William K. Everson is a frequent guest-curator at PFA and the author of American Silent Film (Oxford University Press, 1978). Viewers are referred to Chapter 3, “The Birth of Film Grammar” for an excellent discussion of the growth of the narrative which Mr. Everson demonstrates tonight in his selection of films.

Part I: A survey, moving from novelty films to early semi-documentaries and primitive narratives. Included are: Animals in Motion, animated Muybridge stills set to a soundtrack; Paper Prints from the Library of Congress (1899-1902): 104th Street Curve, How They Do Things on the Bowery, Electrocuting an Elephant, and The Fulton Fishmarket; Holiday Pageant at Home (1901); Turning the Tables (1903); Desperate Encounter Between Burglars and Police (1906); The Firebug (1905); Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906, animation); Winter Bathing (1905); and two by Edwin S. Porter: The Life of an American Policeman (1906), a semi-documentary, and The Kleptomaniac (1906), an early social-protest film.

Part II: Added: Corner in Wheat (D. W. Griffith, 1909, 14 mins); Fighting Blood (D. W. Griffith, 1911); The Corporal's Daughter (Thomas Edison, 1915), which illustrates how far ahead of his time Griffith was in treating essentially the same plot!; Drummer of the 8th (Thomas H. Ince, 1913); A Girl and Her Trust (D. W. Griffith, 1912); The Mothering Heart (D. W. Griffith, 1913, with Lillian Gish); The Doll House Mystery (Chester and Sidney Franklin, 1914), which looks like a Griffith film.