Days of Thrills and Laughter

Mar 21, 1961

1h 33m

★ 5.5

Overview

An appreciative, uncritical look at silent film comedies and thrillers from early in the century through the 1920s.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Robert Youngson Productions

Days of Thrills and Laughter Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Self (archive footage)

Douglas Fairbanks

Self (archive footage)

Charlie Chaplin

Self (archive footage)

Stan Laurel

Self (archive footage)

Oliver Hardy

Self (archive footage)

Pearl White

Self (archive footage)

Mabel Normand

Self (archive footage)

Roscoe Arbuckle

Self (archive footage)

Ruth Roland

Self (archive footage)

Harry Langdon

Self (archive footage)

Ben Turpin

Self (archive footage)

Harry Houdini

Self (archive footage)

Harry 'Snub' Pollard

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

0.0

Serpentine Dance

Aug 20, 1902

"Danse serpentine" (Gaumont #588) is part of the "Miss Lina Esbrard. Danseuse cosmopolite et serpentine" series of 4 films, and should not be confused with "Danse excentrique" (Gaumont #587), "Danse fantaisiste" (Gaumont #589) or "La Gigue" (Gaumont #590).

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7.0

The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk

Sep 2, 2007

Film historians, and survivors from the nearly 30-year struggle to bring sound to motion pictures take the audience from the early failed attempts by scientists and inventors, to the triumph of the talkies.

2.0

Finlandia

Oct 21, 1922

A documentary from Erkki Karu, one of the earliest pioneers of Finnish cinema: This government-produced propaganda film introduces the nature, sports, military, agriculture and capital of Finland.

0.0

Fantastic Flowers

May 25, 2025

Fantastic Flowers is a compilation of short silent films produced between 1906 and 1920, displaying amazing colours that were applied to each frame using the Pathécolor process, or other similar stencilling techniques. Bonsoir – La Fée aux fleurs (1906) / [Bloemenvelden Haarlem] (1909) / Les Chrysanthèmes (1907) / Le Chrysanthème, roi de l’automne (1914) / [Les Tulipes] (1907) / Les Fleurs dans les jardins (1914) / L’Après-midi d’une japonaise (1920) / The Beauty Thief ([1920]) / La Fée printemps (1906) / [Het schoonste uit de natuur] (1912?) / La Culture du dahlia (1911) / [Hollandse Tulpen en Klompen] (1920?) / Fabrication des fleurs artificielles (1911) / [Bonsoir tableau] (1906)

0.0

Flowers in the Garden

Jan 1, 1914

Short silent film about a flower garden from 1914.

7.2

The Last Shaman

May 12, 2017

James, giving himself 12 months before he has "a license to kill himself," sets off to the Amazon rainforest with hopes of finding a shaman who can save his life.

7.8

Man with a Movie Camera

May 12, 1929

A cameraman wanders around with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling inventiveness.

0.0

Not Without My Dogs

Oct 14, 2013

Out of love for Huskies, nature and cold winters Dave and Kristen Olesen moved from Minnesota to the North West Territories in Canada 25 years ago to create their own little universe on the magnificent East arm of Great Slave Lake. With their two daughters Annika 15 and Liv 12 and their 37 dogs, the Olesens enjoy a unique lifestyle in the wide open wilderness far away from civilization. One winter they all leave their self-built homestead with ten dogs on a two and a half thousand mile family expedition allowing Annika to run the Junior Iditarod in Alaska. As unexpected obstacles all along the trip culminate in three heavily injured dogs the whole endeavor is at risk. Optimism, love and loyalty prevail on this exciting epic family voyage.

5.0

Urtain, King of the Mountains

Jan 1, 1969

A humorous visit to the turbulent world of the controversial Spanish boxer José Manuel Urtain.

8.0

Wilbur: The King in the Ring

May 19, 2017

Wilbur: The King in the Ring is a comedic documentary, which wrestles with the worldwide obesity plight. Wilbur McDougall, a former pro-wrestler, agrees to let his best friend J. Ollie Lucks make a documentary about his gastric sleeve surgery and subsequent transformation. But in order to stay literally half the man he was, Wilbur will be forced to maintain a healthier lifestyle while Ollie’s altruistic intentions verge on exploitative.

6.0

El circo

Dec 31, 1950

Madrid, Spain, 1949. The Circo Americano arrives in the city. While the big top is pitched in a vacant lot, the troupe parades through the grand avenues: the band, a witty impersonator, the Balodys, acrobats, jugglers, acrobatic skaters, clowns and… Buffallo Bill.

0.0

Amazon: Longest River in the World

Jan 1, 1918

Documentary by Portuguese Silvino Santos, about the Amazon, its flora, fauna, its inhabitants and among other wonderful images from the beginning of the 20th century with alternating close-up shots of caimans, jaguars and tropical flora with footage of Indigenous rituals--including some of the earliest known moving images of the Indigenous Witoto people--and longer sequences showcasing the region’s extractive industries: rubber, the Brazil nut, timber, fishing, even the egret feathers that were a staple of women’s fashion at the time.

6.7

Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness

Apr 29, 1927

Elephants disrupt the lives of a family deep in the jungles of Northern Siam, and an entire village.

4.2

Blow Job

Jul 16, 1964

Andy Warhol directs a single 35-minute shot of a man's face to capture his facial expressions as he receives the sexual act depicted in the title.

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10.0

But... Seriously

Mar 25, 1994

A documentary juxtaposing the events of the 20th century with the commentary of stand-up comedians.

3.8

Tossing a Nigger in a Blanket

Apr 6, 1898

A method soldier boys have for amusing themselves in their leisure moments. New comrades are frequently initiated by the old-fashioned sport of tossing in a blanket. The newly arrived recruit, who is the victim of their sport, enjoys himself, perhaps, less than the other participants.

No Image Available

6.0

The Strength and Agility of Insects

Aug 4, 1911

A short, early documentary work showing insects exhibiting extreme strength and agility.

0.0

Chris Elliott's FDR -- A One-Man Show

Dec 26, 1987

Chris Elliot plays FDR in his live "One Man Show" about the life and times of the president, however, he looks and sounds nothing like the man and he re-enacts events from Roosevelt's life that never happened.