Uncle Tom's Cabin

UNCLE TOM'S CABIN was a wild best-seller; President Lincoln, on being introduced to its author, said "So this is the lady who started the Civil War." It was a perennial hit on the stage for half a century. This film, starring studio owner Siegmund Lubin as villainous Simon Legree, was meant for people who were very familiar with the story.

It was a massive undertaking for 1903, but this two-reeler doesn't tell the story. It is a series of scenes from an elaborate stage production and so will be completely confusing to the modern viewer who has only heard of the story. The roles of the slaves are played by white actors in Blackface in an exaggeratedly stagy style. Even the scenes don't tell the story. Instead, they illustrate the titles.

As a result, the modern viewer will see this as of little value as a movie. Such a viewer would be wrong. Its sheer length was almost unprecedented for the era and it was an enormous success.

Were I a member of the audience in 1903, I would award this a 10. Eleven decades have dimmed its luster, but it is still worth seeing for its place in cinema history.