Best Movies of 1902

A short melodrama based on Hans Christian Andersen's harrowing tale. A poor little girl tries to sell matchsticks in the freezing December cold. She lights matches for some light and warmth. There are visions: a fireplace, dinner, a Christmas tree. She sees her dead mother, welcoming her.

Porter's sequential continuity editing links several shots to form a narrative of the famous fairy tale story of Jack and his magic beanstalk. Borrowing on cinematographic methods reminiscent of 'Georges Melies' , Porter uses animation, double exposure, and trick photography to illustrate the fairy's apparitions, Jack's dream, and the fast growing beanstalk.

Through special arrangements with Ringling Brothers, we have obtained the finest circus parade caught by a moving picture camera.

A baker's assistant throws a handful of dough at a rat. The dough sticks to the side of a barrel and the assistant proceeds to sculpt the dough into various faces and shapes. There is some experimental use of stop motion.

A policeman is run over by an automobile

Tram Ride.

A short dance scene filmed by Danish photographer Peter Elfelt.

The boys dance to Grandpa's banjo playing, then indicate that he can't equal their skill. Grandpa gets up and performs an intricate step while still playing the banjo.

Country rube thinks what he sees on the movie screen is real. He jumps out of his seat to try to stop a kissing scene.

Sheffield United v Bury

Believed to be the first film that features Manchester United in their first season as 'Manchester United', rather than 'Newton Heath' as they were known at the time.

Foxy Grandpa and Polly was a comic strip upon which husband and wife team Joseph Hart and Carrie DeMar based a musical for the stage. Here, they enter from our left, hand in hand, a sylvan backdrop behind them. They're in fancy dress: he in three-piece suit and tie, bowler hat in hand; she in frilly floor-length dress, hat, and long braid of hair behind. They do a carefully choreographed dance - he's comic with large nose and male-pattern baldness splitting white curly hair; she's festive and smiling. They stay in sync. The camera is stationary, and it's one take.

Electric Tram Rides from Forster Square, Bradford

Lost film from 1892, directed by Louis Lumière and starring King Edward VII.

A comic picture that defies description. It depicts the Twentieth Century up-to-date tramp flying over the chimney tops of New York City in the latest improved flying machine. Weary Willie has the indispensible tin can hanging from his waist and he waves his hands to his friends as he flies along. He passes over the top of the Equitable Life building and other New York sky scrapers. He flies over the East River and clears the top of the Brooklyn Bridge, and appears to be making his way toward Staten Island. When he is about in the centre of the river, his flying machine explodes, and like the unfortunate McGinty, down goes Weary William.

Shows ice plows in operation, drawn by horses and guided by men on skates. The plows are first operated in one direction and then crosswise, cutting to within four inches of the bottom, after which men saw and cut the ice entirely off in about twelve foot squares, which are drawn along the canal by horses to a point where they are picked up by the ice carriers and run into the ice houses or loaded on cars.

A businessman makes a luncheon appointment with a young lady, but finds that his wife disapproves of the arrangement.

A ceremonial procession through what is thought to be Western Road to mark the opening of 1902's momentous Cork Exhibition. Marchers represent the Irish National Foresters and local clothing factory Sunbeam Industries, and there are also religious tableaux, including a live-action depiction of Adam and Eve. At the end, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland is accompanied by a mounted guard of honour.

A busy street scene on Lower Broadway,

The public throughout the world is acquainted with the sensational capture of the Biddle Brothers and Mrs. Soffel, who, through the aid of Mrs. Soffel, escaped from the Pittsburg jail on January 30th, 1902.

Taken while ascending some 2,000 yards into the clouds, and represents a most diversified view of the city of San Francisco, the Golden Gate, Pacific Ocean, and surrounding country for miles. The huge balloon from which this picture was taken is 75 feet in diameter, 250 feet in circumference and about 105 feet high, and it requires some 150,000 feet of gas to raise it from the ground.

A statue keeps changing from a beautiful woman to a ugly man.

Dan Leno and his wife celebrating the anniversary of their wedding day.

A man puts up a poster, which turns out to be someones window.

The Washington Star of April 1st, 1900, gave the following account of the ceremony: "Over 40,000 women and children passed through the White House Gates to-day during the hours set apart for the great National show of Egg Rolling, and when the President stepped on the south front gallery at 4:15 P.M., at least 20,000 were within the grounds. The Marine Band rendered a programme of popular music. The President's children entertained at least fifty young friends during the day with a view of the egg rolling from the balcony, but none of them mingled with the great throng, preferring to view the panorama from the distance. They were much amused with the antics of the great crowd of children, who were of all colors and from every walk of life."

