Copyright Comedies and More

2022135 min

ComedyDocumentaryHistory

"From the Library of Congress"

A compilation of thirteen rare silent films digitized by the Library of Congress, selected for the 2022 Domitor conference theme “Copy/Rights and Early Cinema.” Drawn from nitrate and safety film, the program spans comedies, trick films, and dramas exploring censorship, invention, adaptation, and social rights. Titles include: Pruning the Movies (Nestor, 1914); Imperial Japanese Dance (Edison, 1894); Early Edison Camera Tests (Edison, c.1890s); Censorship and its Absurdities (Edison, 1915); In Wrong (Crystal, 1914, dir. Phillips Smalley); Tillie’s Tomato Surprise (Lubin, 1915, dir. Howell Hansell); Indian Land Grab (Champion, 1910); The Stolen Play (Falcon Features, 1917, dir. Harry Harvey); And the Villain Still Pursued Her (Vitagraph, 1906, dir. J. Stuart Blackton); The Doll’s Revenge (Hepworth, 1907, dir. Lewin Fitzhamon); The Disintegrated Convict (Vitagraph, 1907); The Mexican Joan of Arc (Kalem, 1911, dir. Kenean Buel); and Fads and Fashions of 1900 (U.S., 1940s).

Top Cast

Marie Dressler as Archive Footage, "Tillie’s Tomato Surprise",Ruth Roland as Archive Footage, "The Stolen Play",Alice Joyce as Archive Footage, "The Mexican Joan of Arc",Vivian Prescott as Archive Footage, "In Wrong",Eddie Lyons as Archive Footage, "Pruning the Movies",Paul Panzer as Archive Footage, "And the Villain Still Pursued Her",Lee Moran as Archive Footage, "Pruning the Movies",William Conklin as Archive Footage, "The Stolen Play"