Best Documentary Movies of 1911

With a dual motion a cruise ship and a fishing boat pass one another on the Nile and butlers in turbans set up a wooden gangway. Thanks to a rope and pulley system cows climb skywards then disappear into the hold of the sailing vessel. On the bank, black-haired women rock back and forth, bursting out laughing and showing the first signs of going into a state of trance. Never-before filmed gestures and faces of the people of the Nile succeed one another, uprooted to an unknown, magical world. The Banks of the Nile is one of the first experiments of film in colour that uses the Kinemacolor process.

This is a non-fiction film about the Manhattan Trade School for Girls. In 1911, few women got education beyond primary school (especially in the big cities that were full of immigrants). Because of this, women were very limited in their employment options and received very low wages. The idea of this one year trade school was to help these young ladies get a leg up on a variety of trades. Oddly, much of what you see in the film does not seem that related to job skills--such as physical education

Early 20th century film footage of Japan.

Early travelogue film.

A documentary on honey bees.

Little more than a minute of this travelogue survives. What does seems to be rural spots, including bridges, a bit of forest and a hot spring.

A five day drive up Britain's highest peak in a 1911 Ford Model T.

An early British Kinemacolor short, in which delicate tones and shades of color are beautifully reproduced in examples of highly cultivated sweet pea flowers.

Various shots of the Coronation procession for King George V.

A train ride from Narvik to the national border.

This film incorporates scenes taken by a Thanhouser film crew rushed to Austin, Pennsylvania, following news of a flood. On Saturday, September 30, 1911, the Bayless Dam broke, and a huge wall of water, followed by a fire, devastated the town and killed over 100 of its citizens.

Despite the title, this film shows several interesting places in the North Riding of Yorkshire during the early part of the 20th century. Destinations include Richmond Castle and the Waterfalls at Aysgarth.

A wild boat ride through the Hozu River’s white-water rapids, set against a beautifully coloured natural background.

A trip down the Devon coast.