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PODCAST

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever

Tristan Ettleman

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.

tv & film film history

All Episodes

6:05

1904 E7 - An Awkward Year

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/04/23

This season’s conversations about film in 1904 often turned to the “awkwardness” of finding standout titles and defining the most representative developments in the art, business, and reception of cinema. Nevertheless, this year’s five guests presented exciting threads of potential futures that, in many ways, were resolved into the narrative model one expects a few years later.Films mentioned:Court Ladies Bathing (1904) - unknownHow a French Nobleman Got a Wife through the New York Herald Personal

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44:31

1904 E6 - Céline Ruivo

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/04/16

Film preservationist Céline Ruivo brings an eye for color and pre-cinema to her five early cinema picks for 1904. From scientific intent to fantasy, and industrialism and modernity in between, she demonstrates how an apparently unmemorable year like 1904 can still provide great insight into the art and technology of cinema at the time.Céline holds a doctorate in cinema and teaches film preservation at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). She is currently in charge of film restoration projects

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42:31

1904 E5 - Martin L Johnson

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/04/09

Martin L. Johnson, film historian and Associate Professor in English and Comparative Literature at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has literally written the book on local films in the United States. While most of his picks fit into that definition, he also brings comic chases and early filmic nudity into the conversation.Martin is also co-president of Domitor, the international society for the study of early cinema. He is currently completing a monograph on the history of the

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49:07

1904 E4 - Dimitrios Latsis

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/04/02

Dimitrios Latsis, Associate Professor in Digital and Audiovisual Preservation at the University of Alabama, has worked extensively in the fields of American visual culture, early cinema, archival studies, and digital humanities. These interests are brought into the conversation about his five eclectic picks, in addition to some “runner-ups” that paint a fuller picture of cinema in 1904.Dimitrios is the author of How the Movies Got a Past: A Historiography of American Cinema, 1894-1930. He has also

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50:07

1904 E3 - George Willeman

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/03/26

George Willeman has been the Nitrate Film Vault Leader at the Library of Congress for 41 years. Having been in love with movies as far back as he can remember, George is still constantly amazed at the discoveries found within the Library’s nitrate film collection, and his picks reflect the enthusiasm and intrigue that occur at least weekly in his role.At a young age, George got hooked on 8mm releases from the renowned Blackhawk Films company. He brought this lifelong passion to his degree in film

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42:22

1904 Ep 2 - Steve Massa

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/03/19

Film historian Steve Massa is a particular expert on silent film comedy. His five choices for 1904 certainly reflect that interest, as they feature premises and gags that can still rouse surprise, chuckles, and laughs today.Steve is the author of Lames Brains and Lunatics: The Good, the Bad, and the Forgotten of Silent Comedy and its sequel as well as many other books. He also co-hosts Silent Comedy Watch Party with Ben Model, has curated comedy film programs for institutions and festivals, and has

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3:58

1904 E1 - The Story of Narrative Continues

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/03/12

While 1904 doesn't have an iconic film like the past two seasons have each featured, that doesn't mean it doesn't have its share of worthwhile films and intriguing aspects of film history to explore. From the eve of the nickelodeon boom to expanding narrative ambitions, this season will explore both returning and new threads of the cinematic discourse of the early cinema period, from its time to now.Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own picks for 1904!Films mentioned:A Trip

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6:49

1903 E7 - Editing and Otherwise

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/02/26

While one particular film was explored in-depth this season, every guest (whether they selected The Great Train Robbery or not) explored lesser known or at least lesser appreciated arenas of cinema in 1903. The myth busting, amateur spotlighting, and spectacle showcasing elements of this season's conversations make the case for the expansion of the art form in this calendar year, which may indeed deserve its special attention.Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to view the full list of films

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58:37

1903 E6 - Colin Williamson

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/02/19

Colin Williamson, Assistant Professor in Cinema Studies at University of Oregon, has wide-ranging interests, including animation, special effects, and media archaeology. With these angles and more in mind, he brings a unique perspective and some myth busting to his standout films of 1903.Colin is the author of Hidden in Plain Sight: An Archaeology of Magic and the Cinema and the forthcoming Drawn to Nature: American Animation in the Age of Science. He is also currently Associate Editor at Animation:

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42:58

1903 E5 - Rob Stone

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/02/12

Film archivist and historian Rob Stone has always been interested in silent film. With his five picks, he charts evolving storytelling capabilities in the medium’s earliest days and the darker side of the fading actuality, mostly as represented by one filmmaker!Rob’s publishing company Split Reel specializes in books and other media highlighting lesser-known aspects of the entertainment industry, especially the silent era. He was also Moving Image Curator at the Library of Congress for over 15

