Directing
Edwin S. Porter
EN, XX cinema · 189 credits
Born
21 April 1870
Died
30 April 1941 (aged 71)
Birthplace
Connellsville, Pennsylvania, USA
Also known as Edwin Stratton Porter · Ed Porter · Edward Porter · 에드윈 S. 포터 · 에드윈 포터
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 nickelodeons, left Edison in 1909 to form his own production company which he eventually sold in 1912. Porter remains an enigmatic figure in motion picture history. Though his significance as director of The Great Train Robbery and other innovative early films is undeniable, he rarely repeated an innovation after he had used it successfully, never developed a consistent directorial style, and in later years never protested when others rediscovered his techniques and claimed them as their own. He was a modest, quiet, cautious man who felt uncomfortable working with the famous stars he directed starting in 1912. He has directed four films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Life of an American Fireman (1903), The Great Train Robbery (1903), Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906) and Tess of the Storm Country (1914).
Known for
Filmography
Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Zaza
Director
Sold
1915
Sold
Director
Bella Donna
Director
Niobe
Director
A Good Little Devil
Director, Director of Photography
Tess of the Storm Country
Director, Director of Photography
Hearts Adrift
Director, Director of Photography
The Crucible
Director, Writer
His Neighbor's Wife
Director
The Count of Monte Cristo
Director, Director of Photography, Editor
A Heroine of '76
Director
Lost Illusions
1911
Lost Illusions
Director, Writer
On the Brink
Director
The Price
Director
Cupid’s Pranks
Director of Photography
She
1908
She
Director, Writer
Fireside Reminiscences
Camera Operator
A Country Girl's Seminary Life and Experiences
1908
A Country Girl's Seminary Life and Experiences
Camera Operator
The Gentleman Burglar
1908
The Gentleman Burglar
Camera Operator
Rescued from an Eagle's Nest
Director of Photography
The 'Teddy' Bears
Director
Rivals
Director
College Chums
Director
Cohen’s Fire Sale
Director
Laughing Gas
Director
Jack the Kisser
Director
Three American Beauties
Director, Director of Photography
A Winter Straw Ride
Director, Director of Photography
Getting Evidence
Director, Director of Photography
How the Office Boy Saw the Ball Game
Director of Photography, Director
Life of a Cowboy
Director
The Terrible Kids
Camera Operator
Kathleen Mavourneen
Camera Operator
The Night Before Christmas
Director, Director of Photography
How Jones Lost His Roll
1905
How Jones Lost His Roll
Director, Director of Photography
The Seven Ages
Director
The Kleptomaniac
Director
The Train Wreckers
Director
The Watermelon Patch
Director
The White Caps
Director
On a Good Old 5¢ Trolley Ride
Camera Operator
The Burglar's Slide for Life
Camera Operator
Desperate Encounter Between Burglar and Police
1905
Desperate Encounter Between Burglar and Police
Camera Operator
The Ex-Convict
Director
European Rest Cure
Director
Scarecrow Pump
Director
Parsifal
1904
Parsifal
Director of Photography
Fire and Flames at Luna Park, Coney Island (An Attraction at Coney Island)
1904
Fire and Flames at Luna Park, Coney Island (An Attraction at Coney Island)
Director of Photography
Crossing Ice Bridge at Niagara Falls
Camera Operator, Director
Canoeing on the Charles River, Boston, Mass.
1904
Canoeing on the Charles River, Boston, Mass.
Director of Photography
Japanese Acrobats
Director
Battle of Chemulpo Bay
Cinematography
Animated Painting
1904
Animated Painting
Camera Operator, Director
Pranks of Buster Brown and His Dog Tige
1904
Pranks of Buster Brown and His Dog Tige
Camera Operator
Buster and Tige Put a Balloon Vendor Out of Business
1904
Buster and Tige Put a Balloon Vendor Out of Business
Camera Operator
Buster's Dog to the Rescue
Camera Operator
Buster Makes Room for His Mama at the Bargain Counter
1904
Buster Makes Room for His Mama at the Bargain Counter
Camera Operator
Dog Factory
Camera Operator
Maniac Chase
1904
Maniac Chase
Camera Operator
Railroad Smashup
Camera Operator
The Great Train Robbery
Original Film Writer
Life of an American Fireman
as Policeman, Director
The Great Train Robbery
Director, Director of Photography, Writer, Producer
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Director
The Gay Shoe Clerk
Director of Photography
What Happened in the Tunnel
Director of Photography
Electrocuting an Elephant
Director of Photography, Director
Chicago-Michigan Football Game
Cinematography
Street Car Chivalry
Camera Operator
Subub Surprises the Burglar
Camera Operator
A Romance of the Rail
Camera Operator
The Extra Turn
1903
The Extra Turn
Camera Operator
The Animated Poster
Camera Operator
Buster's Joke on Papa (I)
Camera Operator
Buster's Joke on Papa (II)
Camera Operator
Jack and the Beanstalk
Director of Photography, Director
Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show
Camera Operator
The Twentieth Century Tramp; or, Happy Hooligan and His Airship
Camera Operator, Director
Fun in a Bakery Shop
Camera Operator, Director
The Burlesque Suicide
1902
The Burlesque Suicide
Camera Operator
Circular Panorama of Electric Tower
Director, Director of Photography
Esquimaux Game of Snap-the-Whip
1901
Esquimaux Game of Snap-the-Whip
Director of Photography
Day at the Circus
Director
Panoramic View of Electric Tower from a Balloon
1901
Panoramic View of Electric Tower from a Balloon
Director of Photography
President McKinley Taking the Oath
Cinematography
Photographing a Country Couple
Camera Operator
Catching an Early Train
Camera Operator
The Finish of Bridget McKeen
Camera Operator
A Dull Razor
Director
An Artist's Dream
Director
The Kiss
1900
The Kiss
Director
