1903 in film

The year 1903 in film involved many significant events in cinema.

• Thomas Edison demolishes "America's First Movie Studio", the Black Maria.
• The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit decides that federal copyright protection for "photographs" extends to motion pictures, and that filmmakers could copyright films as a whole rather than having to separately register each frame.^[1]
• The three elder Warner Bros. begin in the exhibition business and open their first theater, the Cascade.
• Gaston Méliès, Georges' brother, opens a branch of Star Film in New York to defend its production's copyrights.
• Adolph Zukor and Marcus Loew partner with Mitchell Mark to expand his chain of movie theaters.
• William N. Selig's war film A Soldier's Dream is released. The film shows soldiers playing cards and music around a campfire. Scholars have speculated that the double-exposed image used to create one soldier's dream sequence may have been inspired by Méliès.^[2]

• Alice in Wonderland, directed by Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stow, based on the 1865 novel by Lewis Carroll – (UK)
• The Apparition (Le Revenant), directed by Georges Méliès^[3] – (France)

• Capital Execution (Henrettelsen), directed by Peter Elfelt – (Denmark)
• A Chess Dispute, directed by Robert W. Paul – (UK)

• The Damnation of Faust, directed by Georges Méliès^[4] – (France)
• A Daring Daylight Burglary, by Frank Mottershaw – (UK)
• Desperate Poaching Affray, directed by William Haggar – (UK)
• Diving Lucy, produced by Mitchell and Kenyon – (UK)

• Electrocuting an Elephant, directed by Edwin S. Porter – (US)
• The Enchanted Well (Le Puits fantastique), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)
• An Extraordinary Cab Accident, directed by Robert W. Paul – (UK)

• Faust and Mephistopheles, directed by Alice Guy – (France)
• From Show Girl to Burlesque Queen, directed by A. E. Weed – (US)

• The Gay Shoe Clerk, directed by Edwin S. Porter – (US)
• The Georgetown Loop (Colorado), directed by Billy Bitzer – (US)
• The Great Train Robbery, directed by Edwin S. Porter, starring Broncho Billy Anderson – (US)

• Hiawatha, the Messiah of the Ojibway (lost), directed by Joe Rosenthal – (Canada)

• The Infernal Cake Walk (Le Cake-Walk infernal), directed by Georges Méliès^[5] – (France)
• The Infernal Cauldron (Le Chaudron infernal), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)
• The Inn Where No Man Rests (L'Auberge du bon repos), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)

• The Kingdom of the Fairies (Le Royaume des fées), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)

• Life and Passion of the Christ (Vie et Passion du Christ), directed by Lucien Nonguet and Ferdinand Zecca – (France)
• Life of an American Fireman, directed by Edwin S. Porter – (US)

• The Magic Lantern (La Lanterne magique), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)
• Mary Jane's Mishap, directed by George Albert Smith – (UK)
• The Melomaniac (Le Mélomane), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)
• A Message from Mars (lost), by Franklyn Barrett – (NZ)
• Misfortune Never Comes Alone (Un malheur n'arrive jamais seul), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)
• Momijigari (Viewing Scarlet Maple Leaves), directed by Tsunekichi Shibata, based on the 15th-century kabuki play by Kanze Nobumitsu – (Japan)
• The Monster (Le Monstre), directed by Georges Méliès – (France)
• The Mysterious Box (La Boîte à malice), directed by Georges Méliès^[6] – (France)

• Old London Street Scenes, directed by George Albert Smith – (UK)
• The Oracle of Delphi (L'Oracle de Delphes), directed by Georges Méliès^[7] – (France)

• Panorama of Beach and Cliff House, produced by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company – (US)
• Petticoat Lane – (UK)

• Rip Van Winkle, directed by William K. L. Dickson, based on the 1819 short story by Washington Irving – (US)
• Runaway Match, directed by Alf Collins – (UK)

• The Sick Kitten, directed by George Albert Smith – (UK)
• Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River, directed by J.B. Smith – (US)
• A Spiritualistic Photographer (La Portrait Spirite), directed by Georges Méliès^[8] – (France)

• The Terrible Turkish Executioner (Le Bourreau turc), directed by Georges Méliès^[9] – (France)

• Uncle Tom's Cabin, directed by Edwin S. Porter, based on the 1852 novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe – (US)

