructed newsreels, the indefatigable French director, Georges Méliès, reenacts a fictional scene taking place in a fort at Tyrnavos during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. Directed by Georges Méliès Production company Star Film Company Release date 1897 Running time 59 feet (approx. 1 minute) Country France Language Silent

Short documentary where people come out of a church in Zaragoza. Short silent film by Eduardo Jimeno, a pioneer of the Spanish cinema.

Produced by Henry Walter Barnett Production company Falk Studios Melbourne Release date 1897 (Australia) Running time 2 min 20 sec Country Australia Language Silent