Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers (Blu-ray)

Directed by Helen Holmes and Mabel Normand and Grace Cunard and Dorothy Davenport Reid and Alice Guy-Blaché and Lois Weber

Release Year: 1911

Running Time: 1710

UPC: 7 38329 23411 9

Color Type:

Genres: Silent

Select a Format

$74.96

$59.96

~~$99.95~~ $74.96 (25% off) Buy Blu-ray

Add to Wishlist

Avail 11/20/18 - order early
Pre-orders are generally sent several days in advance of street date.

Only ships to US & Canada

Booking Inquiry

Crew

Directed by Alice Guy-Blaché, Lois Weber, Helen Holmes, Mabel Normand, Grace Cunard and Dorothy Davenport Reid

EXPANDED BLU-RAY EDITION AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER (November 20 Release)
In the early decades of cinema, some of the most innovative and celebrated filmmakers in America were women. Alice Guy-Blaché helped establish the basics of cinematic language, while others boldly continued its development: slapstick queen Mabel Normand (who taught Charlie Chaplin the craft of directing), action star Grace Cunard, and LGBTQ icon Alla Nazimova. Unafraid of controversy, filmmakers such as Lois Weber and Dorothy Davenport Reid tackled explosive issues such as birth control, abortion, and prostitution. This crucial chapter of film history comes alive through the presentation of a wide assortment of films, carefully curated, meticulously restored in 2K and 4K from archival sources, and presented with new musical scores.

Contents Below (* Blu-ray Only)

DISC ONE: ALICE GUY-BLACHE
Mixed Pets [AM], Alice Guy Blaché, 1911, 14.1 min.
Tramp Strategy [AM], Alice Guy Blaché, 1911, 12 min.
Greater Love Hath No Man [AM], Alice Guy Blaché, 1911, 16.25 min.
Algie the Miner [AM], Alice Guy Blaché, 1912, 10 min.
Falling Leaves, Alice Guy Blaché, 1912, 11.75 min.
Little Rangers, The, Alice Guy Blaché, 1912, 11.5 min.
Canned Harmony, Alice Guy Blaché, 1912, 16 min.
Fool and His Money, A, Alice Guy Blaché, 1912, 10.75 min.
High Cost of Living, The, Alice Guy Blaché, 1912, 14.5 min.
* Coming of Sunbeam, The [AM], Alice Guy Blaché, 1913, 11.25 min.
* Burstup Homes' Murder Case, Alice Guy Blaché, 1913, 14.75 min.
* A House Divided, Alice Guy Blaché, 1913, 13.2 min.
Matrimony's Speed Limit / NYWIFT, Alice Guy Blaché, 1913, 14 min.
Ocean Waif, The, Alice Guy Blaché, 1916, 36.3 min.
Colleen Bawn, The, Gauntier, Gene (sc), 1911, 35 min.
On the Brink, Lois Weber, 1911, 12.5 min.
* Cricket, The, Wilson, Elsie Jane, 1917, 12 min.
Introduction to Series, approx 13 min.
Alice Guy-Blache documentary, approx 10 min.
About the Restorations, approx 7 min.

DISC TWO: LOIS WEBER
From Death to Life, Lois Weber, 1912, 13.75 min.
Fine Feathers, Lois Weber, 1912, 15 min.
Rosary, The, Lois Weber, 1913, 14.5 min.
Suspense, Lois Weber, 1913, 11.25 min.
Lost By a Hair, Lois Weber, 1914, 4 min.
Hypocrites, Lois Weber, 1915, 51.5 min.
Sunshine Molly, Lois Weber, 1915, 31.5 min.
Idle Wives, Lois Weber, 1916, 23.5 min.
* Too Wise Wives, Lois Weber, 1921, 69.5 min.
What Do Men Want?, Lois Weber, 1921, 40.75 min.
Lois Weber documentary, approx 12 min.

DISC 3: GENRE PIONEERS
* Hazards of Helen Ep. 09: Leap From the Water Tower, Helen Holmes, 1915, 11 min.
Hazards of Helen Ep.13: The Escape on the Fast Freight*, Helen Holmes, 1915, 11.25 min.
Hazards of Helen Ep. 26: Wild Engine, The, Helen Holmes, 1915, 10.5 min.
* Purple Mask, The; Episode 5, Part 1, Grace Cunard, 1917, 13 min.
Purple Mask, The: Episode 12 (Vault of Mystery), Grace Cunard, 1917, 19.5 min.
Purple Mask, The; Episode 13, Part 1 (The Leap), Grace Cunard, 1917, 10.5 min.
A Daughter of "The Law", Grace Cunard, 1921, 21.75 min.
Eleanor's Catch, Madison, Cleo, 1916, 13.25 min.
49 - '17, Baldwin, Ruth Ann, 1917, 70.25 min.
Caught in a Cabaret, Mabel Normand, 1914, 23.5 min.
Mabel's Blunder, Mabel Normand, 1914, 16.5 min.
Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day, Mabel Normand, 1916, 13 min.
* Mabel Lost and Won, Mabel Normand, 1915, 13.5 min.
That Ice Ticket, Gibson, Angela Murray, 1923, 10 min.
Ethnographic Films, Hurston, Zora Neale, 1929, 12.5 min.
Mabel Normand documentary, approx 7 min.
Serial Queens documentary, approx 7 min.

