The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever

This is the 100th episode and just two weeks past the second anniversary of The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever! It’s a special episode made even more so by Shelley Stamp, Distinguished Professor of Film & Digital Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She literally wrote the book on Lois Weber so it makes sense that pioneering filmmaker’s landmark 1913 film factors into the conversation, but all of Shelley's picks reflect the rapid development of American film grammar and stand in for women’s representation in front of and behind the camera, as well as their fights for equality in “real life.”Shelley is also the author of Movie-Struck Girls: Women and Motion Picture Culture after the Nickelodeon. She curated the award-winning box set Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers.Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1913!Films mentioned:What 80 Million Women Want (1913) - Will LouisTraffic in Souls (1913) - George Loane TuckerA House Divided (1913) - Alice Guy-BlachéSuspense (1913) - Lois Weber and Phillips SmalleyThe Adventures of Kathlyn (1913) - Francis J. GrandonHypocrites (1915) - Lois WeberThe Perils of Pauline (1914) - Louis J. Gasnier and Donald MacKenzieThe Hazards of Helen (1914) - J.P. McGowan and J. Gunnis DavisThe Exploits of Elaine (1914) - Louis J. Gasnier, George B. Seitz, Leopold Wharton, and Theodore WhartonWhat Happened to Mary (1912) - Ashley Miller and Charles BrabinFantômas (1913) - Louis FeuilladeThe Lonely Villa (1909) - D.W. GriffithShoes (1916) - Lois WeberThe Merchant of Venice (1914) - Lois Weber and Phillips SmalleyThe Consequences of Feminism (1906) - Alice Guy-BlachéMaking an American Citizen (1912) - Alice Guy-BlachéMatrimony’s Speed Limit (1913) - Alice Guy-BlachéFalling Leaves (1912) - Alice Guy-BlachéIn the Hands of Impostors (1911) - August BlomA Busy Day (1914) - Charlie ChaplinYour Girl and Mine (1914) - Giles R. Warren

Hopefully you’re not too tired of hearing about how 1910 and its surrounding years are part of a transitional era, but this season’s conversations also revealed how diverse the global medium was at the turn of a new decade with offbeat modes, genres, and subjects. With a record slate of submissions from listeners, in addition to the guests’ selections, 1910’s collective list paints a broad picture of the year’s releases.Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to see every film submitted by guests and listeners!Films mentioned:Jeffries-Johnson World’s Championship Boxing Contest (1910) - unknownLe Rembrandt de la Rue Lepic (1910) - Jean DurandThe White Slave Trade (1910) - August BlomThe Abyss (1910) - Urban GadFrankenstein (1910) - J. Searle DawleyWhite Fawn’s Devotion (1910) - James Young DeerA Christmas Carol (1910) - J. Searle Dawley, Charles Kent, and Ashley MillerAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1910) - Edwin S. PorterThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910) - Otis Turner

Kynan Dias, Assistant Professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is no stranger to podcasting as co-host, with Lester Ryan Clark, of a series of film history podcasts on the TruStory.FM network. His picks reflect some of the conversation surrounding this 1910 season regarding literary adaptations and real-world impact, but the discussion finds new angles to explore, including a landmark work of Native American filmmaking.Kynan earned a B.A. in film from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he pursued acting, screenwriting, and directing. Later, Kynan earned his MFA in screenwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he developed a love for writing TV sitcoms that was further nurtured during his time studying improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade.Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your five selections for 1910!Films and resources mentioned:Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1910) - Edwin S. PorterFrankenstein (1910) - J. Searle DawleyThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910) - Otis TurnerWhite Fawn’s Devotion (1910) - James Young DeerJeffries-Johnson World’s Championship Boxing Contest (1910) - unknownBoxing Cats (1894) - William K.L. Dickson and William HeiseThe Dancing Pig (1907) - unknownThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterThe “Teddy” Bears (1907) - Edwin S. PorterAlice in Wonderland (1903) - Cecil Hepworth and Percy StowAlice in Wonderland (1951) - Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton LuskeAlice in Wonderland (1933) - Norman Z. McLeodFrankenstein (1931) - James WhaleFrankenstein (2025) - Guillermo del ToroMary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) - Kenneth BranaghBride of Frankenstein (1935) - James WhaleA Christmas Carol (1910) - J. Searle DawleyThe Wizard of Oz (1939) - Victor FlemingThe Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914) - J. Farrell MacDonaldThe Wizard of Oz (1933) - Ted EshbaughWicked (2024) - Jon M. ChuThe Wizard of Oz (1925) - Larry SemonCabin in the Sky (1943) - Vincente MinnelliThe Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908) - Francis Boggs and Otis TurnerThe Birth of a Nation (1915) - D.W. GriffithThe Red Girl and the Child (1910) - James Young DeerThe Toll of the Sea (1922) - Chester M. FranklinStagecoach (1939) - John FordSmoke Signals (1998) - Chris EyreGlenroy Bros. (1894) - William K.L. DicksonGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) - Stanley KramerBrokeback Mountain (2005) - Ang LeeNorma Rae (1979) - Martin RittTriumph of the Will (1935) - Leni RiefenstahlThe Great White Hope (1970) - Martin RittA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney - Richard SchickelOscar Micheaux: The Great and Only - The Life of America's First Black Filmmaker - Patrick McGilligan

