Edwin S. Porter

Directing

Edwin S. Porter

Born — Died

1870-04-21 — 1941-04-30

Place of birth

Connellsville, Pennsylvania, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

42 titles

Edwin Stanton Porter was an American film pioneer, most famous as a producer, director, studio manager and cinematographer with the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Famous Players Film Company. Influenced by both the "Brighton school" and the story films of Georges Méliès, Porter went on to make important shorts such as Life of an American Fireman (1903) and The Great Train Robbery (1903). In them, he helped to develop the modern concept of continuity editing, paving the way for D.W. Griffith who would expand on Porter's discovery that the unit of film structure was the shot rather than the scene. Porter, in an attempt to resist the new industrial system born out of the popularity of nic…

Known for

Film credits

Behind the camera

The Great Train Robbery poster
7.0

After the train station clerk is assaulted and left bound and gagged, then the departing train and its passengers robbed, a posse goes in hot pursuit of the fleeing bandits.

The Great Train Robbery

1903

The Great Train Robbery poster
7.0

After the train station clerk is assaulted and left bound and gagged, then the departing train and its passengers robbed, a posse goes in hot pursuit of the fleeing bandits.

The Great Train Robbery

1903

The Great Train Robbery poster
7.0

After the train station clerk is assaulted and left bound and gagged, then the departing train and its passengers robbed, a posse goes in hot pursuit of the fleeing bandits.

The Great Train Robbery

1903

The Prince and the Pauper poster
5.0

A poor boy named Tom Canty and Edward, the Prince of Wales exchange identities but events force the pair to experience each other's lives as well.

The Prince and the Pauper

1915

College Chums poster
6.0

While in a park, a young woman sees her fiancé being quite affectionate with another woman. When she calls him on the telephone to demand an explanation, he tells her that it was his sister. She is not satisfied, and insists on coming over to meet his 'sister'. As the young man broods over how to get out of trouble, an old college friend comes over, and he offers to pretend to be the sister. At first this works, but soon it has created even more complications.

College Chums

1907

The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog poster
5.2

A portrait of the Dam family.

The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog

1905

When We Were Twenty-One poster
NR

Richard "The Imp" Audaine is a clever but dissolute orphan whose guardian and friends are trying to lead him from the path of ruin and back to his senses.

When We Were Twenty-One

1915

A Good Little Devil poster
NR

A partially lost film, with only one surviving reel. A movie released in 1914 directed by Edwin S. Porter.

A Good Little Devil

1914

Laughing Gas poster
5.4

A woman goes to the dentist for a toothache and is given gas. On her way home on the subway she can't stop laughing, and every other passenger catches the laughter from her.

Laughing Gas

1907

The Trainer’s Daughter, or A Race for Love poster
5.2

Jack and the daughter of a horse trainer are in love with each other, but when the trainer discovers them together, he makes it clear that Jack is unwelcome. Later, at the stables, another suitor for the daughter's hand appears. An unusual agreement is reached, under which the result of a race will determine which of the two the daughter will marry. But Jack's rival proves to be unscrupulous, and he will stop at nothing to be successful.

The Trainer’s Daughter, or A Race for Love

1907

Life of an American Fireman poster
6.0

Porter's sequential continuity editing links several shots to form a narrative of firemen responding to a house fire. They leave the station with their horse drawn pumper, arrive on the scene, and effect the safe rescue of a woman from the burning house. But wait, she tells them of her child yet asleep in the burning bedroom...

Life of an American Fireman

1903

The Count of Monte Cristo poster
4.0

A French sailor, imprisoned for years on false charges of conpiring against the king, escapes and exacts revenge on his accusers.

The Count of Monte Cristo

1913

Hearts Adrift poster
NR

A lost film. A man and a woman are shipwrecked on a desert island. It doesn't take long before they fall in love and, figuring that they would never see civilization again, declare themselves married and eventually have a child. One day, however...

Hearts Adrift

1914

His Mother's Thanksgiving poster
4.5

This holiday-themed melodrama released by Edison Studios in 1910 concerns Robert, a young man who leaves his mother’s home in New England to forge a career in the big city. When he achieves “fame and fortune” six years later, his proud mother can’t wait to welcome him home for Thanksgiving. Robert, however, intends to stay in the city to enjoy a holiday feast with his society friends and beautiful fiancée. When Mom decides to pay a surprise visit on Thanksgiving Day, she is saddened to find that her son is so ashamed of her that he relegates her to an upstairs room, out of sight and out of mind.

