The following is an overview of the events of 1899 in film, including a list of films released and notable births.

Events

*September **'' King John'', a silent compilation of three short scenes from a forthcoming stage production by

Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and Actor-manager, theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End theatre, West End, winning ...

with film direction by

William Kennedy Dickson William Kennedy Laurie Dickson (3 August 1860 – 28 September 1935) was a British- American inventor who devised an early motion picture camera under the employment of Thomas Edison. Early life William Kennedy Dickson was born on 3 Augu ...

and Walter Pfeffer Dando, is filmed in London, the first known film based on a

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

play. **

Mitchell and Kenyon The Mitchell & Kenyon film company was a pioneer of early commercial motion pictures based in Blackburn in Lancashire, England, at the start of the 20th century. They were originally best known for minor contributions to early fictional narrative ...

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

in the north of England release three fiction films under the 'Norden' brand which attract national attention – ''The Tramp's Surprise'', ''The Tramps and the Artist'' and '' Kidnapping by Indians'', the latter being the first

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

. *November – The oldest surviving

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese film, '' Momijigari'', is shot by Tsunekichi Shibata in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

as a record of

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

actors Onoe Kikugorō V and

Ichikawa Danjūrō IX was one of the most successful and famous Kabuki actors of the Meiji period (1868–1912). Ninth in the line of actors to hold the name Ichikawa Danjūrō, he is depicted in countless ''ukiyo-e'' actor prints ('' yakusha-e''), and is widely ...

performing a scene from the play '' Momijigari''. *T. C. Hepworth invents Biokam, a 17.5 mm format which also is the first format to have a center perforation. * John Alfred Prestwich invents a 13 mm amateur format.

Films released in 1899

* ''Beauty and the Beast'', produced for Pathe (French) * '' The Biter Bit'', produced by

Bamforth & Co Ltd Bamforth & Co Ltd was a publishing, film and illustration company based in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England. History Bamforth & Co Ltd was started in 1870 by James Bamforth, a portrait photographer in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. In 1883 he beg ...

* ''Cagliostro's Mirror'', directed by George Melies * ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

(Cendrillon)'', directed by

Georges Méliès Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès ( , ; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French magic (illusion), magician, toymaker, actor, and filmmaker. He led many technical and narrative developments in the early days of film, cinema, primarily in th ...

* ''Cleopatra'', directed by George Melies, later re-released as ''Cleopatra's Tomb'' * ''Cripple Creek Bar-Room Scene'', produced by

Edison Studios Edison Studios was an American film production organization, owned by companies controlled by inventor and entrepreneur, Thomas Edison. The studio made close to 1,200 films, as part of the Edison Manufacturing Company (1894–1911) and then Tho ...

* ''The Demon Barber'', produced by American Mutoscope * ''

The Devil in a Convent ''The Devil in a Convent'' (French: ''Le Diable au couvent''), released in the UK as ''"The Sign of the Cross", or the Devil in a Convent'', is an 1899 French silent trick film directed by Georges Méliès. Themes According to some film critics ...

'', directed by

, later re-released as ''The Sign of the Cross'' * '' The Dreyfus Affair'', a series of

docudramas Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typ ...

directed by Georges Méliès * ''The Haunted House'', directed by Siegmund Lubin * ''

How Would You Like to Be the Ice Man? ''How Would You Like to Be the Ice Man?'', also known as ''How'd you like to be the iceman?'', is an 1899 or 1900 American comedy film either by the Lubin Manufacturing Company The Lubin Manufacturing Company was an American motion pictu ...

'' * ''The

Jeffries Jeffries is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adam Jeffries (born 1976), American actor * Ben Jeffries (born 1980), Australian rugby league footballer * Bill Jeffries (born 1945), former New Zealand politician * Chad Jeffries ( ...

Sharkey Sharkey () is a surname of Irish origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Bill Sharkey (1873–1946), Australian rules footballer * Brendan Sharkey (born 1962), American politician * Catherine Sharkey (born c. 1970), law professor * Ed ...

Fight'', a documentary that is in all likelihood lost; running over two hours, this is one of the oldest feature films * '' Kidnapping by Indians'' * '' King John'' * ''

The Kiss in the Tunnel ''The Kiss in the Tunnel'', also known as ''A Kiss in the Tunnel'', is a 1899 in film, 1899 UK, British Short subject, short silent film, silent, comedy film, produced and directed by George Albert Smith (inventor), George Albert Smith, showing ...

'', directed by George Albert Smith; has been cited as cinema's first example of narrative editing * '' Major Wilson's Last Stand'' * ''A Midnight Episode'', directed by George Melies, aka ''A Good Bed'' * ''The Miser's Doom'' (British), directed by Walter R. Booth * '' A Mysterious Portrait'', directed by Georges Méliès * '' The Pillar of Fire'' (aka ''The Column of Fire''), directed by George Melies, adapting a scene from the novel "

She She or S.H.E. may refer to: Language * She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English Places * She County, Anhui ** She Prefecture, 589-1121 * She County, Hebei * She River, or Sheshui, Hubei * ...

" by

H. Rider Haggard Sir Henry Rider Haggard (; 22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure fiction romances set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre. He was also involved in land reform t ...

Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. . * ''Raising Spirits'', directed by George Melies

Births

External links

*
List of 1899 films
at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

List of 1899 deaths
at

List of 1899 births
at

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1899 In Film Film by year