American Cinema in 1919

Lillian Gish and Richard Barthelmess in D.W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms (1919)

Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith form United Artists.

Oscar Micheaux's The Homesteader becomes the first major feature directed by an African-American.

Harold Lloyd holds the first recorded test screenings to gauge audience reaction to a new film.

Key films

Worldwide silent-film star, director and creator of the enduring Little Tramp.

Influential director and producer whose spectacles helped define Hollywood feature filmmaking.

Swashbuckling silent-screen star, producer and co-founder of United Artists.

Major silent-screen actress celebrated for her work with D. W. Griffith and later filmmakers.

Pioneering director whose narrative techniques shaped early feature filmmaking, amid a contested legacy.

Innovative silent-film comedian, actor and director celebrated for precise visual comedy.

“America’s Sweetheart,” a leading silent star, producer and co-founder of United Artists.

Founder of Keystone Studios and a key creator of American slapstick comedy.