Best Drama Movies of 1912

A train-station telegraphist warns the next station of approaching bandits.

A man recognizes the thief who had previously robbed him as one of the men involved in an unrelated mob shootout.

Dick Logan, a young writer, stops at a little border town and takes lodging at the Mexican Inn. Two tramps see the amount of money he has and plan to steal it. In the town he befriends a Mexican girl by stopping her uncle from beating her for having broken a water jar. Retiring to his room, he is awakened by the two tramps breaking into his room. He steals out and gets lodging at a nearby house, which happens to be the home of the Mexican girl and her uncle. The tramps follow him and try again. The girl, however, saves him from harm, and it looks as if Dick had found a real heroine for a real romance.

Peggy Wilson has recently become an orphan and a ward of the Waston family. She’s also inherited the late Robert Wilson’s vast fortune, which puts her very much in Mr. Waston’s favor. He would like his son, Frank, to marry Peggy, but Peggy “is not his style” and “her money is no inducement”.

A poor young boy goes on a field trip and dreams of escaping to a land beyond the sunset.

A young woman who works mending fishermen's nets is engaged to be married. But her fiancé has an old love who refuses to let him go. Further, his former girlfriend has a brother who is willing to use violence to protect his sister's honor.

Set in a tenement, a lonely confirmed bachelor occupies a room across the hall from a dour spinster. Children run amok in the hallways playing pranks on the two. A little girl from the floor above, now alone in the world, brings the pair together and brightens their lives.

With The Old Curiosity Shop and David Copperfield, both released in 1911, and Nicholas Nickleby in 1912, Thanhouser established itself as producer of the best Dickens adaptations in American film.

A young girl who lives by the sea with her parents, is the object of one fellows affection. One day she meets a wily artist painting on the beach, he seduces the young girl and gives her a ring, with the promise of marriage. When the young admiring fellow comes to propose, she proudly announces her engagement to the artist. Shocked he leaves and her parents demand meeting her husband to be. She goes to bring him home, and finds he already has a sophisticated fiancée. Distraught she hurries home, and when her father realizes what she has done, he orders her out of the house. As she wanders despondent along the sea, the young fellow who has found out about her betrayal, immediately goes to see her. Finding she has been disowned by her father, he goes looking for her...

It's love at first sight for the Boy, but obstacles-- namely shyness, and the temerity of other suitors-- place themselves in the way of his love. Unknowingly, the Boy and the young woman of his fancy both stay at the home of mutual friends-- But all is not well, as robbers lurk outside the house.

The physician's death orphans his two adolescent daughters. Their older brother is able to convert some of the doctor's small estate to cash. But it is late in the day, and with the banks closed he stores the money in his father's household safe. The slatternly housekeeper, aware of the money, enlists a criminal acquaintance to crack the safe. She attempts to get into the adjacent room where the sisters tremble in fear, but finds that the door is locked. The drunken housekeeper menaces them by brandishing a gun through a hole in the wall.

Griffith intercuts between the lives of two couples married on the same day. One couple is rich, the other poor. Time passes, and in desperation over joblessness, the poor husband attempts to burgle a home, only to be captured at gunpoint by the mistress of the house. It is the home of the rich couple. While holding the poor intruder at gunpoint, the rich wife accidentally discovers evidence implicating her own husband in a bribery scheme.

To fulfill a dying mother's bequest for her daughter, the town pastor purchases the daughter a stylish hat, and gossip spreads through the town.

An artist and sailors save a fishergirl from abduction.

Well-to-do Mr. and Mrs. Gilton live next door to a large family that struggles to make ends meet. Despite their desire to be friendly, Mr. Gilton is frequently irritated by his neighbors, insisting that they stay out of his yard, and blaming them for anything that goes wrong. During the holiday season, the differences between the two families become even clearer. Mrs. Gilton wants to do something to help their neighbors, but Mr. Gilton will take a lot of convincing.

Jack must prove himself before Beatrice's father will allow him to continue seeing his daughter.

A short western about a cowardly sheriff who leaves it up to his wife to catch a murderer, and then takes the credit himself.

