{"id":4995,"date":"2015-05-15T19:26:39","date_gmt":"2015-05-15T19:26:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/?p=4995"},"modified":"2026-04-07T18:49:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:49:16","slug":"best-of-the-1900s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/?p=4995","title":{"rendered":"Best of the 1900s"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kobelkoff (1900)\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L1A_Yln13D8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Kobelkoff\u00a0<\/em>(1900)<\/p>\n<p>This short film about &#8220;Human Torso&#8221; Nikolai Kobelokoff reminds us how different the world was a century ago.<\/p>\n<p>With no arms or legs, Kobelkoff became a circus freak. In this short snippet it looks like he is enjoying his life despite his severe handicap.<\/p>\n<p>Some viewers will see this as exploitation; they have a point, but the man does not look unwilling to participate in this life and his options at the time were obviously limited.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a fascinating few minutes which encapsulates what freak shows were about and reminds us why they had so much appeal.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Excelsior! (1901) (The Prince of Magicians) - Georges M\u00e9li\u00e8s\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LCyRhjbOj2c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0225662\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">The Prince of Magicians<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(1901)<\/p>\n<p>One of my favorite quotes about Shakespeare, &#8220;He has no equal, nor second.&#8221; I feel the same way about Georges M\u00e9li\u00e8s.<\/p>\n<p>His use of elaborate, hand painted sets and props makes his films look like elaborate paintings and they often revolve around a trick shot, a subterfuge of audience expectations, but his imagination and creative energy towers over other filmmakers of the era and\u00a0makes their films feel dull and plodding.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Little Match Seller (1902)\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q9YVSYZz54Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0438165\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">The Little Match Seller<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(1902)<\/p>\n<p>As a little girl uses matches to keep warm on a winter night, she imagines a better life for herself, but, sadly, her efforts to fend off the cruel winter fail.<\/p>\n<p>This short film by James Williamson, adapted from\u00a0the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hans_Christian_Andersen\">Andersen<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Little_Match_Girl\">fairy tale<\/a>\u00a0does more to humanize poverty in two minutes than most politicians do in a thousand speeches.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/external-content.duckduckgo.com\/iu\/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.plex.tv%2Fphoto%3Fsize%3Dlarge-1280%26url%3Dhttps%3A%252F%252Fmetadata-static.plex.tv%252F5%252Fgracenote%252F5ec8b1f197b496ba60c1ad5d9360f8a7.jpg&amp;f=1&amp;nofb=1&amp;ipt=35b29b6fb25bcc5e4b428549c1af5af9492585a8aabdd73d502123036d203b6f\" alt=\"Watch The Kingdom of the Fairies (1903) Full Movie Online - Plex\" width=\"676\" height=\"380\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0000465\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">The Kingdom of Fairies<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(1903)<\/p>\n<p>A princess is kidnapped before her wedding, and a search party travels to a strange land to rescue her.<\/p>\n<p>The story is an excuse to unleash the vividness of M\u00e9li\u00e8s imagination. There&#8217;s color, numerous camera tricks, and an addictive, frenetic energy.<\/p>\n<p>Georges M\u00e9li\u00e8s films demonstrate the creative, anarchic impulse of early cinema. Before a standard set of rules and conventions stifled creativity, if you could think it, you could film it.<\/p>\n<p>This was the early master&#8217;s apex, none of his other films achieved this level of creative beauty.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"An Interesting Story - James Williamson, UK, 1905\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N-zTxEg2rGs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0249600\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">An Interesting Story<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(1904)<\/p>\n<p>An unnamed reader is so obsessed with a novel, he ignores everything around him.\u00a0He pours coffee into his hat, falls over a maid, and runs into a jump rope, before absent mindedly walking\u00a0into a steam roller, which flattens him\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_Who_Framed_Roger_Rabbit_characters#Judge_Doom\">Judge Doom<\/a>\u00a0style. Luckily, two kind bicyclists use their pumps to blow him back up.<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly, this film builds quite a bit of suspense before its unexpected and bizarre conclusion.