1908 in film

The year 1908 in film involved some significant events.

Events

• July 3 - Malhabour Theater, the first film house in Iloilo City was opened to the public. ^[1]
• July 14 – D. W. Griffith becomes a director at the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company in New York City. Between 1908 and 1913, Griffith will direct nearly 500 films starting with the release of The Adventures of Dollie.
• October 28 – The Russian Film Industry begins with the release of Russia's first fictional narrative film Stenka Razin .
• November 18 – Release in France of The Assassination of the Duke of Guise (La Mort du duc de Guise), the first film with a screenplay by an eminent man of letters, the playwright Henri Lavedan; ^[2] it is also directed by two men of the theatre, Charles Le Bargy and André Calmettes, features actors of the Comédie-Française, and is accompanied by a score from Saint-Saëns.
• December - Thomas Edison forms the Motion Picture Patents Company, with goals of controlling production and distribution, raising theater admission prices, cooperating with censorship bodies, and preventing film stock from getting into the hands of nonmember producers.
• Pathé invents the newsreel that was shown in cinemas prior to a feature film. ^[3]

Notable films released in 1908

A

• The Adventures of Dollie , directed by D. W. Griffith – (US)
• After Many Years , directed by D. W. Griffith, based on the 1864 narrative poem Enoch Arden by Alfred, Lord Tennyson – (US)
• Antony and Cleopatra , directed by J. Stuart Blackton and Charles Kent, based on the 17th-century play by William Shakespeare – (US)
• L'Arlésienne (The Girl from Arles), directed by Albert Capellani, based on the 1869 short story by Alphonse Daudet – (France)
• The Assassination of the Duke of Guise (L'Assassinat du duc de Guise), directed by Charles le Bargy and André Calmettes – (France)

B

• Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bêtte) (Incomplete), directed by Albert Capellani, based on the 1740 fairy tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve ^[4] – (France)
• The Beauty of the Sleeping Wood (La Belle au bois dormant), directed by Albert Capellani and Lucien Nonguet, based on the 1697 fairy tale Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault – (France)
• Betrayed by a Handprint , directed by D. W. Griffith – (US)

C

• The Call of the Wild , directed by D. W. Griffith – (US)
• A Christmas Carol (lost), produced by Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, based on the 1843 novella by Charles Dickens ^[5] – (US)
• Cupid's Pranks, directed by Edwin S. Porter – (US) ^[6]

D

• The Devil , directed by D. W. Griffith ^[7] – (US)
• The Dog and His Various Merits (Le Chien et ses services), produced by Pathé Frères – (France) ^[8]
• Don Juan Tenorio, directed by Ricardo de Baños and Alberto Marro – (Spain) ^[9]
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (lost), produced by William N. Selig, based on the 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson ^[10] – (US)
• The Dream of an Opium Fiend (Le Rêve d'un fumeur d'opium), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)
• Dream of Toyland, directed by Arthur Melbourne-Cooper – (GB) ^[11]

E

• Excursion to the Moon (Excursion dans la lune), directed by Segundo de Chomón – (France)

F

• The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (lost), directed by Francis Boggs and Otis Turner, based on the Oz books by L. Frank Baum – (US)
• Fantasmagorie , directed by Émile Cohl, the first animated cartoon – (France)
• Fun with the Bridal Party (Le Mariage de Thomas Poirot) (lost), directed by Georges Méliès ^[12] – (France)

I

• Incident from Don Quixote (La Toile d'araignée merveilleuse) (lost), directed by Georges Méliès ^[13] – (France)

L

• Legend of a Ghost (La Légende du fantôme), directed by Segundo de Chomón ^[14] – (France) ^[15]
• Long Distance Wireless Photography (La Photographie électrique à distance), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)

M

• Macbeth (lost), directed by J. Stuart Blackton, based on the 17th-century play by William Shakespeare – (US)
• Magic Bricks, directed by Segundo de Chomón – (France) ^[16]
• The Magic Mirror (Le Miroir Magique), directed by Segundo de Chomón – (France) ^[17]
• The Man and His Bottle, directed by Lewin Fitzhamon – (GB) ^[18]

N

• The New Lord of the Village (Le Nouveau Seigneur du village), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)

O

• Over the Hill to the Poorhouse, directed by Stanner E.V. Taylor – (US) ^[19]

P

• Pharmaceutical Hallucinations (Hallucinations pharmaceutiques ou le Truc du potard), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)
• The Physician of the Castle (Le Médecin du château), produced by Pathé Frères – (France) ^[20]
• The Puppet's Nightmare (Le Cauchemar de Fantoche), directed by Émile Cohl ^[21] – (France)