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71:10

1903 E4 - Jay Weissberg

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/02/05

Pordenone Silent Film Festival director Jay Weissberg has facilitated an array of programs that expand the canonical ideas about what was made in the silent era and what can be appreciated now. With his picks (which he stretches a bit past five with two more must-sees), he showcases international, amateur, and aesthetic ambitions in 1903.Jay also worked as a film critic for 18 years with Variety and contributes essays for a host of festivals, retrospective catalogues, and international publications

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42:14

1903 E3 - Bruce Calvert

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/01/29

Silent film historian Bruce Calvert has been collecting silent film memorabilia for 30 years, showcased on his site The Silent Film Still Archive. He shares his story of how he came to develop this interest and addresses how supporting materials can help us understand how incomplete, missing, and even fully surviving movies were made, seen, and received.Bruce is also a moderator of the classic film discussion site NitrateVille.Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five

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72:46

1903 E2 - Neil Brand

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/01/22

Neil Brand has been a silent film accompanist for nearly 40 years. He shares his musical expertise, which also includes composing new scores for silent film re-releases, while exploring exciting threads of fantasy, comedy, and violence in his five picks.Neil regularly plays at the Barbican and BFI National Film Theatres in London and film festivals around the world. His scores include Blackmail (1929), Underground (1928), Easy Street (1917), Robin Hood (1922), and The Lodger (1927) and he is also a

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4:33

1903 E1 - The Great Film Robberies

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/01/15

The law (at least in America) had a significant effect on the development of film genres, aesthetics, production, and viewing practices from 1903 on. The world over, tightly run studios were becoming more and more prevalent, shifting story films further and further into the spotlight, and dedicated filmviewing spaces were cropping up. It's difficult to define any one calendar year as fundamentally shifting the development of cinema, but as guests will demonstrate, new techniques, technologies, and

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5:44

1902 E7 - From the Streets to the Studio

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2025/01/02

It's not like the established actuality suddenly evaporated in 1902, but as guests have pointed out throughout this season, a diversification of film topics, aesthetics, and technology fostered new genres and production styles. In this season finale, Tristan briefly summarizes the common threads of his conversations and puts together the most selected 1902 films.Films mentioned:The Treasures of Satan (1902) - Georges MélièsThe Spring Fairy (1902) - Ferdinand ZeccaGulliver's Travels Among the

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63:56

1902 E6 - Tamara Shvediuk and Federico Striuli

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2024/12/26

Tristan welcomes two guests to one episode for the first time: the husband-and-wife film historian, archivist, and curator duo of Tamara Shvediuk and Federico Striuli. The pair showcase spectacle with their five picks, from the féerie to chronicles of a significant political change.Tamara has curated film programs for several events, including the Moscow International Festival of Archival Films and the Cinema Ritrovato film festival in Bologna. She also has collaborated with archives such as the

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65:42

1902 E5 - Vanessa Toulmin

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2024/12/18

Vanessa Toulmin, Chair in Early Film and Popular Entertainment at the University of Sheffield, is an expert on variety theater, circus, travelling exhibitions, fairgrounds, and other aspects of the history of show business. She brings this expertise to her five picks from 1902, ranging from her vast experience with the Mitchell & Kenyon films to an intriguing connection between A Trip to the Moon and an early amusement park ride.Vanessa has published 11 books including Electric Edwardians: The

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43:31

1902 E4 - Lea Stans

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2024/12/11

Lea Stans has been writing about the silent era on her blog Silent-ology since 2014, informed by her college interests and even younger fascinations with the obscure. Her 1902 picks reflect the increasing diversity of the worldwide filmic output of the year, from the French féerie genre to actuality chronicles of downtown Indianapolis and northern England.Lea is also a columnist for Classic Movie Hub and has written for The Keaton Chronicle and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.Visit

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52:19

1902 E3 - Karl Wratschko

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2024/12/04

Karl Wratschko, curator, filmmaker, and artist, has been working as a film curator for the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna since 2016. He brings his experience of programming screenings based in specific years, not unlike this very show (he’s even done 1902 for the festival!), to craft an abridged program you might have seen in that year.Karl’s artistic work includes film, photography, installation, radio art, and public art. He was co-responsible for several retrospectives of early Austrian

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56:49

1902 E2 - Clara Auclair

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever ·

2024/11/27

Film scholar and preservationist Clara Auclair and Tristan talk quite a bit about comedy and tricks, those originating from the stage and those that could only come from the magic of filmic technology. That conversation leads into discussing the phenomenon of early recreations of real events…or are they “fakes!?”Clara teaches media studies at DIS Stockholm and works as a consultant for film archives. She is a DAFIV research fellow and co-secretary of Domitor, the International Association for the

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62 results

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