Edison: The Invention of the Movies March 12, 2005

A special program celebrating the recent release of a new DVD boxed set, jointly produced by MoMA and Kino International. This landmark project presents 140 films on four discs, spanning the years 1891 to 1918, each mastered from the best surviving archival copies in the collections of the Museum and the Library of Congress. Each film is accompanied by an original musical score specially commissioned for this set, or by Edison cylinder recordings from the period. From the Edison staff’s earliest motion picture experiments in 1891 (Dickson Greeting) through Edwin S. Porter’s narrative milestones from the early years of the twentieth century and up to the company’s final release in 1918 (The Unbeliever), Edison: The Invention of the Movies makes available for the first time ever a comprehensive collection of films from this pioneering studio.

Organized by Steven Higgins, Curator, Department of Film and Media.

An unprecedented collaboration between MoMA, the Library of Congress, and Kino International, the leading distributor of silent and early cinema on DVD, this all-new four-DVD set collects 140 films (over fourteen hours of footage) produced by the Edison Company between 1891 and 1918. Visit Kino for video clips, a photo gallery, and program notes, or go to the MoMA Online Store to purchase Edison.

The Unbeliever. 1918. USA. Directed by Alan Crosland. With Marguerite Courtot, Raymond McKee, Erich von Stroheim. The last Edison film ever released, The Unbeliever features Stroheim as a sadistic German army officer, a role at which he excelled, and was directed by an Edison veteran, Crosland, who would go on to direct such solid Hollywood fare as Don Juan (1926), The Beloved Rogue (1927), and The Jazz Singer (1927). Produced with the full cooperation of the United States Marine Corps, the battle scenes were shot at Camp Quantico, Virginia. Silent, with piano accompaniment by Donald Sosin. Approx. 85 min.
Saturday, March 12, 8:00. T2

Pictured above:
The Unbeliever. 1918. USA. Directed by Alan Crosland