R

• The Reprieve: An Episode in the Life of Abraham Lincoln , directed by Van Dyke Brooke – (US)
• Rescued from an Eagle's Nest , directed by J. Searle Dawley, starring D. W. Griffith – (US)
• Romeo and Juliet , directed by J. Stuart Blackton, based on the 16th-century play by William Shakespeare – (US)
• The Runaway Horse (Le Cheval emballé), directed by Louis J. Gasnier – (France) ^[22]

S

• Stenka Razin , directed by Vladimir Romashkov – (Russia)

T

• The Taming of the Shrew , directed by D. W. Griffith, based on the 16th-century play by William Shakespeare – (US)
• The Tempest , directed by Percy Stow, based on the 17th-century play by William Shakespeare – (GB)
• The Thieving Hand , possibly directed by J. Stuart Blackton – (US)
• Troubles of a Grass Widower (Vive la vie de garçon), directed by and starring Max Linder – (France) ^[23]

V

• A Very Fine Lady (Une dame vraiment bien), directed by Louis Feuillade and Romeo Bosetti – (France) ^[24]

W

• Whaling Afloat and Ashore, directed by Robert W. Paul – (GB) ^[25]

Births

Month	Date	Name	Country	Profession	Died
January	10	Paul Henreid	Italy	Actor, Director, Producer, Writer	1992
	10	Bernard Lee	UK	Actor	1981
	11	Lionel Stander	US	Actor	1994
	12	Jean Delannoy	France	Actor, Editor, Screenwriter, Director	2008
	16	Ethel Merman	US	Actress, Singer	1984
	25	Howard Wendell	US	Actor	1975
	26	Dennis Moore	US	Actor	1994
February	4	Gwili Andre	Denmark	Model, Actress	1959
	5	Peg Entwistle	UK	Actress	1932
	6	Russell Gleason	US	Actor	1945
	7	Buster Crabbe	US	Actor, Olympic Swimmer	1983
	11	Philip Dunne	US	Screenwriter, Director, Producer	1992
	22	John Mills	UK	Actor	2005
March	5	Rex Harrison	UK	Actor	1990
	7	Anna Magnani	Italy	Actress	1973
	20	Michael Redgrave	UK	Actor, Director	1985
	25	Phillip Reed	US	Actor	1996
	29	Dennis O'Keefe	US	Actor, Writer	1968
April	2	Buddy Ebsen	US	Actor, Dancer	2003
	5	Bette Davis	US	Actress	1989
	15	Lita Grey	US	Actress	1995
	19	Irena Eichlerówna	Poland	Actress	1990
	24	Marceline Day	US	Actress	2000
	30	Eve Arden	US	Actress	1990
May	2	William Bakewell	US	Actor	1993
	6	Lucien Ballard	US	Cinematographer	1988
	20	James Stewart	US	Actor	1997
	25	Barbara Luddy	US	Voice Actress	1979
	26	Robert Morley	UK	Actor	1992
	27	Lita Chevret	US	Actress	2001
	30	Mel Blanc	US	Voice Actor	1989
	31	Don Ameche	US	Actor, Comedian	1993
June	17	Frank Sully	US	Actor	1975
July	1	Raúl de Anda	Mexican	Actor, Screenwriter, Producer, Director	1997
	12	Milton Berle	US	Actor, Comedian	2002
	17	Enzo Fiermonte	Italy	Actor, Boxer	1993
	18	Lupe Vélez	Mexican	Actress, Singer, Dancer	1944
August	6	Will Lee	US	Actor	1982
	13	Gene Raymond	US	Actor	1998
	30	Fred MacMurray	US	Actor	1991
September	13	Mae Questel	US	Voice Actress	1998
	15	Penny Singleton	US	Actress	2003
October	5	Joshua Logan	US	Director, Writer, Actor	1988
	6	Carole Lombard	US	Actress	1942
	22	John Sutton	UK	Actor	1963
	25	Tauno Palo	Finland	Actor, Singer	1982
	25	Polly Ann Young	US	Actress	1997
December	3	Robert Kent	US	Actor	1955
	3	Anna Sten	Ukraine	Actress	1993
	11	Manoel de Oliveira	Portugal	Director, Screenwriter	2015
	11	Sally Eilers	US	Actress	1978
	13	Van Heflin	US	Actor	1971
	18	Celia Johnson	UK	Actress	1982
	20	Dennis Morgan	US	Actor, Singer	1994
	25	Quentin Crisp	UK	Actor	1999

Deaths

• May 23 – Peter F. Dailey, actor, singer (born 1868)