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/external-content.duckduckgo.com\/iu\/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fm.media-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FM%2FMV5BYWExYzEzZDQtYWNhZS00YmEzLThiM2QtYWJhMGI3MDJkYTFmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg&amp;f=1&amp;nofb=1&amp;ipt=79531f9d0e626c139b18fb9427e5a5decae49dfdeedf5b6ec314a4370fc37a4c\" alt=\"The Living Playing Cards (Short 1905) - IMDb\" width=\"260\" height=\"378\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0135179\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">The Living Playing Cards\u00a0<\/a><\/em>(1905)<\/p>\n<p>M\u00e9li\u00e8s is in his element: a magician performing card tricks. Here, he brings the cards to life, first the queen of hearts, then a king. The editing is sloppy; the seams are visible, but M\u00e9li\u00e8s&#8217;s unfettered enthusiasm, like a kid screaming for his parents to watch him jump into the pool, is infectious.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Merry Frolics of Satan (1906) | Full Movie\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"750\" height=\"562\" src=\"https:\/\/geo.dailymotion.com\/player.html?video=x8hdf1f&#038;\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0000567\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">The Merry Frolics of Satan<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(1906)<\/p>\n<p>A variation on the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Faust\">Faust legend<\/a>\u00a0with director M\u00e9li\u00e8s playing <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mephistopheles\">Mephistopheles<\/a>, this inventive film features\u00a0more vivid imagery in six minutes than most contemporary feature length films.<\/p>\n<p>When M\u00e9li\u00e8s\u00a0was playing with demonic imagery, he soared. He allegedly enjoyed playing the devil because it gave him an excuse to use his amateur magician background.<\/p>\n<p>This film&#8217;s horrific imagery continues to resonate over a century later.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Laughing Gas (Gas Esilarante)\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cwGOrytPXyQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0234086\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3\">Laughing Gas<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(1907)<\/p>\n<p>After receiving a dose of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nitrous_oxide\">nitrous oxide<\/a>\u00a0at the dentist, an unnamed black woman cannot stop laughing. As she goes home, her infectious laughter spreads to everyone she encounters.<\/p>\n<p>This fun, silly short is a rare early film focused on minority experiences.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Haunted House 1908\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Zo2EKNRIQlE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1548598\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">Legend of a of Ghost<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(1908)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Segundo_de_Chom%C3%B3n\">Segundo de Chom\u00f3n&#8217;s<\/a>\u00a0short film about three vagrants who stumble upon an abandoned house is short on characterization, but high on frenetic energy and inspired visuals, including an\u00a0impressive stop motion sequence featuring a self-setting table.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pickpock ne craint pas les entraves (1909)\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ignW5gWaIG8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0855966\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">Slippery Jim<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(1909)<\/p>\n<p>The authorities invent ever more elaborate ways to incarcerate a notorious pickpocket, but because of his various supernatural abilities, he keeps escaping and eluding them. Eventually the thief turns the tables and imprisons the police chasing him.<\/p>\n<p>For the most part, Segundo de Chom\u00f3n&#8217;s films are derivative of ideas and images already explored with greater skill and depth by Georges M\u00e9li\u00e8s, but this film deviates from that paradigm. It\u00a0possesses a few genuinely inventive gags and a dark sense of humor, and unlike M\u00e9li\u00e8s, incorporates stop-motion techniques. It&#8217;s probably a little too long, but it has a lot of charm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Kobelkoff\u00a0(1900) This short film about &#8220;Human Torso&#8221; Nikolai Kobelokoff reminds us how different the world was a century ago. With no arms or legs, Kobelkoff became a circus freak. In this short snippet it looks like he is enjoying his life despite his severe handicap. Some viewers will see this as exploitation; they have&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/?p=4995\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Best of the 1900s<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1102],"tags":[30,1659,1658,278,1687,1657,1656,1740,725,1695,761,767],"class_list":["post-4995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-of","tag-adaptations","tag-christmas","tag-clement-moore","tag-fantasy-films","tag-georges-melies","tag-hans-christian-andersen","tag-james-wiiliamson","tag-segundo-de-chomon","tag-silent-films","tag-smoking","tag-stop-motion","tag-surrealism","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4995"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14981,"href":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4995\/revisions\/14981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tenkmovies.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}