Lois Weber
Directing
- Born
- June 12, 1879 · Allegheny City [now Pittsburgh], Pennsylvania, USA
- Died
- November 13, 1939 (age 60)
Lois Weber (1879 - 1939) was a true American auteur on par with D. W. Griffith. A director, actress, screenwriter, and producer of mostly silent films, she was the first American woman to direct a full-length feature film (1914's The Merchant of Venice), the first American woman director to own her own film studio, and one of the first film directors to experiment with sound. Weber pioneered the split-screen technique in the 1913 short film Suspense, and Hypocrites featured the first non-pornographic full-frontal female nude scene in 1915. Many of her films tackled social issues like abortion, poverty, discrimination, and religion, drawing the attention of censors.
Only a fraction of her films, estimated to number between 200 and 400, were preserved. In 2022, the American Film Institute announced a new initiative titled "Behind the Veil," after one of Weber's lost films. The initiative "will document 6,000 short films from the silent and early sound eras to uncover the innovative contributions of female and BIPOC storytellers."
Known for
Suspense
July 6, 1913
Hypocrites
January 20, 1915
Where Are My Children?
April 16, 1916
The Blot
September 4, 1921
Tarzan of the Apes
January 27, 1918
Shoes
June 26, 1916
The Dumb Girl of Portici
January 30, 1916
How Men Propose
July 19, 1913
Discontent
January 25, 1916
Too Wise Wives
May 22, 1921
Sensation Seekers
March 21, 1927
The Rosary
May 3, 1913
Behind the camera65
- 1934White Heat Writer, Director
- 1927The Angel of Broadway Director
- 1927Topsy and Eva Adaptation, Screenplay
- 1927Sensation Seekers Director, Writer
- 1926The Marriage Clause Director, Writer
- 1923A Chapter in Her Life Director, Adaptation, Screenplay
- 1921What Do Men Want? Writer, Director
- 1921The Blot Director, Writer, Producer
- 1921Too Wise Wives Director, Producer, Story, Screenplay
- 1921