The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever

Tristan Ettleman
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  • FILM HISTORY
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The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever features experts and enthusiasts and, well, their favorite films of every year ever. Host Tristan Ettleman sits down with a new guest every week to dive into the history and beauty of some of the best movies to ever come out of the cinematic medium.

  1. 4D AGO

    1912 E3 - Alison Strauss

    As Founding Director of HippFest, Scotland’s first and only silent film festival, Alison Strauss is especially knowledgeable about the history of Scottish filmmaking and -going, as represented by three of her picks. But the conversation, which concludes with outlandish animation, also addresses the preponderance of short films in an era of increasingly long ones. Alison works as Falkirk Council’s Arts Development Officer (Film and Media), programming the Hippodrome year-round. Alison is the ‘face of the Festival’ and leads on the artistic programme, commissioning, funding, research and development, and touring. Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1912! Films and resources mentioned:Bo’ness Fair 1912 (1912) - Louis DicksonMairi: The Romance of a Highland Maiden (1912) - Andrew PatersonHerring Harvest at Yarmouth (1912) - unknownHow a Mosquito Operates (1912) - Winsor McCayThe Cameraman’s Revenge (1912) - Wladyslaw StarewiczAnnual Baby Parade, 1904, Asbury Park, N.J. (1904) - Alfred C. AbadieThe Herring Harvest (1925) - unknownDrifters (1929) - John GriersonPatriotic Porkers (1918) - unknownLittle Nemo (1911) - Winsor McCay and J. Stuart BlacktonGertie the Dinosaur (1914) - Winsor McCayWho Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - Robert ZemeckisTo Demonstrate How Spiders Fly (1909) - F. Percy SmithThe Tragic Error (1913) - Louis FeuilladeThe Mascot (1933) - Wladyslaw StarewiczThe Cinema and Cinema-Going in Scotland, 1896-1950 - Trevor GriffithsHippodrome Presentations

    43 min

  2. APR 29

    1912 E2 - Tanya Goldman

    Tanya Goldman, Assistant Professor of Film at Missouri State University, has a strong interest in what could variably be called “nontheatrical movies,” “minor cinema,” “useful films,” and other such phrases, reflected by her two concluding picks dealing with sponsored films, whether by social progress groups or farm equipment manufacturers. But much of the conversation concerns morbid humor, whether in live action or animation, and all of the shorts demonstrate the offbeat character of 1912. https://www.tanyagoldmanphd.com/ focuses on media access, considering how the distribution of documentary + nonfiction film is a political and cultural taste-making practice. She is currently completing a monograph on the career of labor activist-turned-film distributor Thomas J. Brandon. Films and resources mentioned: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMK_3-16FMs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U424m8utJnA - https://youtu.be/QmwuL-98nYk?si=L9NTTfjUqEy2VVUm - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2rafjx1zoQ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bow99bzHfiM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd-IZvAUosc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKbUgu8rItQ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udr6wKr5tHk - https://letterboxd.com/film/we-carry-on/ - https://youtu.be/-KtGFyd9WVQ?si=BbzziQ1h3DFx_4th - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1FvpEeUBQo - https://youtu.be/8tLXkKsYFgc?si=SK-rrL8AFQtEnyM3 - https://youtu.be/gOHQOJaHTXo?si=mAXbMtUr5WSl4vCZ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_F%C3%A9e_aux_Choux - https://youtu.be/X8K7I0Jczi0?si=hLEtnllyFpAGEB4i - https://youtu.be/ZPp_t8fcL4o?si=kTY-g57IKd-DEJT7 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igh5ohb2_oU - https://youtu.be/6hs_FAKJTSc?si=ndphj4s69UdlmgAX - https://benaturalthemovie.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tgam3nXUPU - https://hmharchive.com/vnsny-visiting-nurse-service-of-new-york/ - https://vimeo.com/16838597 - https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/golden-gate-girls?frontend=kui - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SqvD1-0odY - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIyCMicwvU4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjhb7KtZZj4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gCeu3BRvuk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYlYTrni4-Q - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSntDDpk0-k - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpTWbuXhqfs - https://youtu.be/wq7hMuiz1mI?si=_K4Saxl7o_azhusk - https://youtu.be/32pzHWUTcPc?si=cj9kzS_63r0ywT-V - https://youtu.be/ebtiJH3EOHo?si=F1M8SuY4mexjrZAC - https://youtu.be/QTrBrDWxjg8?si=rn_PrVbYqvDzDNKk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptUAAiMu9LA - https://harvardfilmarchive.org/collections/preserved-films - https://youtu.be/J0Ncv2OEhpc?si=g7xIGbXzhJIyC4AO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbigdjDw1PY - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM_QiYh4bsw - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiMjXYQ4dp8 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is57lyOYSss - https://youtu.be/1CVLz1_MrCk?si=5i8kOdhdNpijAIhD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WPouUzryNU - https://www.amateurcinema.org/index.php/film/americas-disinherited - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uEwGmjhquU - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_wKmMj5Bn4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vBmN4bYITc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwmOPPqXcgI - https://youtu.be/gOWicOwtHa8?si=fJ7tlYr5rUkmnkTE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrooRi4_RFc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dmMPN3ihC8 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afA0M0rO72I - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELsgPvgDBoY - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewdFqTwM4KQ - https://kinolorber.com/product/pioneers-first-women-filmmakers-dvd-1 - https://www.dukeupress.edu/useful-cinema - https://www.filmpreservation.org/dvds-and-books/the-field-guide-to-sponsored-film - https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Movie-Theater-Sponsors-Audiences/dp/0520391500 - https://digital.hagley.org/2017227 - https://mediahistoryproject.org/

