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Years in film

1870s
1880s 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889
1890s 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899
1900s 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
v t e

The year 1918 in film involved some significant events.

Events

January 27 – Tarzan makes his film debut in Tarzan of the Apes.
March 10 – Warner Bros. release their first produced picture, My Four Years in Germany.
July – The animated The Sinking of the Lusitania is one of the first examples of animation being used for something other than comedy.
Following litigation for anti-trust activities, the Motion Picture Patents Company disbands.
Louis B. Mayer arrives in Los Angeles and forms Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation.
28 mm safety standard film, designed by Alexander Victor, becomes one of the earliest film formats to use "safety film" bases in order to safeguard the amateur market against nitrate fires.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

Highest-grossing films of 1918
Rank	Title	Gross
1	Mickey	$8,000,000 ^[1]
2	Stella Maris	n/a
3	Tarzan of the Apes	$1,000,000
4	The Squaw Man	$600,000
5	Old Wives for New	$300,000
6	The Whispering Chorus	$200,000
7	The Ghost of Slumber Mountain	$100,000
8	Shoulder Arms	n/a
9	Headin' South	n/a
10	Bound in Morocco	n/a

Notable films released in 1918

Argentina

Main article: List of Argentine films before 1930

Buenos Aires tenebroso, directed by Juan Glize
En un día de gloria, directed by Mario Gallo and Alberto Traversa
La garra porteña, directed by Juan Glize
Sin dejar rastros, directed by Quirino Cristiani
Violeta o La reina del tango, directed by Juan Glize

France

Main article: French films of 1918

The Ghost of the Rancho (aka Range Busters), directed by William Worthington, starring Bryant Washburn and Rhea Mitchell, a hybrid Horror/Western/Comedy
The Tenth Symphony (La Dixième Symphonie), directed by Abel Gance, starring Séverin-Mars and Jean Toulout
Tih Minh, directed by Louis Feuillade, starring René Cresté
Vendemiaire, directed by Louis Feuillade

Germany

Main article: List of German films 1895-1918

Alraune, die Henkerstochter, genannt die rote Hanne, directed by Eugen Illes and Joseph Klein, starring Max Auzinger and Hilde Wotner; released in the U.S. as Sacrifice; this was the 2nd film adaptation based on the 1911 novel by Hanns Heinz Ewers^[2]
Carmen, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Pola Negri
Das Tagebuch des Dr. Hart (Dr. Hart's Diary), directed by Paul Leni
Eyes of the Mummy, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Pola Negri and Emil Jannings
I Don't Want to Be a Man (Ich möchte kein Mann sein), directed by Ernst Lubitsch
The Other Self, aka Das Andere Ich (Austrian) directed by Fritz Freisler, starring Fritz Kortner
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (aka Der Rettenfanger von Hameln), written and directed by Paul Wegener, starring Wegener and Lyda Salmonova^[3]

Great Britain

Main article: British films before 1920

The Haunted Hotel, an 11-minute comedy short directed by Fred Rains (Claude's father), starring Will Asher and Marion Peake^[4]
Victory and Peace, directed by Herbert Brenon

Hungary

Main article: List of Hungarian films 1901-1947

A 99-es számú bérkocsi, directed by Mihály Kertész, starring: |Cläre Lotto and Béla Lugosi
Alraune, directed by Mihály Kertész and Edmund Fritz, starring: Géza Erdélyi and Gyula Gál (Lost film); first film adaptation based on the 1911 novel by Hanns Heinz Ewers
Casanova, directed by Alfréd Deésy, starring Alfréd Deésy
Faun, directed by Alexander Korda, starring: Gábor Rajnay and Artúr Somlay
Mary Ann, directed by Alexander Korda, starring: Ica von Lenkeffy and Tivadar Uray
Álarcosbál ||Alfréd Deésy, starring: Béla Lugosi
A víg Özvegy, directed by Mihály Kertész
Az ördög, directed by Mihály Kertész
Karoly bakak, directed by Zoltan Korda
Az Élet királya, directed by Alfréd Deésy, starring Béla Lugosi and Norbert Dán; based on the 1890 Oscar Wilde novel
Küzdelem a létért, directed by Alfréd Deésy, starring: Béla Lugosi
Lili, directed by Cornelius Hintner
Lulu, directed by Mihály Kertész
A Napraforgós hölgy, directed by Mihály Kertész, starring: Lucy Doraine, Cläre Lotto and Iván Petrovich
A Víg özvegy, directed by Mihály Kertész, starring: Mihály Várkonyi, Berta Valero, Endre Boross Árpád id. Latabár, Miklós Szomory and József Bánhidy

