Film historian Steve Massa is a particular expert on silent film comedy. His five choices for 1904 certainly reflect that interest, as they feature premises and gags that can still rouse surprise, chuckles, and laughs today.

Steve is the author of Lames Brains and Lunatics: The Good, the Bad, and the Forgotten of Silent Comedy and its sequel as well as many other books. He also co-hosts Silent Comedy Watch Party with Ben Model, has curated comedy film programs for institutions and festivals, and has provided essays and commentary tracks for DVDs and Blu-rays.

Visit the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list to submit your own top five for 1904!

Films and resources mentioned:

• Burglars at Work (1904) - Gaston Velle
• As Seen on the Curtain (1904) - A.E. Weed
• How a French Nobleman Got a Wife through the New York Herald Personal Column (1904) - Edwin S. Porter
• Dog Factory (1904) - Edwin S. Porter
• The Impossible Voyage (1904) - Georges Méliès
• The Great Train Robbery (1903) - Steve Massa
• A Trip to the Moon (1902) - Georges Méliès
• A Trip to Jupiter (1909) - Segundo de Chomón
• Pull the Curtain Down, Susie (1904) - A.E. Weed
• A False Beauty (1914) - Ford Sterling
• Shoulder Arms (1918) - Charlie Chaplin
• The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) - Lotte Reiniger
• Personal (1904) - Wallace McCutcheon
• The Policemen’s Little Run (1907) - Ferdinand Zecca
• Seven Chances (1925) - Buster Keaton
• The Mechanical Butcher (1895) - Louis Lumière
• The Sausage Machine (1897) - unknown
• Fun in a Butcher Shop (1907) - Edwin S. Porter
• Ham and the Sausage Factory (1915) - Marshall Neilan
• The Man with the Rubber Head (1901) - Georges Méliès
• Joan of Arc (1900) - Georges Méliès
• Robinson Crusoe (1902) - Georges Méliès
• The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon (1907) - Georges Méliès
• The Conquest of the Pole (1912) - Georges Méliès
• Hugo (2011) - Martin Scorsese
• The One-Man Band (1900) - Georges Méliès
• Bluebeard (1901) - Georges Méliès
• Broadway (1929) - Paul Fejos
• Lonesome (1928) - Paul Fejos
• The Last Performance (1929) - Paul Fejos
• The Kid Brother (1927) - Ted Wilde and J.A. Howe
• King of Jazz (1930) - John Murray Anderson
• The Kingdom of the Fairies (1903) - Georges Méliès
• What Demoralized the Barber Shop (1898) - William Heise
• Lames Brains and Lunatics: The Good, the Bad, and the Forgotten of Silent Comedy - Steve Massa