Top 10 Oldest Movies Ever Made (& Their IMDb Score)

Films have been made for more than 100 years. In that span of time, a ton has changed. The most obvious of changes are that today’s movies have color and sound. According to the positive IMDb reviews for some of these early films though, maybe sound and color are overrated.

Anyone can say these films paved the way for the movies that are known and loved today. However, when one actually watches them, they can be surprising with their level of complexity at a time when film was still new and highly experimental.

10 The Birth Of A Nation (1915): Score 6.3

This film is well known and rather infamous for its depiction of the Ku Klux Klan. It is one of the longest early films, as well, with a runtime of three hours and 15 minutes. While it is a historical marvel of movie, it gets heavily racist to the point that it can be hard for some to watch.

It is a controversial film and often a spark of debate. It sits at a middle rating, as viewers typically either give it a very high or very low rating due to this argument between it glorifying racism and it being a historical landmark of film. As for the story, it takes place during the Civil War and centers on two families that were once friends that end up on opposite sides of the war.

9 Les Vampires (1915): Score 7.3

Les Vampires is a series of movies rather than just one film. Altogether, the story runs seven hours long and is split into 10 parts. The story follows a reporter and his friend as they investigate a secret society of criminals called The Vampires, in Paris.

Reviews on IMDb are quite positive, seeing the film as a work of art, and despite its age, it holds up extremely well by today’s standards. It is worth noting that Les Vampires is often compared to early James Bond and it t also heavily influenced the famous Alfred Hitchcock.

8 The Perils Of Pauline (1914): Score 6.3

This action-adventure drama is about a young woman, Pauline, who gains a ton of wealth after her uncle passes away. However, the money cannot truly be accessed until she is married. Until then, her uncle’s secretary has been named her guardian. The guardian schemes to get rid of Pauline so that he can take the money for himself.

The perils of Pauline are many, as she is kidnapped many times and also has to fight for her survival, on many occasions. It certainly was an influence on the storytelling of damsels in distress. It also is famous for the use of cliffhangers between its chapters.

7 Judith Of Bethulia (1914): Score 6.1

This hour-long drama follows the story of a religious woman who wants to save her people by seducing and killing an enemy leader. However, she falls in love with him in the process and that complicates matters.

The film was directed by David Wark Griffith, the same man who directed The Birth of a Nation, and it’s often called his earliest full-length feature or his longest short.

6 Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914): Score 6.3

This silent comedy was directed by Mack Sennett and stars the famous Charlie Chaplin. The movie is actually based on a stage play called Tillie’s Nightmare. The story follows a con man who tricks a wealthy country girl into marrying him. According to IMDb, this movie is actually the first feature-length comedy ever made.

Audiences have mentioned in reviews that while the movie is enjoyable, Chaplin is funnier in his later films. The film is loved more for its cast than its comedy.

5 The Independence Of Romania (1912): Score 6.6

Called Independența României in its native language, this was the first feature film ever to run two hours. In terms of narrative, it was pretty simple and just served as a depiction of the Romanian War of Independence, which happened from 1877 to 1878.

The film does not follow any plot, but is compromised of various scenes from wartime, like soldiers playing music, dancing hora, a priest blessing the national flag, meetings of the rulers, and a field full of injured soldiers. This was also the first Romanian film ever produced.

4 Defense Of Sevastopol (1911): Score 6.0

This was the first film to ever be shot with two cameras. It is set from 1854 to185 in Sevastopol and Yalta during the Crimean War. Much like The Independence of Romania, it is a historical war film.

It was the first feature film to be made in the Russian Empire and even had its premiere at the Livadia Palace. What also made the film special for its time was its use of sound effects for gun and cannon fire.

3 The Story Of The Kelly Gang (1906): Score 6.1

Famously known as the world’s first full-length narrative feature film, The Story of the Kelly Gang tells the tale of the famous outlaw, Ned Kelly. It is an Australian Western, also known as a bushranger film. Only parts of it have survived today and it was, in fact, thought to be lost entirely, until 1976 when pieces were found in the hands of a collector and other parts in an actual trash dump.

Since its release, a ton of films have been made about Ned Kelly, such as the True History of the Kelly Gang (2019), Ned (2003), The Kelly Gang (1920), When the Kellys Rode (1934), and many more.

2 Reproduction Of The Corbett And Fitzsimmons Fight (1897): Score 4.4

The 1800s is where film gets the oldest. This movie is a sports documentary, particularly in the realm of boxing. It was directed by Enoch J. Rector and followed a boxing match between James J. Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons in Carson City, Nevada, on St. Patrick’s Day. The footage originally ran for about 100 minutes, which made it the longest movie of its time. Today though, only fragments of the film have survived the decay of time.

With how old it is, the movie has many firsts. It is the first feature film, the first to be shot in widescreen, the first motion picture to ever depict a championship prizefight, and its nationwide screenings have been regarded as the first pay-per-view media event in boxing history.

1 Roundhay Garden Scene (1888): Score 7.3

Behold, the oldest movie of them all. It was shot by Louise Le Prince at the Whitley family house in Oakwood Grange Road, Roundhay, a suburb of Leeds, Yorkshire, Great Britain. As probably expected of the oldest movie, it is quite short, at only a couple seconds long. Despite that, it is still listed highly on IMDb for its extreme significance.

In terms of its actual content, there is not much since it is only a couple of seconds in length. It consists of people walking in a garden.

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