Fred Ott's Sneeze

Release Date: 1894

Directed by William Dickson

Black and White

Silent

5 seconds

Known for: One of the earliest motion pictures still available today and the first to be Copyrighted in the United States.

The Lumiere Brother’s Films

Release Date: 1896

Directed by August and Louis Lumiere

Black and White

Silent

6:35 minutes total

Known for: Some of the earliest known short films. Produced by the brothers who are often created with being the founders of cinema.

The Kiss

Release Date: 1896

Directed by William Heise

Black and White

Silent

1 minute

Known for: One of the earliest films still available today.

Gradma’s Reading Glasses

Release Date: 1900

Directed by George Albert Smith

Black and White

Silent

2 minutes

Known for: First known film to use a close-up and minor editing.

Oldest Color Film

Release Date: 1900-1901

Directed by Edward Turner

Color

Silent

24 seconds

Known for: First known film to use a chemical color process to create color film

.

Trip to the Moon

Release Date: 1902

Directed by Georges Méliès

Black and White and Color (Depending on which version you watch. Color was hand tinted frame by frame.)

Silent

15 minutes

Known for: One of the first special effects films, first to use frame by frame colorization, and one of the first narrative films with actors and editing.

Life of an American Fireman

Release Date: 1903

Directed by Edwin S. Porter & George S. Fleming

Black and White

Silent

6:03 minutes

Known for: First film to use extensive editing, including cross cutting.

The Great Train Robbery

Release Date: 1903

Directed by Edwin S. Porterl

Back and White

Silent

11 minutes

Known for: One of the first films to use extensive editing.

The Story of the Kelly Gang

Release Date: 1906

Directed by Charles Tait

Back and White

Silent

70 minutes

Known for: First feature length film.

Birth of a Nation

Release Date: 1915

Directed by D.W. Griffith

Back and White

Silent

165 minutes

Known for: First epic film. Large crowd scenes. Massive battle scenes. First extensive use of close-ups. Racist overtones.

Intolerance

Release Date: 1916

Directed by D.W. Griffith

Back and White

Silent

197 minutes

Known for: One of the first films with large crowd scenes and huges sets. One of the first to show non-linear storytelling.

Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Release Date: 1920

Directed by Robert Wienne

Black and White

Silent

67 minutes

Known for: Best known example of German Expressionism in film

Nosferatu

Release Date: 1922

Directed by F.W. Murnau

Black and White

Silent

81 minutes

Known for: Early version of Bram Stoker's Dracula; German Expressionism

Nanook of the North

Release Date: 1922

Directed by Robert J. Flaherty

Back and White

Silent

79 minutes

Known for: First full length documentary.

Greed

Release Date: 1924

Directed by Eric Von Stroheim

Black and White

Silent

1:4o minutes

Known for: Shot eniterly on location. Stroheim built a fake town and had his actors live in it for the duration of the shooting.

Gus Visser and his singing duck

Release Date: 1925

Directed by Theodore Case

Black and White

Sound

1:32 minutes

Known for: Early sync sound test

Napoleon

Release Date: 1927

Directed by Abel Gance

Back and White

Silent

240 minutes

Known for: Extensive use of moving camera, sometimes hanging from a cable.

The Jazz Singer

Release Date: 1927

Directed by Richard Fleischer

Black and White

Silent

88 minutes

Known for: First feature film to contain sync sound.

Sunrise

Release Date: 1927

Directed by F.W. Murnau

Black and White

Silent

94 minutes

Known for: Cinematography ahead of its time.

Steamboat Willie

Release Date: 1928

Directed by Walt Disney, Ubi Werks

Back and White

Silent

8 minutes

Known for: First cartoon with sync sound. Debut of Mickey Mouse.

Blackmail

Release Date: 1929

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Black and White

Silent

85 minutes

Known for: First successful Brittish talkie. Intersting use of sound to tell the story.

Un Chien Andelou

Release Date: 1929

Directed by Luis Bunuel

Black and White

Sound

16 minutes

Known for: Experimental film with shocking imagery.

Vampyr

Release Date: 1932

Directed by Carl Dryer

Black and White

Sound

75 minutes

Known for: Classic horror; German Expressionism

Triumph of the Will

Release Date: 1935

Directed by Leni Riefenstahl

Black and White

Sound

1:45 minutes

Known for: One of the best known examples of the use of propaganda.

Stage Coach

Release Date: 1939

Directed by John Ford

Sound

Black and White

minutes

Gone With the Wind

Release Date: 1939

Directed by Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood

Color

Sound

139 minutes

The Wizard of Oz

Release Date: 1939

Directed by Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Tauron, King Vidor

Sound

Color

102 minutes

High Noon

Release Date: 1952

Directed by Fred Zinneman

Black and White

Sound

85 minutes

The Sound of Music

Release Date: 1952

Directed by Robert Wise

Black and White and color

Sound

174 minutes

The Seventh Seal

Release Date: 1957

Directed by Ingmar Bergman

Black and White

Sound

96 minutes

Known for: Classic allegory

The 400 Blows

Release Date: 1959

Directed by Francois Truffaut

Black and White

Sound

99 minutes

Known for: Monumental French New Wave film from the director who came up with the Autuer Theory

Ben Hur 

Release Date: 1959 

Directed by William Wyler 

Color 

Sound 

212 minutes 

Known for: Classic allegory 

Breathless 

Release Date: 1960 

Directed by Jean Luc Godard 

Black and White 

Sound 

90 minutes 

Known for: One of the best examples of French New Wave cinema. 

La Dolce Vita 

Release Date: 1960 

Directed by Fedrico Fellini 

Black and White 

Sound 

174 minutes 

Last Year at Marienbad 

Release Date: 1961 

Black and White 

Sound 

94 minutes 

8 ½ 

Release Date: 1963 

Directed by Fedrico Fellini 

Black and White 

Sound 

138 minutes 

Release Date: 1963

Alphaville 

Release Date: 1965 

Directed by John-Luc Godard 

Black and White 

Sound 

99 minutes 

Known for: French New Wave Sci-Fi 

The French Connection 

Release Date: 1971 

Directed by William Friedkin 

Color 

Sound 

104 minutes 

Eraserhead 

Release Date: 1977 

Directed by David Lynch 

Black and White 

Sound 

89 minutes 

Known for its bizarreness 

The Elephant Man 

Release Date: 1980 

Directed by David Lynch 

Black and White 

Sound 

124 minutes