A lonely young woman lives with her strict father who forbids her to wear make-up. One day at an ice cream social, she meets a young man you seems interested in her. However, unknown to her, he is a burglar who is only interested in breaking into her father's house. One night she is awakened by a noise.

In this latter day Cain and Abel story, a jealous brother strikes down his sibling just as a young burglar is about to enter the house. The jealous brother summons police, who then charge the intruder with murder.

This touching short film lasts only 10 minutes, 34 seconds, but is rather engaging. Charles Kent is an old man, who has spent all he owns on influencing a government appointment. His faithful black servant, Amber (Hal Wilson), cares for him as he waits to hear from the Capitol. No one there intends to do anything but make fun of him, even sending a false appointment, to his shame.

A short Western about the tragic romance between a sheriff and the daughter of a horse thief.

Following a bright wandering star, three magi from the East travel to Bethlehem of Judea to meet a very special newborn baby. Meanwhile, King Herod, driven by a hideous prophecy, orders him to be found and murdered.

A young woman's peaceful existence is shattered when she is abducted by the crew of a boat of smugglers, who then also turn against their captain.

The life of Jesus is played out in tableaux shot in the Holy Land.

Georges Méliès's first attempt at Cinderella was in 1899. That film was extraordinary then for having multiple scenes and a semblance of a narrative; additionally, the use of dissolves as transitions in it influenced other filmmakers for years to do the same. Méliès was the cinema world's preeminent leader then. By 1912, however, that was no longer the case; frankly, as evidenced by this feature, his style had become dated. Moreover, Méliès had begun to adopt techniques from other filmmakers, such as direct cuts instead of dissolves, and there's even a match on action shot during the slipper trying-on scene.

Mary Pickford as "The Young Woman", is quite taken with Edwin August; in fact, he is her "ideal". But Mr. August's refusal to get mixed up in a street brawl makes him look like a coward to Ms. Pickford. Meanwhile, convict Alfred Paget has escaped from prison; and, he is "A Beast at Bay". While Pickford and August go for a ride in her automobile, criminal Paget ambushes one of his guards, taking the man's clothing and gun. Pickford drops off August, still arguing he is a coward, and drives off. Alone, Pickford gets out of her car to retrieve a fallen garment; then, on-the-lam Paget moves in to carjack her. From a distance, August witnesses Pickford being taken at gunpoint - can he save his girl, and prove he's not a coward?

A short drama directed by William Humphrey.

Senator Carter's daughter leaves home and enters the employ of the Vitagraph Company as an actress. After waiting wistfully for her return, Senator Carter passes a theatre one day and sees his daughter featured in one the "Movies." He goes to the studio and after being shown through the plant he finds his daughter and reconciliation takes place. Besides being an interesting drama, the picture shows in detail the entire plant of the Vitagraph Company.

A romantic Western in which a notorious criminal who is in love with the fiancée of the sheriff digs his own sentence by reuniting the sheriff, whom he has wounded, with the girl.

Shakespeare's tragedy of the wicked and hump-backed Duke of Gloucester, who rises to the throne of England by chicanery, treachery, and brilliance.

Edison short about a happy couple about to be married but the guy's carelessness at their workplace leads to tragedy.

A first-born baby girl is sent away and placed in the care of Gretchen, a trusted peasant woman, who is the widowed mother of a child about the same age. The two children grow up as sisters. Later, upon her deathbed, the noble lady repents and sends for her child to reinstate her. Gretchen takes this opportunity to make a great lady of her own daughter Lena, the goose girl, by sending her to court instead of the real heiress. Hence Lena is taken before the noble lady, happy in the belief that she has made reparation. Lena is now a great lady, but the title does not fit well-- She longs to be back with Gretchen and her "geeses".

Helen Randall and Ruth Foster were little tots. The two children lived side by side on one of the fashionable streets in New York City. One day Helen and her parents were starting for the park when the little one suggested that they invite Ruth to go with them. The idea pleased them all, and as to Ruth, she was in an ecstasy of delight. She skipped down the steps into the Randalls' automobile, and her father (a widower), watching her as the machine whizzed off, realized more than ever the little treasure he possessed.

