From the Manger to the Cross (1912)

From the Image Entertainment DVD release:
"From the Manger to the Cross was made on location in Egypt and Palestine for the Kalem Company during the winter and spring of 1912. (A reminiscence of the filming is included as an insert in this DVD). The film is notable for restraint in presentation, all concerned being clearly aware of the special responsibility they shouldered in depicting the story of Jesus. Here again, as in many subsequent Biblical films, Dore supplied basic imagery. First shown October 14, 1912, it is one of the earliest American feature films, representing extraordinary faith not only in Scripture but also in long-form screen storytelling (although the film could also be shown in one-reel segments). Of course, that sink-hole of secularism, the ordinary movie theater, was regarded as unworthy of this spiritually exalted endeavor, which was exhibited with enormous success in special Sunday presentations, in concert halls and in other sites previously closed to cinema. This edition is mastered from a modern print taken from the original negative, which was re-titled later in the teens. From the Manger to the Cross was added to the National Film Registry in 1998."