DISC 4: SOCIAL COMMENTARY 1
Where Are My Children?, Lois Weber, 1916, 65 min.
Her Defiance, Madison, Cleo, 1916, 21 min.
When Little Lindy Sang, Warrenton, Lule, 1916, 10.25 min.
Curse of Quon Gwon: When the Far East Mingle with the West, Wong, Marion E., 1916, 35 min.
Scandal (aka Scandal Mongers), Lois Weber, 1916, 35.5 min.
Dream Lady, The, Wilson, Elsie Jane, 1918, 53.75 min.
* Something New, Shipman, Nell, 1920, 56.75 min.
Social Commentary, approx 12 min.

DISC 5: SOCIAL COMMENTARY 2
Risky Road, The, Park, Ida May, 1918, 2 min.
Bread, Park, Ida May, 1918, 16 min.
Salome, Nazimova, Alla, 1923, 71.5 min.
Red Kimona , Davenport Reid, Dorothy, 1925, 77 min.
* Motherhood: Life's Greatest Miracle, Lawrence, Lita, 1925, 59.25 min.
Linda, Davenport Reid, Dorothy, 1929, 73.25 min.

DISC 6: THE FEATURE FILM
Call of the Cumberlands, The, Ivers, Julia Crawford, 1916, 64 min.
* Broadway Love, Park, Ida May, 1918, 61 min.
Back to God's Country, Shipman, Nell, 1919, 73.5 min.
Song of Love, The, Marion, Frances, 1923, 81 min.
The End of an Era, approx 10 min.

Total running time 1,710 minutes.
Region 1/A protected for USA/Canada.

Blu-ray Extras Include:

* Expanded edition from DVD
* Features, shorts, fragments.
* Mastered from 2K & 4K restorations of more than 50 films.
* 80-page booklet with essays and photos
* Musical scores by Renee C. Baker, The Berklee Silent Film Orchestra, Makia Matsumura, Maud Nelissen, Dana Reason, Aleksandra Vrebalov, and others.

"A corrective to our collective amnesia. A thrilling look at the variety of films made by women, most before they won the right to vote."

– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

"Provides a rare opportunity to see some of the greatest films helmed by early Hollywood’s intrepid women... filling in the blanks of the past and reclaiming the medium’s forgotten stories."

– Christina Newland, Village Voice

To read more about Kino Lorber Edu's terms of use and ordering information, visit Kino Lorber Edu.

Copy code to embed on your site

A scene from LINDA, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from WHAT DO MEN WANT, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from SUSPENSE, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from SALOME, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from THE RED KIMONA, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from THE PURPLE MASK, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from OCEAN WAIF, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from MOTHERHOOD, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from LINDY, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from HYPOCRITES, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from HER DEFIANCE, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from FOOL AND HIS MONEY, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from FINE FEATHERS, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from FALLING LEAVES, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from DAUGHTER OF THE LAW, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from CURSE OF QUON GWON, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

A scene from BREAD, part of the PIONEERS: FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS collection from Kino Lorber Repertory.

Related Products

Manslaughter & The Cheat

Director : Cecil B. DeMille
Country: U.S.

A society woman falls victim to a Burmese ivory trader (Sessue Hayakawa) who intends to brand her for his own. A visually powerful today as when it was made. U.S. 1915. 59 min. B/W. More

Griffith Masterworks DVD Box Set

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith
Country: U.S., U.S.

The Griffith Masterworks box set contains seven DVDs (see below) which are also sold separately. Total time: approx. 986 mins. (16+ hours) B&W, Color-tinted. various musical accompaniment. For... More

DVD ~~$99.95~~ $69.97

Orphans of the Storm

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S.

Two delicate souls (Lillian and Dorothy Gish) are caught in the tempest of the French Revolution. More

DVD ~~$29.95~~ $17.97

Sally Of The Sawdust

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S.

W. C. Fields stars as a lovable con man who becomes the unlikely guardian of an orphaned circus waif (Carol Dempster). More

DVD ~~$24.95~~ $18.71

Tartuffe

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, F. W. Murnau
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Germany

A fable of religious hypocrisy, in which a faithful wife (Lil Dagover) tries to convince her husband (Werner Krauss) that their morally superior guest, Tartuffe (Emil Jannings), is in fact a lecherou... More

DVD ~~$29.95~~ $20.97

Parisian Love and Down to the Sea in Ships

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, F. W. Murnau, Elmer Clifton
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Germany, U.S.