A Swiss tourist knocks the head off a negro waiter. (IMDb)

No Overview

Scarlet Macaw on a perch, early color film.

Old gentleman stretches himself on the long seat of a French railway car, after placing numerous bundles in the rack above him, and also in the rack over the seat in the opposite side of the compartment. Train stops at next station and lady enters with her pet dog. Having bundles of her own which she wishes to place in the rack over her seat, she takes down the old man's bundles and places them on him and his seat. She then begins to fondle the dog. Old man gets angry, takes his large pipe and begins to smoke. Lady objects and after an argument snatches the pipe from the man and throws it out the window. The man reciprocates by throwing the dog out. Lady enraged, tugs vigorously at the bell rope. Train stops and scene changes to outside. Behold the dog sitting on his haunches with the pipe in his mouth, much to the surprise of the old gentleman and lady, and also the audience.

A view of the work in the big excavation for the Rapid Transit Tunnel at Union Square, New York.

Agnes May Turner on a swing, early color film.

These short scenes were filmed in January 1902 in and around Wexford's Bull Ring market, capturing an array of local characters, including a cheery fishwife. Children and members of the Royal Irish Constabulary mingle with the traders and customers. The Mayor of Wexford, in his official regalia, appears with his daughters. The films were later shown at the Theatre Royal, Wexford. This film was shot during a two-day visit to the South East Ireland town by Mitchell and Kenyon cameraman Louis De Clercq. The man in the pale hat seen walking arm-in-arm with another man towards the camera may be Hugh McCarthy, manager of Wexford's White Hotel. The same man reappears later, alongside the mayor and his daughters.

At the christening and launching, our cameras occupied a most enviable position, being within ten feet of Miss Alice Roosevelt and Prince Henry at the time the bottle was broken. The scene opens by the band of the Royal Yacht "Hohenzollern" marching up the platform. Next a close view is shown of the arrival of President Roosevelt, who shakes hands with Mayor Seth Low, of New York City. Next comes Prince Henry and Miss Alice Roosevelt, accompanied by Colonel Bingham, of the U.S. Army, and Ambassador Count von Holleben, followed closely by Admiral Count Baudissin, of the Hohenzollern, Adjutant General Corbin and representative officers of the United States and German armies and navies. The party immediately proceed to the launching stand, followed by our panoramic cameras, Miss Alice Roosevelt leaning on the arm of Prince Henry of Prussia. A short wait taken up by conversation between Prince Henry, President Roosevelt and his daughter here ensues.

A lovesick youth stations himself under the window of his sweetheart and proceeds to play sweet music with a trombone. His serenade awakens her papa, who orders his daughter to return to her couch while he prepares to entertain the lover. Papa leans out of the window and tries to reach the musician when he loses his balance and falls on top of the player, when a scrimmage follows, much to the discomfort of all concerned. Exceedingly funny.

The scene opens showing two back yards with a fence between. In one of the yards a woman is seen washing clothes. In the other a young man and a lady are practicing shooting at a target. At first they hang their target on a tree but finally decide to place it on the fence, directly opposite or on a level with that part of the washerwoman on which she sits down. The shooters take aim and fire and the shot, penetrating the fence, strikes the woman amidships and precipitates her into the tub. This is more than she can stand and she goes for the man, throwing him down and beating him about the head with a bucket. He manages to get away and tries to climb a tree but the washerwoman's dog makes a dash for him and fastens his teeth in the bosom of the young man's trousers. The woman then throws the tub at him and strikes him in the back of the neck.

Footage of the Kent House Slide.

A splendid view of the color companies of the Gardes Regiments passing in review before Emperor William and his royal guests in front of the Zeughaus, Berlin, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the foundation of the Kingdom of Prussia.

Mitchell & Kenyon.

This fascinating record of Edwardian Nottingham was filmed from the driver's platform of a tram on a single journey through the city centre between its two main stations. The sequence follows the same route as today's Nottingham Express Transit tramway, taking the viewer along Listergate and Wheelergate into Old Market Square before turning right into Long Row and on into Queen Street.

King of Iran, travel to Europe.

Showing the start of the Futurity; the sweep down the stretch of the pack of high bred colts under the whip; John A. Drake's Savable winning by a nose; the return of the horses to the post after the race; and finally the victorious jockey Lyne walking toward the paddock.

Survey of the Boer war with reconstructions and actualities.

A bracing fight scene

This journey down the Avon gorge was filmed from the riverbank, from a boat and from the Portishead railway. Among views of the estuary, the cargo ship Vera and the fine wooden warship Formidable (then a training ship), Portishead docks and the entrance to the Clifton Rocks Railway. This underground funicular railway linked the town to the riverbank just below the Clifton Suspension Bridge. [BFI]