The 1910s marked the maturation of cinema as a global storytelling medium. As short films gave way to feature-length productions, directors like D.W. Griffith, Giovanni Pastrone, and Abel Gance began to explore complex narratives and epic scales. This decade saw the birth of the star system, the establishment of Hollywood, and the development of sophisticated cinematic techniques.

It was a decade defined by ambition. The static camera began to move, editing became rhythmic and psychological, and the close-up became a window into the soul. The films of this era proved that cinema could convey deep emotion and handle grand themes, separating it forever from its origins as a mere curiosity.


Key Figures of the Era

Abel Gance: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Albert Capellani: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Alfred Lind: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Alfred Machin: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Alice Guy-Blaché: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Allan Dwan: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Anton Giulio Bragaglia: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Arthur Robison: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Benjamin Christensen: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Carl Boese: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Carmine Gallone: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Cecil B. DeMille: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

D.W. Griffith: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Edward José: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Eleuterio Rodolfi: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Elmer Clifton: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Erik A. Petschler: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Ernst Lubitsch: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Evgenii Bauer: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Frank Lloyd: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Fritz Lang (started late 1910s, influence significant): Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

George Fitzmaurice: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

George Loane Tucker: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Germaine Dulac (early career): Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Giovanni Pastrone: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Henry King: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Henry Otto: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Herbert Brenon: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Holger-Madsen: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Irvin Willat: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Jacques de Baroncelli: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

James Kirkwood, Sr.: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Jean Durand: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Joe May: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

John Ford (credited as Jack Ford early in career): Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

King Vidor: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Lois Weber: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Louis Feuillade: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Léonce Perret: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Mack Sennett: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Marcel L'Herbier (early career): Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Marshall Neilan: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Maurice Tourneur: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Mauritz Stiller: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Oscar Micheaux: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Pat Sullivan: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Paul Wegener: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Perry N. Vekroff: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Pyotr Chardynin: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Raoul Barré: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Raymond Bernard: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Reginald Barker: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Reinhold Schünzel: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Robert Wiene: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Rupert Julian: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Segundo de Chomón: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Thomas H. Ince: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Urban Gad: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Victor Sjöström: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Vsevolod Meyerhold (primarily theatre, some film work): Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

William Desmond Taylor: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Winsor McCay: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Wladyslaw Starewicz: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Yakov Protazanov: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary

Émile Cohl: Film Director & Cinematic Visionary