    1h 3m

  3. APR 22

    1912 E1 - Hollywood Incoming

    1912 seems to offer more threads of industrial, technological, and social changes in the global film industry than the previous few years, but maybe just because a few still recognizable names can essentially “headline” this season. The threads introduced in this intro, and many more, will be picked up by five guests to explore just how exciting the period is becoming. Films mentioned: Queen Elizabeth (1912) - Louis Mercanton and Henri DesfontainesOliver Twist (1912) - unknownOliver Twist (1912) - Thomas BentleyRichard III (1912) - André Calmettes and James KeaneCleopatra (1912) - Charles L. GaskillLorna Doone (1912) - Wilfred NoyWhat Happened to Mary (1912) - Ashley Miller and Charles BrabinShree Pundalik (1912) - Dadasaheb TorneSaved from the Titanic (1912) - Étienne ArnaudAn Unseen Enemy (1912) - D.W. GriffithWith Our King and Queen Through India (1912) - unknown

    6 min

  4. APR 15

    1911 E7 - The Shorts Continue

    The introduction to this 1911 season made a big point (or did it?) that the features have begun, and although the majority of the five most selected films from guests and listeners indeed operate in that mode, the vast majority of selections in general still conform to the time’s global film industry norm of one or two reelers. They reflect, or foreshadow, how quickly the cinematic form was evolving throughout the early and middle years of the 1910s decade. Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to see the most selected films and the list of every one submitted! Films mentioned: The Strange Bird (1911) - Urban GadAnimated Putty (1911) - Walter R. BoothTemptations of a Great City (1911) - August BlomL’Inferno (1911) - Francesco Bertolini, Giuseppe de Liguoro, and Adolfo PadovanLittle Nemo (1911) - Winsor McCay and J. Stuart BlacktonThe Automatic Motorist (1911) - Walter R. BoothThe Roman Orgy (1911) - Louis FeuilladeL’Odissea (1911) - Francesco Bertolini, Giuseppe de Liguoro, and Adolfo Padovan

    5 min

  5. APR 8

    1911 E6 - Casper Tybjerg

    Casper Tybjerg, Associate Professor of Film Studies at the University of Copenhagen, selects five films that reflect the advancement of narrative cinematic drama. Whether they offer visual and emotional spectacle or crusading social messages, his picks demonstrate the international refinement of the cinematic medium. A scholar of Danish and international silent film, Casper is the co-editor of the anthology Danish and German Silent Cinema: Towards a Common Film Culture. He was awarded the Dr. Phil. (Habilitation) degree for his forthcoming book, The Historiography of Filmmaking – through the Lens of Carl Th. Dreyer. Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1911! Films mentioned: The Lonedale Operator (1911) - D.W. GriffithThe Golden Wedding (1911) - Arturo Ambrosio and Luigi MaggiThe Defect (1911) - Louis FeuilladeThe Hauler (1911) - Léonce PerretTemptations of a Great City (1911) - August BlomThe Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) - Carl Theodor DreyerThe Phantom Carriage (1921) - Victor SjöströmHäxan (1922) - Benjamin ChristensenMikaël (1924) - Carl Theodor DreyerThe Life of a Butterfly (1911) - Roberto OmegnaIl tamburino sardo (1911) - Umberto ParadisiL’Odissea (1911) - Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, and Giuseppe De LiguoroThe Fall of Troy (1911) - Giovanni Pastrone and Luigi Romano BorgnettoL’Inferno (1911) - Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, and Giuseppe De LiguoroThe Vipers (1911) - Louis FeuilladeL’Atalante (1934) - Jean VigoLa belle Nivernaise (1924) - Jean EpsteinThe Swallow and the Titmouse (1920) - André AntoineThe Ballet Dancer (1911) - August BlomLes misérables (1912) - Albert CapellaniThe Abyss (1910) - Urban Gad