• What Happened in the Tunnel, directed by Edwin S. Porter – (US)
• The Witch's Revenge (Le Sorcier), directed by Georges Méliès^[10] – (France)

• January 6
  • Stanley Smith, American actor and singer (died 1974)
  • Francis L. Sullivan, English actor (died 1956)
• January 7 – Alan Napier, English actor (died 1988)
• January 10 – Violet Wilkey, American child actress (died 1976)
• January 16 – Peter Brocco, American actor (died 1992)
• January 17 – Warren Hull, American actor, singer and television personality (died 1974)
• January 18 – Werner Hinz, German actor (died 1985)
• February 8 – Greta Keller, Austrian-American cabaret singer and actress (died 1977)
• February 11 – Rex Lease, American actor (died 1966)
• February 14 – Stuart Erwin, American actor (died 1967)
• February 16 – Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, vaudevillian and radio performer (died 1978)
• February 27 – Reginald Gardiner, English actor (died 1980)
• February 28 – Vincente Minnelli, American stage director film director (died 1986)
• March 2 – William Haade, American actor (died 1966)
• March 3 – Adrian, American costume designer (died 1959)
• March 4 – Dorothy Mackaill, British-American actress (died 1990)
• March 17 – Dorothy Seastrom, American silent film actress (died 1930)
• March 20 – Edgar Buchanan, American actor (died 1979)
• March 25 – Binnie Barnes, English actress (died 1998)
• March 28 – Charles Starrett, American actor (died 1986)
• April 9 – Ward Bond, American character actor (died 1960)
• April 12 – Luis Moglia Barth, Argentine film director and screenwriter (died 1984)
• April 17
  • Louis Jean Heydt, American character actor (died 1960)
  • Leonid Kinskey, Russian-American actor (died 1998)
• April 26 – Dorothy Sebastian, American actress (died 1957)
• May 2 – Bing Crosby, American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor (died 1977)
• May 4 – Paul Demel, Czech actor (died 1951)
• May 8 – Fernandel, French comic actor (died 1971)
• May 12 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (died 1991)
• May 14 – Billie Dove, American actress (died 1997)
• May 15 – Anny Ondra, Czech actress (died 1987)
• May 18 – George E. Stone, Polish-American actor (died 1967)
• May 29 – Bob Hope, American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer (died 2003)
• June 16 – Ona Munson, American actress (died 1955)
• June 18 – Jeanette MacDonald, American soprano and actress (died 1965)
• June 20 – Eddie Laughton, British-American actor (died 1952)
• June 25 – Anne Revere, American actress (died 1990)
• June 29 – Ellen Pollock, British character actress (died 1997)
• July 1 – Don Beddoe, American character actor (died 1991)
• July 2 – LeRoy Mason, American actor (died 1947)
• August 9 – Tom Tyler, American actor (died 1954)
• August 14 – Millard Mitchell, Cuban-American character actor (died 1953)
• September 13 – Claudette Colbert, American actress (died 1996)
• September 17 – Dolores Costello, American actress (died 1979)
• September 29 – Ted de Corsia, American actor (died 1973)
• October 20 – John Davis Lodge, American film actor, lawyer, politician, and diplomat (died 1985)
• October 22 – Curly Howard, American comedian and actor (died 1952)
• November 7 – Dean Jagger, American actor (died 1991)
• November 12 – Jack Oakie, American actor (died 1978)
• November 19 – Nancy Carroll, American actress (died 1965)
• December 5 – Johannes Heesters, Dutch-German actor (died 2011)
• December 10 – Una Merkel, American actress (died 1986)
• December 12 – Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese filmmaker (died 1963)
• December 13 – Norman Foster, American film director, screenwriter and actor (died 1976)
• December 16 – Hardie Albright, American actor (died 1975)
• December 21 – Maria Balcerkiewiczówna, Polish actress (died 1975)
• December 26 – Elisha Cook Jr., American character actor (died 1995)

• January 4 - Topsy(elephant) (born c.1875)
• c. February 15 – Julie Verstraete-Lacquet, Flemish actress, dies at 69

G. M. Anderson

• List of 1903 films at IMDb
• List of 1903 deaths at IMDb
• List of 1903 births at IMDb