Film debuts

• Hobart Bosworth – "The Count of Monte Cristo" (short ^[26]
• Sidney Drew – "Cupid's Realm or A Game of Hearts" (short) ^[27]
• Julia Swayne Gordon – "Othello" (short)^{[ citation needed ]}
• D.W. Griffith – actor/writer: "When Knighthood was in Flower" (short); producer: "Deceived Slumming Party" (short); director: "The Adventures of Dollie" (short) ^[28]
• Marion Leonard – "At the Crossroads of Life" (short)^{[ citation needed ]}
• Owen Moore – "The Guerilla" (short)^{[ citation needed ]}
• Miriam Nesbitt – "Saved by Love" ^[29]
• Mack Sennett – "Old Isaacs, the Pawnbroker" (short) ^[30]
• Earle Williams – "Barbara Fritchie: The Story of a Patriotic Woman" (short)^{[ citation needed ]}
• Kathlyn Williams – "On Thanksgiving Day" (short)^{[ citation needed ]}

External links

• 1908 in film playlist on YouTube
• List of 1908 films at IMDb
• List of 1908 deaths at IMDb
• List of 1908 births at IMDb

References

1. Nereo Cajilig Lujan. "HISTORY 101: Teatro Malhabour". Old Iloilo group. Facebook. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26..
2. Robertson, Patrick (2007). Film Facts. Wigston: Quantum Books. pp. 45–46. ISBN   978-1-84573-235-6.
3. "History of British Pathé". www.britishpathe.com. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
4. Kinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN   0-7864-0036-6. Page 23.
5. Kinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN   0-7864-0036-6. Page 24.
6. Keil, Charlie (2001-12-03). Early American Cinema in Transition: Story, Style, and Filmmaking, 1907–1913. Univ of Wisconsin Press. ISBN   978-0-299-17364-7.
7. Kinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN   0-7864-0036-6. Page 24.
8. Zarch, Frédéric (2000). Catalogue des films projetés à Saint-Étienne avant la première guerre mondiale (in French). Université de Saint-Etienne. ISBN   978-2-86272-182-8.
9. Fernández, Luis Miguel (2000). Don Juan en el cine español: hacia una teoría fílmica de la recreación fílmica (in Spanish). Univ Santiago de Compostela. ISBN   978-84-8121-832-9.
10. Kinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN   0-7864-0036-6. Page 24.
11. Vries, Tjitte de; Mul, Ati (2009). "They Thought it was a Marvel": Arthur Melbourne-Cooper (1874-1961) : Pioneer of Puppet Animation. Amsterdam University Press. ISBN   978-90-8555-016-7.
12. Kinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN   0-7864-0036-6. Page 25.
13. Kinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN   0-7864-0036-6. Page 24.
14. Kinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN   0-7864-0036-6. Page 22.
15. Jones, David Annwn (2018-11-14). Re-envisaging the First Age of Cinematic Horror, 1896-1934: Quanta of Fear. University of Wales Press. ISBN   978-1-78683-337-2.
16. Abel, Richard (2005). Encyclopedia of Early Cinema. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-0-415-23440-5.
17. Shilina-Conte, Tanya (2024). Black Screens, White Frames: Gilles Deleuze and the Filmmaking Machine. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-751132-9.
18. "Watch The Man and His Bottle online - BFI Player". player.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
19. Mitry, Jean (1965). Filmographie universelle: Primitifs et précurseurs, 1895-1915. Institut des hautes études cinématographiques. ISBN   978-2-903053-01-7.
20. Abel, Richard; Altman, Rick R. (2001-10-03). The Sounds of Early Cinema. Indiana University Press. ISBN   978-0-253-10870-8.
21. Kinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films". McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN   0-7864-0036-6. Page 24.
22. "LE CHEVAL EMBALLÉ". Le Giornate del Cinema Muto. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
23. Rège, Philippe (2009-12-11). Encyclopedia of French Film Directors (in French). Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. ISBN   978-0-8108-6939-4.
24. Temple, Michael; Witt, Michael (2018-01-18). The French Cinema Book. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   978-1-349-92909-2.
25. "BFI Screenonline: Whaling Afloat and Ashore (1908)". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
26. Dumas, Alexandre (2008-04-17). The Count of Monte Cristo. OUP Oxford. ISBN   978-0-19-160769-1.
27. Films in Review. National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. 1980.
28. "A hundred years ago: the films of 1908 | Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival" . Retrieved 2025-09-29.
29. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
30. Walker, Brent E. (2010-01-13). Mack Sennett's Fun Factory: A History and Filmography of His Studio and His Keystone and Mack Sennett Comedies, with Biographies of Players and Personnel. McFarland. ISBN   978-0-7864-5707-6.