    1h 1m

  6. APR 1

    1911 E5 - Eva Hielscher

    Eva Hielscher, head of film-related collections at Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, selects a wholly international survey of 1911 films, jumping from country to country and genre to genre. This heterogeneous view of the year ranges from French comedy and animation experiment shorts to an Italian epic and German feature…and a document of a historic expedition! Eva is also co-artistic director of the Bonn International Silent Film Festival. She is co-editor of The City Symphony Phenomenon: Cinema, Art, and Urban Modernity between the Wars and Color Mania – The Material of Color in Photography and Film. Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1911! Films and resource mentioned: Rosalie and Her Phonograph (1911) - Romeo BosettiThe Strange Bird (1911) - Urban GadThe Third Fram Expedition to the South Pole (1911) - Leon AmundsenL’Inferno (1911) - Francesco Bertolini, Giuseppe de Liguoro, and Adolfo PadovanLittle Nemo (1911) - Winsor McCay and J. Stuart BlacktonRosalie and Léontine Go to the Theatre (1911) - Romeo BosettiThe Abyss (1910) - Urban GadThe Great White Silence (1924) - Herbert PontingAtlantis (1913) - August BlomThe Conquest of the Pole (1912) - Georges MélièsSentimental Value (2025) - Joachim TrierTimeline of Historical Film Colors in Photography and Film

    55 min

  7. MAR 25

    1911 E4 - Thomas Christensen

    Thomas Christensen is Curator at the Danish Film Institute, so it stands to reason that all of his selections hail from Denmark. All but one of them come in at “feature length” (and from the same director) as well, reflecting the country’s place in advancing film grammar, subjects, and character psychology at a crucial transitional time. Thomas also serves on the Executive Committee of the European Cinematheque Association and served on the FIAF Technical Commission from 2003 to 2015. He has recently been involved in a project digitizing all surviving Danish silent films from 1896 to 1929. Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1911! Films and resources mentioned: The Black Dream (1911) - Urban GadTemptations of a Great City (1911) - August BlomIn the Hands of Imposters (1911) - August BlomThe Price of Beauty (1911) - August BlomThe Girl Behind the Counter (1911) - August BlomThe Execution (1903) - Peter ElfeltThe Abyss (1910) - Urban GadL’Inferno (1911) - Francesco Bertolini, Giuseppe de Liguoro, and Adolfo PadovanLion Hunting (1907) - Viggo LarsenThe Ballet Dancer (1911) - August BlomThe Two Gold Diggers (1909) - Viggo LarsenThe White Slave Trade (1910) - Alfred CohnThe White Slave Trade (1910) - August BlomThe Dangerous Age (1927) - Eugen IllésDouble Indemnity (1944) - Billy WilderThe Clown (1917) - A.W. SandbergLove One Another (1922) - Carl Theodor DreyerSilent Film Festival 2026

    1h 15m

  8. MAR 18

    1911 E3 - Patrick Friel

    Patrick Friel, educator and programmer, is very interested in non-narrative and experimental film. Therefore, his five selections totally fit into those designations (well, with one semi-exception), but each of them offer totally different visual experiences and intentions. Patrick is currently an Adjunct Professor of Instruction at Columbia College Chicago and has previously taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He was also the former Program Director at Chicago Filmmakers and the Festival Director and Programmer of the Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival. Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your top five for 1911! Films and resources mentioned: Little Nemo (1911) - Winsor McCay and J. Stuart BlacktonI.P. Müller (1911) - Peter ElfeltThe Carrot Caterpillar (1911) - unknownThe Two Obadiahs (1911) - unknownTechnical Color Tests (1911) - Luca ComerioEureka (1979) - Ernie GehrQuo Vadis (1913) - Enrico QuazzoniCabiria (1914) - Giovanni PastroneL’Inferno (1911) - Francesco Bertolini, Giuseppe de Liguoro, and Adolfo PadovanGertie the Dinosaur (1914) - Winsor McCayThe Centaurs (1921) - Winsor McCayThe Municipal Hospital - A Boy with a Seizure (1907) - Peter ElfeltI.P. Müller. Mit System (1906) - Peter ElfeltSandow (1894) - William K.L. DicksonOlympia (1938) - Leni RiefenstahlThe Life of a Butterfly (1911) - Roberto OmegnaUnder the Skin (2013) - Jonathan GlazerVariations on a Cellophane Wrapper (1972) - David RimmerDaisies (1966) - Věra ChytilováTimeline of Historical Color

    1h 20m
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The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever features experts and enthusiasts and, well, their favorite films of every year ever. Host Tristan Ettleman sits down with a new guest every week to dive into the history and beauty of some of the best movies to ever come out of the cinematic medium.

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