A man and three women leave an abandoned mining town travel across the desert. After the man's death, his wife plans revenge against her companion, whom the wife suspects had an affair with her deceased husband.

Nora, the waif, is forced to attend school. She warms to her teacher for the way that he defends her against the taunts of some of the students, but when she's made to wear a dunce cap, she flees the schoolhouse in shame. Unsupervised by her alcoholic father, Nora becomes a determined truant, wandering the town during school hours. There she catches the attention of a huckster, who convinces her that they will run away and be married. The schoolmaster, meanwhile, preoccupied by Nora's absence, leaves his other students to go find her. He encounters her at a crossroads, being spirited away by the huckster, and calls the man's bluff by saying that he'll find them a minister.

A recent immigrant learns several hard lessons about how husbands in America are expected to behave.

A Western drama in which a gang steals John’s horse and then kidnaps Polly when she tries to warn the new buyer.

Robin Hood is a 1912 film made by Eclair Studios when it and many other early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based in Fort Lee, New Jersey at the beginning of the 20th century. The movie's costumes feature enormous versions of the familiar hats of Robin and his merry men, and uses the unusual effect of momentarily superimposing images different animals over each character to emphasize their good or evil qualities. The film was directed by Étienne Arnaud and Herbert Blaché, and written by Eustace Hale Ball. A restored copy of the 30-minute film exists and was exhibited in 2006 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

A Western drama about the character Broncho Billy. Billy is wanted by the sheriff, and a friend turns him in so as to get his girlfriend.

Tom and Dick are brothers and are being educated at the same college. Tom is a studious fellow and graduates with honors, while Dick is expelled from college through misbehavior. Dick is ashamed to go home, but before leaving Tom gives him a locket containing a picture of their mother. Ten years later Tom, who is a successful lawyer, is married and has two little children. Dick, who has now been reduced through personal neglect to a derelict, overhears a plan to rob his brother's house. Making up his mind to prevent it, Dick climbs through the nursery window, catches the burglars, but effects their escape. His two little nieces, who have been watching him, kiss and hug him before he makes his exit. When their parents return from the reception they attended, the children relate to them what had happened. Dick gets into a scrape with a gambler a month or two later, who laughs at the miniature of his mother that Dick puts up in lieu of cash.

Jim and Mary are a betrothed couple whose devotion to each other is tested when a famous actress comes to town.

A husband, thinking his wife is unfaithful to her, has a confrontational scene with her, which causes her to have a heart attack and die. He sends his son away until, after a dozen years, he discovers she was true; whereupon he summons his son and, after a bit, they reconcile at her grave.

A silent romantic film about the battle between two fur trappers for the hand of a lovely girl.

Romantic comedy about an overprotective father who locks up his daughters in order to 'protect' them from their two cowboy friends. The friends call in the help from a widow who knows Johan, in the hope she can mollify him. She can, and additionally steals his heart, so in the end there are three happy couples.

The fabled queen of Egypt's affair with Roman general Marc Antony is ultimately disastrous for both of them.

The distant relative is a scheming woman who installs herself as the guardian of the two orphan girls and then tries to gain possession of their ranch. Cowboy friends of the orphan girls expose the schemer and her accomplice.

Magde leaves her fiancé Lewis in order to take care of Lulu, the child of her deceased sister, in New York. After some time, chance brings the two lovers together again.

If an old man's niece does not claim her inheritance at the notary's office by the appointed time, his fortune will go to his housekeeper.

Henry Talbot, the son of the president of the V.C.A.R.R., desiring to get a more comprehensive knowledge of the railroad, accepts a position as engineer on his father's road. Alma Randall, the niece of Stephen Bradish, general manager of the railroad, is reluctant in recognizing him in his position and he in turn makes it very unpleasant for her, so much so that she leaves his home. Going to the railroad station, she enters the cab of the engine driven by her sweetheart and there tells him her story. In the meantime Bradish, missing the girl and learning that she is on the express, orders a special, which overtakes the train driven by Talbot. Bradish is informed by the conductor that Alma is not aboard. At a reception given by her friends in honor of Alma's birthday, Henry is invited. As a surprise Henry's father and Bradish are also present. Bradish assumes the authoritative with Alma.