History of Movie Firsts
All of these were the first to accomplish something in the flim world.
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- DirectorFrancesco BertoliniAdolfo PadovanGiuseppe de LiguoroStarsSalvatore PapaArturo PirovanoGiuseppe de LiguoroLoosely adapted from Dante's Divine Comedy and inspired by the illustrations of Gustav Doré the original silent film has been restored and has a new score by Tangerine Dream.First feautre length film shown in its entirety in the US.
- DirectorCharles TaitStarsElizabeth TaitJohn TaitNicholas BrierleyOriginally 70 minutes in running time, only 17 minutes of the world's first full-length narrative feature film survived in stills and other fragments and tell the story of Ned Kelly, an infamous 19th-century Australian outlaw.First feature length film ever.
- StarsNat C. GoodwinVinnie BurnsCharley RogersAn orphan in early 19th century England escapes the poorhouse only to fall among a gang of pickpockets in London.First US produced film shown in its entirety.
- DirectorMack SennettCharles BennettStarsCharles ChaplinMarie DresslerMabel NormandA con man from the city dupes a wealthy country girl into marriage.First feature length American Comedy.
- DirectorOscar ApfelCecil B. DeMilleStarsDustin FarnumMonroe SalisburyWinifred KingstonA chivalrous British officer takes the blame for his cousin's embezzlement and journeys to the American West to start a new life on a cattle ranch.First feature length western.
- DirectorD.W. GriffithStarsLillian GishMae MarshHenry B. WalthallThe Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.First Controversial Film
- DirectorAllan DwanStarsDouglas FairbanksWallace BeerySam De GrasseA nobleman becomes the vigilante Robin Hood who protects the oppressed English people from the tyrannical Prince John.First movie to have a Hollywood Premiere.
- DirectorChester M. FranklinStarsAnna May WongKenneth HarlanBeatrice BentleyWhile visiting China, an American man falls in love with a young Chinese woman, but he then has second thoughts about the relationship.First feature length film released that used two strip Technicolor
- DirectorHarry O. HoytStarsWallace BeeryBessie LoveLloyd HughesThe first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam.First feature length Sci-Fi
Also the first "in flight" movie. Shown by Imperial Airways. - DirectorLotte ReinigerCarl KochA handsome prince rides a flying horse to faraway lands and embarks on magical adventures, which include befriending a witch, meeting Aladdin, battling demons and falling in love with a princess.First feature length (surviving) animated film.
- DirectorAlan CroslandStarsAl JolsonMay McAvoyWarner OlandThe son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.First feature length "talkie" film.
- DirectorUb IwerksWalt DisneyStarsWalt DisneyMickey Mouse is a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat that is under the command of the tyrannical Captain Pete.First sound animated flim.
First Mickey Mouse cartoon released. - DirectorAlan CroslandStarsArthur LakeBetty CompsonJoe E. BrownA musical advertised as the first 100% natural color, all-singing production. The plot concerns a wide-eyed former hatcheck girl who takes the place of a rebellious star.The first all talkie all color film released.
- DirectorRaoul WalshLouis R. LoefflerStarsJohn WayneMarguerite ChurchillEl BrendelBreck Coleman leads hundreds of settlers in covered wagons from the Mississippi River to their destiny out West.First movie to use a swear word.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsClarence NashEsther CampbellPinto ColvigA jealous stump threatens two trees that are in love by starting a forest fire. When the rain comes and puts out the fire the forest revives and celebrates the wedding.First generally released 3 Strip Technicolor film.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsClark GableClaudette ColbertWalter ConnollyA rogue reporter trailing a runaway heiress for a big story joins her on a bus heading from Florida to New York and they end up stuck with each other when the bus leaves them behind at one of the stops along the way.First film to win all major Oscars. (Best picture, director, actor, and actress.)
- DirectorRouben MamoulianStarsMiriam HopkinsFrances DeeCedric HardwickeAgainst the backdrop of Napoleon's Waterloo campaign, an ambitious woman from a family of entertainers begins a destructive climb up the social ladder.First feature length 3 strip Technicolor film released.
- DirectorWilliam CottrellDavid HandWilfred JacksonStarsAdriana CaselottiHarry StockwellLucille La VerneExiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.First cel-animated feature length film along with the first movie released that grossed over $100,000,000 in the box office. (multiple rleases)
- DirectorVictor FlemingKing VidorStarsJudy GarlandFrank MorganRay BolgerYoung Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.First feature length film broadcast on TV. (1956)
- DirectorJames AlgarSamuel ArmstrongFord Beebe Jr.StarsLeopold StokowskiDeems TaylorThe Philadelphia OrchestraA series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.First film with stereo sound.
- DirectorArch ObolerRobert ClampettStarsRobert StackBarbara BrittonNigel BruceBritish railway workers in Kenya are becoming the favorite snack of two man-eating lions. Head engineer Bob Hayward becomes obsessed with trying to kill the beasts before they maul everyone on his crew.First 3-D feature length film.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsElizabeth TaylorRichard BurtonGeorge SegalA bitter, aging couple, with the help of alcohol, use their young houseguests to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other over the course of a distressing night.First PG-rated film.
- DirectorJoseph StrickStarsMilo O'SheaBarbara JeffordMaurice RoëvesJames Joyce's masterpiece incarnated: The story of two seperated Dublin wanderers, Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus, struggling to control their personal lives.First major movie to use the F-word.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsDustin HoffmanJon VoightSylvia MilesA naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.First X-rated movie to win a Best Picture Oscar.
- DirectorDonald BrittainThrough the use of multi-image compositions and giant IMAX format full-frame shots, Tiger Child expresses a poetic vision of civilization at the dawn of the 1970s, filmed on locations around the world as a travelogue of the human spirit.First IMAX format flim.