Thomas A. Edison Movies

  • 1909
    Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

    Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

    Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

    01909HD

    The only known moving-image footage of the author, filmed at his home, Stormfield, in Redding, Connecticut. The silent short shows Twain walking...

    Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
  • 1899
    New York Police Parade, June 1st, 1899

    New York Police Parade, June 1st, 1899

    New York Police Parade, June 1st, 1899

    5.31899HD

    An excellent view of 'The Finest,' on their annual parade and inspection, June 1, 1899. The head of the column is just turning into 14th street from...

    New York Police Parade, June 1st, 1899
  • 1894
    Annie Oakley

    Annie Oakley

    Annie Oakley

    61894HD

    A short Edison Black Maria studio film featuring famed sharpshooter Annie Oakley, known as “Little Sure Shot.” Born Phoebe Ann Oakley...

    Annie Oakley
  • 1896
    East Side Drive, No. 1

    East Side Drive, No. 1

    East Side Drive, No. 1

    71896HD

    East Side Drive, No. 1 (1896) is a brief, silent actual-city documentary directed by James H. White for Edison. Filmed on New York City’s East...

    East Side Drive, No. 1
  • 1897
    Launch of Surf Boat

    Launch of Surf Boat

    Launch of Surf Boat

    11897HD

    The crew of seven dressed in cork jackets, push the boat through the surf; they clamber in and row out to the wreck. 50 ft.

    Launch of Surf Boat
  • 1946
    Okay for Sound

    Okay for Sound

    Okay for Sound

    6.71946HD

    This short was released in connection with the 20th anniversary of Warner Brothers' first exhibition of the Vitaphone sound-on-film process on 6...

    Okay for Sound
  • 1897
    Launch of Life Boat

    Launch of Life Boat

    Launch of Life Boat

    4.31897HD

    This Edison short delivers everything the title says. In 24-seconds we see a boat being lowered into the water led by Capt. Joseph Hodgson. The boat...

    Launch of Life Boat
  • 1928
    Guests at the Presentation of Kodacolor at the Home of Mr. George Eastman, Rochester, N.Y.

    Guests at the Presentation of Kodacolor at the Home of Mr. George Eastman, Rochester, N.Y.

    Guests at the Presentation of Kodacolor at the Home of Mr. George Eastman, Rochester, N.Y.

    01928HD

    The evening presentation of distinguished guests from earlier that afternoon.

    Guests at the Presentation of Kodacolor at the Home of Mr. George Eastman, Rochester, N.Y.
  • 1913
    Jack's Joke

    Jack's Joke

    Jack's Joke

    51913HD

    A comic sketch that features two players who think each one is deaf, causing them to shout. Part of the Edison Kinetophone Collection. The...

    Jack's Joke
  • 1903
    A Jewish Dance at Jerusalem

    A Jewish Dance at Jerusalem

    A Jewish Dance at Jerusalem

    51903HD

    A group of Jewish men in Ottoman Jerusalem perform a dance.

    A Jewish Dance at Jerusalem
  • 1903
    Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River

    Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River

    Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River

    5.41903HD

    A beautiful panoramic view of lower New York from Barclay Street to Battery Park, showing a beautiful stereoscopic effect of the sky-scrapers in the...

    Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River
  • 1896
    Starting for the Fire

    Starting for the Fire

    Starting for the Fire

    91896HD

    Starting for the Fire (1896), directed by James H. White for the Edison Manufacturing Company, was filmed on location in Newark, New Jersey. The...

    Starting for the Fire
  • 1891
    Early Edison Camera Tests

    Early Edison Camera Tests

    Early Edison Camera Tests

    61891HD

    Experimental test footage from Edison’s earliest motion picture work, capturing camera trials, exposure studies, and mechanical movement....

    Early Edison Camera Tests
  • 2015
    Edison

    Edison

    Edison

    7.22015HD

    By the time he died in 1931, Thomas Alva Edison was one of the most famous men in the world. The holder of more patents than any other inventor in...

    Edison
  • 1894
    Imperial Japanese Dance

    Imperial Japanese Dance

    Imperial Japanese Dance

    4.61894HD

    A graceful performance of the Mikado dance, featuring three Japanese women in elaborate traditional costume. Originally noted for its striking effect...

    Imperial Japanese Dance
  • 1903
    Electrocuting an Elephant

    Electrocuting an Elephant

    Electrocuting an Elephant

    2.71903HD

    Film depicting the killing of Topsy, an elephant employed to help build Luna Park on Coney Island.

    Electrocuting an Elephant
  • 1899
    General Lee's Procession, Havana

    General Lee's Procession, Havana

    General Lee's Procession, Havana

    3.81899HD

    Filmed on January 1, 1899, this Edison short shows a victory march by General Lee and the Seventh Army Corps. When watching these early films it's...

    General Lee's Procession, Havana
  • 1894
    Sioux Ghost Dance

    Sioux Ghost Dance

    Sioux Ghost Dance

    4.91894HD

    From Edison films catalog: One of the most peculiar customs of the Sioux Tribe is here shown, the dancers being genuine Sioux Indians, in full war...

    Sioux Ghost Dance
  • 1911
    Lucia di Lammermoor

    Lucia di Lammermoor

    Lucia di Lammermoor

    81911HD

    Metropolitan Opera stars, tenor Enrico Caruso and bass-baritone Pol Plancon, in a scene from the opera "Lucia di Lammermoor" filmed in Edison...

    Lucia di Lammermoor
  • 1914
    The Birth of the Telephone

    The Birth of the Telephone

    The Birth of the Telephone

    01914HD

    The Birth of the Telephone (1914) is a Kinetophone short produced by Edison, featuring Thomas A. Watson, assistant to Alexander Graham Bell,...

    The Birth of the Telephone