The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever

Tristan Ettleman
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  • FILM HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. 6D AGO

    1910 E5 - Kynan Dias

    Kynan Dias, Assistant Professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is no stranger to podcasting as co-host, with Lester Ryan Clark, of a series of film history podcasts on the TruStory.FM network. His picks reflect some of the conversation surrounding this 1910 season regarding literary adaptations and real-world impact, but the discussion finds new angles to explore, including a landmark work of Native American filmmaking. Kynan earned a B.A. in film from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he pursued acting, screenwriting, and directing. Later, Kynan earned his MFA in screenwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he developed a love for writing TV sitcoms that was further nurtured during his time studying improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your five selections for 1910! Films and resources mentioned: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1910) - Edwin S. PorterFrankenstein (1910) - J. Searle DawleyThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910) - Otis TurnerWhite Fawn’s Devotion (1910) - James Young DeerJeffries-Johnson World’s Championship Boxing Contest (1910) - unknownBoxing Cats (1894) - William K.L. Dickson and William HeiseThe Dancing Pig (1907) - unknownThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterThe “Teddy” Bears (1907) - Edwin S. PorterAlice in Wonderland (1903) - Cecil Hepworth and Percy StowAlice in Wonderland (1951) - Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton LuskeAlice in Wonderland (1933) - Norman Z. McLeodFrankenstein (1931) - James WhaleFrankenstein (2025) - Guillermo del ToroMary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) - Kenneth BranaghBride of Frankenstein (1935) - James WhaleA Christmas Carol (1910) - J. Searle DawleyThe Wizard of Oz (1939) - Victor FlemingThe Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914) - J. Farrell MacDonaldThe Wizard of Oz (1933) - Ted EshbaughWicked (2024) - Jon M. ChuThe Wizard of Oz (1925) - Larry SemonCabin in the Sky (1943) - Vincente MinnelliThe Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908) - Francis Boggs and Otis TurnerThe Birth of a Nation (1915) - D.W. GriffithThe Red Girl and the Child (1910) - James Young DeerThe Toll of the Sea (1922) - Chester M. FranklinStagecoach (1939) - John FordSmoke Signals (1998) - Chris EyreGlenroy Bros. (1894) - William K.L. DicksonGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) - Stanley KramerBrokeback Mountain (2005) - Ang LeeNorma Rae (1979) - Martin RittTriumph of the Will (1935) - Leni RiefenstahlThe Great White Hope (1970) - Martin RittA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney - Richard SchickelOscar Micheaux: The Great and Only - The Life of America's First Black Filmmaker - Patrick McGilligan

    43 min

  2. FEB 4

    1910 E4 - Laura Horak

    Laura Horak, Professor of Film Studies at Carleton University, is the author of Girls Will Be Boys: Cross-Dressing Women, Lesbians, and American Cinema. Therefore, most of the conversation addresses the transgression, or lack thereof, of films that depicted such changes in dress, a rich topic represented by four of her five picks. Laura is also the director of the Transgender Media Lab and Transgender Media Portal. She is co-curator of the 99-film Bluray set Cinema’s First Nasty Women and co-editor of Silent Cinema and the Politics of Space and Unwatchable. Films and resources mentioned: The Red Girl and the Child (1910) - James Young DeerThe Girl Spy Before Vicksburg (1910) - Sidney OlcottThe House with Closed Shutters (1910) - D.W. GriffithLe Rembrandt de la Rue Lepic (1910) - Jean DurandThe Abyss (1910) - Urban GadWhite Fawn’s Devotion (1910) - James Young DeerThe Fabelmans (2022) - Steven SpielbergThe General (1926) - Buster Keaton and Clyde BruckmanThe Sealed Room (1909) - D.W. GriffithHamlet: The Drama of Vengeance (1921) - Svend Gade and Heinz SchallMotion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida’s Film and Television Industry - David MortonThe American Girl Goes to War: Women and National Identity in U.S. Silent Film - Liz ClarkeDanish Silent Film

