Top 10 Films of 1911

1. "L'Inferno" (Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, Giuseppe De Liguoro, Italy)

2. "A Victim Of The Mormons" (August Blom, Denmark)

Short Top 10:

1. "The Lonedale Operator" (D.W.Griffith, Biograph)

2. "Max prend un bain" (Lucien Nonguet, France)

3. "Caduta di Troia" (Giovanni Pastrone, Luigi Romano Borgnetto, Italy)

4. "The Miser's Heart" (D.W.Griffith, Biograph)

5. "Max ne se mariera pas" (Lucien Nonguet, France)

6. "Swords and Hearts" (D.W.Griffith, Biograph)

7. "The Fighting Blood" (D.W. Griffith, Biograph)

8. "Alkali Ike's Auto" (Gilbert M. Anderson, Essanay)

9. "Romance With A Double Bass" (Kai Hansen, Russia)

10. "The Pirates Of 1920" (David Aylott, A.E. Coleby, UK)

Other great shorts:

Max victime du quinquina (France)

Meir Ezofowicz (Poland)

Cartoon Top 3:

1. "Little Nemo" (Winsor McCay, Vitagraph)

2. "Les Exploits de Feu Follet" (Emile Cohl, France)

3. "Animated Putty" (Walter R. Booth, UK)

Other great cartoons:

Les Fantaisies d'Agenor Maltrace (France)

Weak films of 1911:

Treacherous Woman

Weak shorts:

The Battle
Enoch Arden
Les Hallucinations du Baron de Münchausen (France)
His Trust
The Last Drop Of Water
Max et Jane veulent faire du théâtre (France)
Max se marie (France)
Rudi na zaletach
What Shall We Do With Our Old ?

The Lonedale Operator (1911) *****

D.W.Griffith's greatest short film, a milestone in the history of cinema. A recent shot-for-shot remake of this film can be seen on YouTube here.

Max prend un bain (1911) ****

Probably Max Linder's greatest film, a hilarious comedy full of absurd situations. Directed by Lucien Nonguet and produced by Pathé.

L'Inferno (1911) ****

An outstanding Italian silent epic, based on Dante's "Inferno". 

Caduta di Troia (1911) ****

Impressive Italian epic film about the fall of Troy. Originally, the film was 31 minutes long, but only 19 minutes have been preserved.

A Victim Of The Mormons (1911) ***

Innovative Danish film with impressive tracking shots.

Treacherous Woman (1911) **

Danish actress Asta Nilsen stars as the title character in this allegedly German melodrama directed by Danish filmmaker Urban Gad. Length: 48 min.

Enoch Arden (1911) **

Simple story of a sailor's wife who marries another man after her husband disappears at sea. But he survives on a desert island and returns years later, never letting her know that he's alive. Sad melodrama from D.W.Griffith. Produced by Biograph. Length: 34 minutes.

Romance With A Double Bass (1911) ***

The Pirates Of 1920 (1911) ***

Meir Ezofowicz (1911) ***

Originally, the film was 23 minutes. Only a 7-minutes fragment has been preserved.

Les Hallucinations du Baron de Münchausen (1911) **

Sexy film by Georges Méliès.

The Fighting Blood (1911) ***

Excellent western by D.W.Griffith, set in Dakota Territory, where the home of a Civil War soldier's family is under attack from the Sioux Indians. Produced by Biograph.

Swords And Hearts (1911) ***

Southern melodrama about a Confederate soldier rejected by his rich fiancée, who ends up in the arms of a poor, but loyal, girl. Directed by D.W.Griffith and produced by Biograph.

Rudi na zaletech (1911) **

A womanizer tries to get close to women by dressing in women's clothing. A silent comedy made in Prague.

The Last Drop Of Water (1911) *

A rather boring western by D.W.Griffith. Produced by Biograph.

The Battle (1911) **

Battle scenes are impressive, but this Civil War drama by D.W. Griffith is quite confusing. Produced by Biograph.

What Shall We Do With Our Old ? (1911) *

Pathos dominates this sad melodrama about an old worker fired from his job and arrested for stealing food, whose wife dies at the end. Directed by D.W.Griffith and produced by Biograph.

Max ne se mariera pas (1911) ***

Max (Max Linder) is invited for a supper by his future in-laws. Chaos ensues. Directed by Lucien Nonguet.

Max victime du quinquina (1911) ***

A drunken Max (Max Linder) insults several people and finds himself in bed with a police chief's wife. Directed by Max Linder and produced by Pathé.

Max et Jane veulent faire du théâtre (1911) **

Max (Max Linder) is courting a girl. Aka: "Max veut faire du théâtre". Co-directed by René Leprince and Max Linder. Produced by Pathé.

Max se marie (1911) **

Max (Max Linder) is late for his wedding. Worse still, his shoes catch fire. One-reel comedy directed by Lucien Nonguet. Produced by Pathé. Length: 155 meters.

Little Nemo (1911) ****

Winsor McCay was the most important animation pioneer, a genial newspaper cartoonist and the inventor of many animation techniques. The animated shorts he made between 1911 and 1921 are among the most important milestones in the history of the medium. "Little Nemo" was his very first foray into the field of animation and it's a brilliant work in every respect. The title character was created by McCay for his long-running newspaper cartoon series.

The Miser's Heart (1911) ***

Excellent and very exciting film about a greedy man, a sweet little girl and a bunch of robbers. Directed by D.W.Griffith and produced by Biograph.

His Trust (1911) **

A Civil War melodrama about a Confederate widow and her former slave. It was followed by a sequel, called "His Trust Fulfilled" (1911). Originally, Griffith planned them as a single two-reel film, but the studio released them separately.

Alkali Ike's Auto (1911) ***

A cowboy (Augustus Carney) buys an old car. He (and the girl he's courting) live to regret it. Directed by Gilbert M. Anderson, it's one of the earliest American comedies shot outdoors.

Les Exploits de Feu Follet (1911) ***

Innovative cartoon from Emil Cohl.

Les Fantaisies d'Agenor Maltrace (1911) ***

Animated Putty (1911) ***