David Morton, Lecturer at the University of Central Florida, is the author of Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida’s Film and Television Industry. With this expertise in mind, the opening of the conversation covers the American film industry’s halting migration to the southern state, but moves on to American migrations to other locations and censored films.David received his Ph.D. in Texts and Technology in 2019 from University of Central Florida in 2019. He was a 2017-18 recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship and served as a visiting scholar at the Centre for Cinema and Media Studies at Ghent University.Films and resources mentioned:Ramona (1910) - D.W. GriffithJeffries-Johnson World’s Championship Boxing Contest (1910) - unknownThe Lad from Old Ireland (1910) - Sidney OlcottThe White Slave Trade (1910) - August BlomFrankenstein (1910) - J. Searle DawleyIn Old California (1910) - D.W. GriffithCreature from the Black Lagoon (1954) - Jack ArnoldMank (2020) - David FincherBroken Blossoms (1919) - D.W. GriffithBen Hur (1907) - Sidney Olcott and Frank Oakes RoseAn Irish Honeymoon (1911) - Sidney OlcottMississippi Burning (1988) - Alan ParkerPsycho (1998) - Gus Van SantThe White Slave Trade (1910) - Alfred CohnThe Abyss (1910) - Urban GadTaken (2008) - Pierre MorelFrankenstein (2025) - Guillermo del ToroFrankenstein (1931) - James WhaleDracula (1931) - Tod BrowningThe Crowd (1928) - King VidorSunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) - F.W. MurnauEarly American Cinema in Transition: Story, Style and Filmmaking - Charlie KeilA Century of Dishonor: A Sketch of the United States Government’s Dealings with Some of the Indian Tribes - Helen Hunt JacksonAt the Picture Show: Small-town Audiences and the Creation of Movie Fan Culture - Kathy Fuller-SeeleyThe O’Kalem Collection: Two Views - Michael Patrick GillespieMovie-Struck Girls: Women and Motion Picture Culture after the Nickelodeon - Shelley StampDanish, But Not Lutheran: The Impact of Mormonism on Danish Cultural Identity, 1850–1920 - Julie Allen

The start of the 1910s doesn’t quite immediately usher in the cinematic measurement that would come to rule the decade: the feature film. But proto-forms of what would become the narrative standard arise in 1910, and otherwise, exciting images, narrative experiences, and affecting displays of historical milieu can be found in the productions of the year.Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your top five picks for 1910!Films mentioned:The Broken Oath (1910) - Harry SolterThe Railroad Porter (1912) - William D. FosterThe Birth of a Race (1918) - John W. NobleThe Birth of a Nation (1915) - D.W. GriffithThe Actor’s Children (1910) - Barry O’NeillIn Old California (1910) - D.W. GriffithRamona (1910) - D.W. GriffithIn the Sultan’s Power (1909) - Francis BoggsThe Heart of a Race Tout (1909) - Francis BoggsThe Lad from Old Ireland (1910) - Sidney OlcottThe White Slave Trade (1910) - August BlomJeffries-Johnson World’s Championship Boxing Contest (1910) - unknownFrankenstein (1910) - J. Searle DawleyA Christmas Carol (1910) - J. Searle DawleyAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1910) - Edwin S. Porter