I apologize if this has been covered in any of the previous “1920s-Style-Death-Ray” threads, as I haven’t read most of them. Anyway. . .
I was browsing thru a book “The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Movies” by Phil Hardy (1984), and came across these gems:
“Les Rayons Roentgen” (English title “A Novice at X-Rays) (1898) 1 minute
“X-Rays” (aka “The X-Ray Fiend”) (1898) 1 minute
“The X-Ray Mirror” (1900) 2 minutes
These apparently used x-rays more or less as they are used today. The first mention of a “death ray” appears to be. . .
“Pawns of Mars” (1915) 40 minutes
This is apparently a movie about two fictional European countries in an arms race. One of the weapons developed is a “death ray.” “Mars” in this case refers to the god of war, not the planet.
More uses for rays:
“The Intrigue” (1916) 66 minutes
An American inventor invents a sort of laser-ray gun that can electrocute people.
“Leleklato Sugar” (English title: “The Mind-Detecting Ray”)
The title is probably Hungarian and has nothing to do with carbohydrates.) The descripton refers to a “mind-reading machine,” but not a ray. Dunno. . . .
“The Flaming Disk” (1920) 18 chapters
A professor invents a ray-gun with an optical disk-lens that can concentrate the engery of the sun into a narrow beam and vaporize steel.
“The Invisible Ray” (1920) 15 chapters
A mineralogist discovers a substance that emits a powerful radiation dangerous to human beings.
“Nan of the North” (1921) 15 chapters
A scientist dies before he is able to tell the world about his extraordinary find: a meteor that struck the Earth contains “titano,” a substance containing unlimited energy.
“The Sky Ranger” (1921) 15 chapters
A scientist discovers a laser-type beam that can send signals to Mars and pick out (I think that means “destroy”) objects no matter how high they fly.
“Paris Qui Dort” (English title: “The Crazy Ray”) 60 minutes
This invisible ray merely puts people to sleep.
“Luch Smerti” (English title” “Death Ray”) (1925) 125 minutes
A patriotic offering from the Soviet Union. The title ray was to be used to help workers at a helium factory revolt.
“The Scarlet Streak” (1926) 10 chapters
A “foreign agent” kidnaps a professor’s “laser-like red ray.”
And here’s a 1930s style death ray:
“Chandu the Magician” (1932) 75 minutes
Bela Lugosi plans to make himself ruler of the Earth with a stolen death ray.
Some other non-death-ray notables I came across:
“Gugusse et l’Automate” (English title: “The Clown and the Automaton”) (1897) 1 minute
Possibly the first film including a robot
“Un Bon Lit” (English title: “A Midnight Episode”) 1899 1 minute
Possibly the first film to feature an giant insect.
“A Jersey Skeeter” (1900) 2 minutes
Possible the first American movie to feature a giant insect.
“Le Tunnel sous La Manche” (English title: “Tunnelling the English Channel”) (1907) 20 minutes
Author’s note: “Even today [1984] the proposition is regularly reappraised, but beyond film and fiction versions it is doubtful that we shall ever see it.”
“The Comet” 1910 11 minutes
Possibly the first apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic movie. Earth is about to be smacked by a comet. Hmmm. . . . Wonder what might have inspired this???
“The Last Man on Earth” (1924) 88 minutes
Possibly the first “last man on earth” movie. Women, however, were unaffected by the epidemic that wiped out all males over 14 years old.
Movies about an invasion of the UK:
“England Invaded” (1909 ) no running time listed
“The Invaders” (1909) 10 minutes
“Invasion: Its Possibilities” (1909) 18 minutes
“England’s Menace” (1914) 40 minutes
“The Great German North Sea Tunnel” (1914) 40 minutes
(Possibly the first movie about an invasion being planned by an enemy tunneling underneath the ground.)
“If England Were Invaded” (aka “The Raid of 1915”) (1914) 45 minutes
“Wake Up!” (aka “A Dream of Tomorrow”) (1914) 70 minutes
“Victory and Peace” (aka “The Invasion of Britain”) (1918) 130 minutes
About a future war, not the ongoing “Great War.”