    57 min

  3. JAN 28

    1910 E3 - David Morton

    David Morton, Lecturer at the University of Central Florida, is the author of Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida’s Film and Television Industry. With this expertise in mind, the opening of the conversation covers the American film industry’s halting migration to the southern state, but moves on to American migrations to other locations and censored films. David received his Ph.D. in Texts and Technology in 2019 from University of Central Florida in 2019. He was a 2017-18 recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship and served as a visiting scholar at the Centre for Cinema and Media Studies at Ghent University. Films and resources mentioned: Ramona (1910) - D.W. GriffithJeffries-Johnson World’s Championship Boxing Contest (1910) - unknownThe Lad from Old Ireland (1910) - Sidney OlcottThe White Slave Trade (1910) - August BlomFrankenstein (1910) - J. Searle DawleyIn Old California (1910) - D.W. GriffithCreature from the Black Lagoon (1954) - Jack ArnoldMank (2020) - David FincherBroken Blossoms (1919) - D.W. GriffithBen Hur (1907) - Sidney Olcott and Frank Oakes RoseAn Irish Honeymoon (1911) - Sidney OlcottMississippi Burning (1988) - Alan ParkerPsycho (1998) - Gus Van SantThe White Slave Trade (1910) - Alfred CohnThe Abyss (1910) - Urban GadTaken (2008) - Pierre MorelFrankenstein (2025) - Guillermo del ToroFrankenstein (1931) - James WhaleDracula (1931) - Tod BrowningThe Crowd (1928) - King VidorSunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) - F.W. MurnauEarly American Cinema in Transition: Story, Style and Filmmaking - Charlie KeilA Century of Dishonor: A Sketch of the United States Government’s Dealings with Some of the Indian Tribes - Helen Hunt JacksonAt the Picture Show: Small-town Audiences and the Creation of Movie Fan Culture - Kathy Fuller-SeeleyThe O’Kalem Collection: Two Views - Michael Patrick GillespieMovie-Struck Girls: Women and Motion Picture Culture after the Nickelodeon - Shelley StampDanish, But Not Lutheran: The Impact of Mormonism on Danish Cultural Identity, 1850–1920 - Julie Allen

    1h 14m

  4. JAN 21

    1910 E2 - Ned Thanhouser

    Ned Thanhouser is president of Thanhouser Company Film Preservation and grandson of film pioneers Gertrude and Edwin Thanhouser. It makes sense, then, that he and Tristan discuss the founding of his family’s studio, which released its first film in 1910, but they also move on to Ned’s picks of classic literature adaptations and controversy. Ned directed the 2014 documentary The Thanhouser Studio and the Birth of American Cinema. He has been active in film preservation since 1986, produced 17 DVDs containing over 120 surviving Thanhouser films, and published Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History by Q. David Bowers. Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own picks for 1910! Films mentioned: Frankenstein (1910) - J. Searle DawleyRamona (1910) - D.W. GriffithAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1910) - Edwin S. PorterThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910) - Otis TurnerThe Abyss (1910) - Urban GadThe Actor’s Children (1910) - Barry O’NeilThe Winter’s Tale (1910) - Barry O’NeilArrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1896) - Auguste and Louis LumièreRip Van Winkle (1910) - unknownWilling Wendy to Willie (1916) - unknownFrankenstein (2025) - Guillermo del ToroThe Birth of a Nation (1915) - D.W. GriffithIntolerance (1916) - D.W. GriffithThe Great Train Robbery (1903) - Edwin S. PorterAlice in Wonderland (1903) - Cecil Hepworth and Percy StowA Dog’s Love (1912) - Jack HarveyWicked (2024) - Jon M. ChuThe Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908) - Francis Boggs and Otis TurnerCinderella (1911) - George NicholsThe Cry of the Children (1912) - George NicholsThe Evidence of the Film (1913) - Lawrence Marston and Edwin Thanhouser

    50 min

  5. JAN 14

    1910 E1 - The Beginning of a Decade

    The start of the 1910s doesn’t quite immediately usher in the cinematic measurement that would come to rule the decade: the feature film. But proto-forms of what would become the narrative standard arise in 1910, and otherwise, exciting images, narrative experiences, and affecting displays of historical milieu can be found in the productions of the year. Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your top five picks for 1910! Films mentioned: The Broken Oath (1910) - Harry SolterThe Railroad Porter (1912) - William D. FosterThe Birth of a Race (1918) - John W. NobleThe Birth of a Nation (1915) - D.W. GriffithThe Actor’s Children (1910) - Barry O’NeillIn Old California (1910) - D.W. GriffithRamona (1910) - D.W. GriffithIn the Sultan’s Power (1909) - Francis BoggsThe Heart of a Race Tout (1909) - Francis BoggsThe Lad from Old Ireland (1910) - Sidney OlcottThe White Slave Trade (1910) - August BlomJeffries-Johnson World’s Championship Boxing Contest (1910) - unknownFrankenstein (1910) - J. Searle DawleyA Christmas Carol (1910) - J. Searle DawleyAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1910) - Edwin S. Porter