Newly mastered from an archival 35mm print, Down to the Sea in Ships is an adventure film that conveys the dangers and excitement aboard the whaling ships of New England. Produced on location by the... More

DVD ~~$29.95~~ $22.46

Hypocrites & Eleanor's Catch

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, F. W. Murnau, Elmer Clifton, Lois Weber
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Germany, U.S., U.S.

Lois Weber's infamous attack on the moral decay of society which caused a sensation by featuring a fully nude woman to portray "the naked truth." A huge hit, which propelled Weber to the front ranks... More

DVD $19.95

The Movies Begin (DVD Box Set)

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, F. W. Murnau, Elmer Clifton, Lois Weber, (various)
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Germany, U.S., U.S., (various)

This edition explores the establishment of cinematic genres in the first years of the 20th Century, offering rare glimpses of the innovative visual comedy of Max Linder, the pioneering Italian epic... More

DVD ~~$99.95~~ $69.97

Earth / The End of St. Petersburg / Chess Fever

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, F. W. Murnau, Elmer Clifton, Lois Weber, (various), Vsevolod Pudovkin
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Germany, U.S., U.S., (various), Russia

A Keaton-esque comedy in which a young man's passion for the game threatens to wreck his marriage. More

DVD ~~$29.95~~ $17.97

Lorna Doone

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, F. W. Murnau, Elmer Clifton, Lois Weber, (various), Vsevolod Pudovkin, Maurice Tourneur
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Germany, U.S., U.S., (various), Russia, U.S.

Tourneur's adaption of Richard Blackmore's perennially loved romance stars John Bowers as a yeoman farmer who valiantly rescues a kidnapped princess. This edition was transferred from an original... More

DVD ~~$29.95~~ $14.98

Sumurun

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, F. W. Murnau, Elmer Clifton, Lois Weber, (various), Vsevolod Pudovkin, Maurice Tourneur, Ernst Lubitsch
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Germany, U.S., U.S., (various), Russia, U.S., Germany

A rebellious harem girl rejects the old sheikh and instead falls for a charming clothing merchant in this exotic spectacle that is one of the key early works of the celebrated director. The cast... More

DVD ~~$29.95~~ $20.97

Lubitsch in Berlin 5-DVD Box

Directors : Cecil B. DeMille, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, D. W. Griffith, F. W. Murnau, Elmer Clifton, Lois Weber, (various), Vsevolod Pudovkin, Maurice Tourneur, Ernst Lubitsch, Ernst Lubitsch
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Germany, U.S., U.S., (various), Russia, U.S., Germany, Germany

DVD ~~$79.95~~ $59.96

Join the conversation

'@KinoLorber' on Sep. 21 2018 at 3:28pm
RT' @IUcinema': Looking forward to sharing' @KinoLorber's' restoration of the groundbreaking and rarely screened PERSONAL PROBLEMS by pioneerin…

'@KinoLorber' on Sep. 21 2018 at 3:27pm
RT' @KLStudioClassic': Happy 68th Birthday to Bill Murray! Coming Soon on Blu-ray! Mad Dog and Glory (1993) • Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman &…

'@KinoLorber' on Sep. 21 2018 at 12:31pm
RT' @nitehawkcinema': Head over to Instagram for a chance to win an autographed CABIN BOY Blu-ray, courtesy of' @KinoLorber' &' @KLStudioClassic…'

'@KinoLorber' on Sep. 21 2018 at 12:31pm
RT' @DVDBeaver': Joaquim Pedro De Andrade: The Complete Films' @KinoLorber' US:' https://t.co/dNNf1Ny0iq' CAN:' https://t.co/HkSUXVOXvA' B+N: https…

'@KinoLorber' on Sep. 20 2018 at 1:28pm
IMPULSE (1984) starring Tim Matheson, Meg Tilly, Bill Paxton, and Hume Cronynow is now available on Blu-ray + DVD v…' https://t.co/yG6yQpYbYa'

'@KinoLorber' on Sep. 20 2018 at 1:00pm
RT' @dawnofthediscs': ***NEW TITLE ANNOUNCMENT*** Coming to Blu-Ray 12/4 from' @kinolorber' The Puppet Masters (Special Edition) starring Dona…

'@KinoLorber' on Sep. 20 2018 at 1:00pm
RT' @DVDBeaver': The Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday Blu-ray' @KinoLorber' US:' https://t.co/0s1YWRhTCg' CAN:' https://t.co/E5SfeJAyZX' B+N: htt…

'@KinoLorber' on Sep. 19 2018 at 10:42am
RT' @Simon_Barrett': Let the Corpses Tan is Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s best film so far and also their most narrative-driven. Loosely…

'@KinoLorber' on Sep. 19 2018 at 10:41am
RT' @wexarts': “Meticulously executed, obsessively stylized…you almost expect to see Dario Argento or Mario Bava’s name on the credits .”—' @S…'

'@KinoLorber' on Sep. 19 2018 at 10:41am
RT' @CinemaSalem': Starting Friday, we'll be showing Let The Corpses Tan in the screening room! We The Animals will be leaving to make room f…

Tweet Now!