His Mother's Thanksgiving

1910

The Messenger Boy's Mistake poster
4.2

"Cholly" wishes to call on his best girl and sends her a large bouquet. To find out if the girl really loves him, he sends a note with the messenger boy requesting her to "wear this" if she does. The boy delivers the note and a package which the young lady opens and finds an old pair of trousers and other masculine wearing apparel.

The Messenger Boy's Mistake

1903

Tale the Autumn Leaves Told poster
5.8

A handful of short tales of love, framed by leaf masks.

Tale the Autumn Leaves Told

1908

The Kleptomaniac poster
5.0

A well-dressed woman leaves her home and takes a carriage to a department store. While she is in the store, she steals several items, and is caught by store employees. Meanwhile, a poor woman with two small children steals a loaf of bread out of desperation, and she is quickly caught and arrested. Both women are taken to the police station and then into court, to see what penalty each of them must face.

The Kleptomaniac

1905

The Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus poster
6.9

A generous boy tries to help a girl who does not believe in Santa Claus because of her family's poverty.

The Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus

1907

In the Bishop's Carriage poster
1.0

A lost film. A successful stage actress with a hidden past as a criminal is kept on the path of righteousness by a benefactor.

In the Bishop's Carriage

1913

Niobe poster
NR

The statue of Niobe comes to life through the dream of a hen-pecked old man.

Niobe

1915

His Neighbor's Wife poster
7.0

Mr. Norton discovers his wife in the arms of his neighbor, Captain Roberts, a married man. His first maddened impulse is to kill his faithless wife, but on his way for the gun his little child runs to his arms to say good-night. The incident unnerves him and his wild determination is destroyed. He decides upon another course. He goes to Mrs. Roberts and tells her that he intends to ruin the Captain's home as her husband had ruined his, and that unless she consents to elope with him at ten o'clock that night he will shoot her husband on sight.

His Neighbor's Wife

1913

The Prisoner of Zenda poster
3.5

A kingdom's ascending heir, marked for assassination, switches identities with a lookalike, who takes his place at the coronation. When the real king is kidnapped, his followers try to find him, while the stand-in falls in love with the king's intended bride, the beautiful Princess Flavia.

The Prisoner of Zenda

1913

The Night Before Christmas poster
6.1

On Christmas Eve, Santa feeds his reindeer and loads his sleigh, before going on his journey to deliver toys to the children of the world.

The Night Before Christmas

1905

The Morals of Marcus poster
NR

A silent comedy drama film directed by Hugh Ford and Edwin S. Porter

The Morals of Marcus

1915

Jack and the Beanstalk poster
6.0

Porter's sequential continuity editing links several shots to form a narrative of the famous fairy tale story of Jack and his magic beanstalk. Borrowing on cinematographic methods reminiscent of 'Georges Melies' , Porter uses animation, double exposure, and trick photography to illustrate the fairy's apparitions, Jack's dream, and the fast growing beanstalk.

Jack and the Beanstalk

1902

Bella Donna poster
NR

Bella Donna ( Pauline Frederick ) a seductive woman snares Nigel Armine ( Thomas Holding ) into marriage and he takes her to Egypt to live. Tired of her simple husband, Bella becomes involved with brutish Baroudi. To get rid of Nigel, she begins slowly poisoning him. However, Nigel's friend Dr. Isaacson arrives in time to save him. Now Baroudi wants nothing to do with Bella, and neither does her husband. Totally alone now, the distraught Bella wanders off into the desert.

Bella Donna

1915

Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly King poster
4.0

Our presidential hunter runs across the landscape and falls down in the snow, gets up with his rifle, and gazes upward at a treed animal which isn't in the camera's view. He fires a shot into the tree, then leaps on the ground to grab the fallen prey, a domestic cat, finishing it off with wild blows of his hunting knife while his companions, a photographer and a press agent, record the event that will be reported far and wide as a manly moment. Teddy then rides out of the forest followed by two companions afoot, never mind that they all originally arrived afoot. Perhaps it was funnier in its day than it is now, but apparently shooting cats was regarded as funny in those days. The larger point was to use a minor whimsy as a political criticism, in this case of Teddy Roosevelt's easy manipulations of the press. It was based on two frames of a political cartoon that had appeared in the paper a mere week before the film was made.

Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly King

1901

Such a Little Queen poster
NR

A lost film. Queen Anna Victoria of Herzegovina is exiled from her tiny country and forced to live in poverty in America. Meanwhile, King Stephen of Bosnia, whom she loves but cannot marry due to political reasons, also is exiled to America. When both are forced by circumstances to get jobs, they go to work for wealthy New York meat packer Adolph Lauman who soon decides that his daughter should marry Stephen for social status. Eventually, Lauman's daughter convinces her father that she is in love with an American and Stephen and Anna are returned to their respective thrones, now free to marry each other. -From TCM.com Database, powered by the AFI.

Such a Little Queen

1914

A Suburbanite's Ingenious Alarm poster
6.0

An office worker takes desperate measures in an attempt to get up on time in the morning.

A Suburbanite's Ingenious Alarm

1908

Pan-American Exposition by Night poster
5.9

A great feature of the Pan-American Exposition, as unanimously conceded by all visitors, was the electric illumination of the Exposition grounds at night. After a great deal of experimenting and patience, we succeeded in securing an excellent picture of the buildings at the Pan-American as they appeared when lighted up at night.

Pan-American Exposition by Night

1901

No artwork available
10.0

A location actuality filmed in Philadelphia (May 27–28, 1904) documenting the Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association’s championships: sprint and field events, crowds, and collegiate pageantry, presented with intertitle introductions.

Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association Championships

1904

President McKinley and Escort Going to the Capitol poster
5.0

Cavalry and foot-soldiers escort President McKinley.

President McKinley and Escort Going to the Capitol

1901

Uncle Tom's Cabin poster
4.9

Based on the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe: Eliza, a slave who has a young child, pleads with Tom, another slave, to escape with her. Tom does not leave, but Eliza flees with her child. After getting some help to escape the slave traders who are looking for her, she then must try to cross the icy Ohio River if she wants to be free. Meanwhile, Tom is sold from one master to another, and his fortunes vary widely.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

1903

Rivals poster
5.8

Chollie and George compete for a young woman's affection, using trickery and sabotage.

Rivals

1907

The Old Maid in the Horsecar poster
3.0

Gilbert Saroni impersonates an exceedingly ugly woman who coyly flirts with her fan.

The Old Maid in the Horsecar

1901

The Twentieth Century Tramp; or, Happy Hooligan and His Airship poster
5.1

A comic picture that defies description. It depicts the Twentieth Century up-to-date tramp flying over the chimney tops of New York City in the latest improved flying machine. Weary Willie has the indispensible tin can hanging from his waist and he waves his hands to his friends as he flies along. He passes over the top of the Equitable Life building and other New York sky scrapers. He flies over the East River and clears the top of the Brooklyn Bridge, and appears to be making his way toward Staten Island. When he is about in the centre of the river, his flying machine explodes, and like the unfortunate McGinty, down goes Weary William.

The Twentieth Century Tramp; or, Happy Hooligan and His Airship

1902

No artwork available
10.0

An artist is painting a sunrise at sea. After a few finishing touches he stands back and admires the painting. The sun immediately commences to rise. From all appearances it becomes very warm as the sun rises, and the artist is seen to throw open the window and fan himself furiously. The climax is reached when the artist rushes from the room and returns with a large tub of water and a pair of tongs. Seizing the sun as it soars in the air he plunges it into the tub, causing a great cloud of steam to rise.

Animated Painting

1904

No artwork available
4.9

An old maid is walking about the studio while the photographer is getting his camera ready. She first looks at a hanger, which immediately falls from the wall, not being able to stand her gaze. Then she looks at the clock, and her face causes it to fall to the floor with a crash. She then walks over to the mirror, which suddenly cracks in several places. The photographer then poses her. Just as he is to press the button the camera explodes with a great puff of smoke, completely destroying the camera and demolishing the studio. The picture finishes up with the old maid tipping back in her chair and losing her balance, displaying a large quantity of fancy lace goods. Cross-dressed Gilbert Saroni reprises the role of the old maid.

The Old Maid Having Her Picture Taken

1901

Electrocuting an Elephant poster
2.7

Film depicting the killing of Topsy, an elephant employed to help build Luna Park on Coney Island.

Electrocuting an Elephant

1903

No artwork available
NR

A successful artist and a struggling one both love the same woman; she chooses the poor one but as the years roll on and other choices she makes and her husband’s misunderstanding lead to a near breaking point for the couple.

Sold

1915