    6 min

  6. JAN 7

    1909 E7 - A Funny Year

    One of the most diverse lists of films selected for any season so far defines this brief conclusion to 1909. The unique array of selections does ultimately lead into a universal appreciation for comedy, rising above some of the efforts to “legitimize” the cinematic medium as has been discussed at the tail end of the first decade of the 20th century. Films mentioned: The Mill (1909) - Alfred MachinMr. Flip (1909) - Gilbert M. “Broncho Billy” AndersonWhy Girls Leave Home (1909) - unknownFirst International Competition for Airplanes in Brescia (1909) - unknownThe Man in the Moon (1909) -  Étienne Arnaud and Émile CohlTo Demonstrate How Spiders Fly (1909) - F. Percy SmithPrincess Nicotine; or, the Smoke Fairy (1909) - J. Stuart BlacktonThe Spider and the Butterfly (1909) - Georges MélièsA Midsummer Night’s Dream (1909) - Charles Kent and J. Stuart BlacktonThe Airship Destroyer (1909) - Walter R. Booth

    5 min

  7. 12/31/2025

    1909 E6 - Paul Flaig

    Paul Flaig, Lecturer in Film Studies at University of St Andrews, wrote a stellar synthesis of disciplines with his new book Weimar Slapstick and Hollywood Comedy Transformed. While it clearly deals with a later period than 1909, he still works German and American (and French!) comedy into his picks, in addition to a sound novelty and an actuality with a connection to Franz Kafka. Paul is also the co-editor, with Katherine Groo, of New Silent Cinema and co-director, with Dora Osborne, of the German Screen Studies Network (GSSN). His writing has appeared in many journals and edited collections, including Cinema Journal, Screen, Camera Obscura, animation, and Journal of Cinema and Media Studies (JCMS). Films and resources mentioned: Klebolin Sticks to Everything (1909) - Heinrich Bolten-BaeckersThose Awful Hats (1909) - D.W. GriffithThe Happy Microbes (1909) - Émile CohlWhat Is a Flag (1909) - Alice Guy-BlachéFirst International Competition for Airplanes in Brescia (1909) - unknownRain (1929) - Mannus Franken and Joris IvensGood Glue Sticks (1907) - Georges MélièsA Sticky Woman (1906) - Alice Guy-BlachéL'Arroseur Arrosé (1895) - Louis LumièreAt the Crossroads of Life (1908) - D.W. GriffithMiller’s Crossing (1990) - Joel and Ethan CoenFantasmagorie (1908) - Émile CohlBrains Repaired (1911) - Émile CohlThe Yawner (1907) - Segundo de ChomónPrincess Nicotine; or, the Smoke Fairy (1909) - J. Stuart BlacktonDaddy-Long-Legs (1919) - Marshall NeilanOriginal Films of Frank B. Gilbreth (1910-1924) - Frank B. GilbrethBad Film Histories: Ethnography and the Early Archive - Katherine Groo“Women's Hats and Silent Film Spectatorship: Between Ostrich Plume and Moving Image” - Maggie HennefeldEmile Cohl, Caricature, and Film - Donald CraftonKafka Goes to the Movies DVD setKafka Goes to the Movies - Hanns ZischlerMotion Study: A Method for Increasing the Efficiency of the Workman - Frank Gilbreth

    58 min

  8. 12/24/2025

    1909 E5 - Yuki Irikura

    Yuki Irikura, Assistant Professor at Waseda University, mostly selects D.W. Griffith films for her 1909 list, reflecting the director’s growing powers and appeal. She concludes, however, with old-school tricks and the debut of Japan’s first film star. Yuki’s research focuses on Japanese and American silent film history. She earned her Ph.D. in February 2024 with a dissertation on Bluebird Photoplays, examining the company’s production of five-reel feature films, their popularity in Japan, and the contributions of the company’s female filmmakers and actresses. Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1909! Films mentioned: Those Awful Hats (1909) - D.W. GriffithThe Country Doctor (1909) - D.W. GriffithLines of White on a Sullen Sea (1909) - D.W. GriffithWhimsical Illusions (1909) - Georges MélièsGoban Tadanobu (1909) - Shôzô MakinoA Corner in Wheat (1909) - D.W. GriffithTrue Heart Susie (1919) - D.W. GriffithThe Birth of a Nation (1915) - D.W. GriffithA Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Wizard of Oz (1939) - Victor FlemingHugo (2011) - Martin ScorseseMetropolis (1927) - Fritz LangJiraiya the Hero (1921) - Shôzô MakinoOrochi (1925) - Buntarō Futagawa

    52 min
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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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