Italy

Main article: Italian films of 1918

Fabiola directed by Enrico Guazzoni

Japan

Akakabe Myojin (aka Kaibyo Kaidan) a Ghost-Cat film starring Matsunosuke Onoe, produced by Nikkatsu Films
Izumo Kaidan (Japanese) aka Ghost Story of Izumo, starring Matsunosuke Onoe and Kitsuraku Arashi, produced by Nikkatsu Films
Yotsuya Kaidan Jitsuhi Kanetani Goro/ The Ghost of Yotsuya (Japanese) the 2nd ever film adaptation of the 1825 stage play Yotsuya Kaidan by Tsuruya Nanboku IV; starring Matsunosuke Onoe and Sentaro Nakamura^[5]

Sweden

Main article: Swedish films before 1930

The Outlaw and His Wife (Berg-Ejvind och hans hustru), directed by & starring Victor Sjöström (aka Victor Seastrom)

United States

Main article: American films of 1918

Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley, directed by Marshall Neilan, starring Mary Pickford
Among the Cannibal Isles of the South Pacific
Are Crooks Dishonest?, a Harold Lloyd short
Arizona, starring Douglas Fairbanks
The Bell Boy, a 'Fatty' Arbuckle / Buster Keaton short
The Bells, directed by Ernest C. Warde, starring Frank Keenan and Lois Wilson; this was the 4th film adaptation of Erckmann-Chatrian's 1867 stage play Le Juif Polonaise (The Polish Jew)^[6]
'Blue Blazes' Rawden, starring William S. Hart
The Blue Bird, directed by Maurice Tourneur
Bound in Morocco, directed by Allan Dwan, starring Douglas Fairbanks
The Burden of Proof, directed by Julius Steger; starring Marion Davies
Cecilia of the Pink Roses, directed by Julius Steger; starring Marion Davies
The Cook, a 'Fatty' Arbuckle/Buster Keaton short
The Craving (aka Delirium) directed by Francis Ford for Universal Pictures, starring Francis Ford and Peter Gerald^[7]
Cupid Angling, starring Ruth Roland
The Eyes of Julia Deep, starring Mary Miles Minter
The Ghost of Slumber Mountain, written and directed by Willis O'Brien (who also starred in it and handled the special animation effects); existing print runs only 12 minutes
The Goddess of Lost Lake, starring Louise Glaum
The Haunted House, produced and written by Edward Frazee, a very obscure lost film (cast unknown)
Headin' South, directed by Allan Dwan, starring Douglas Fairbanks
The Heart of Humanity, starring Erich von Stroheim
Hearts of the World, directed by D.W. Griffith, starring Lillian Gish and Dorothy Gish
The House of Mirth, directed by Albert Capellani, starring Katherine Corri Harris
Huck and Tom
The Lamb, a Harold Lloyd short.
Men Who Have Made Love to Me, starring Mary MacLane
Mickey, directed by F. Richard Jones, starring Mabel Normand
M'Liss, directed by Marshall Neilan, starring Mary Pickford and Thomas Meighan
Moonshine, a 'Fatty' Arbuckle/Buster Keaton short
My Four Years in Germany, the first film produced by the four Warner Brothers
On the Quiet, directed by Chester Withey, starring Jack Barrymore
Out of the Inkwell, an animated film directed by Max Fleischer
Out West, a 'Fatty' Arbuckle/Buster Keaton short
The Romance of Tarzan, starring Elmo Lincoln
Salomé, directed by J. Gordon Edwards, starring Theda Bara
The Silent Mystery, a 15-chapter serial directed by Francis Ford, starring Ford and Rosemary Theby; a five-reel condensed version was also released at some point
The Sinking of the Lusitania, a short animated propaganda film by Winsor McCay; likely the longest animated film of its time.
Stella Maris, directed by Marshall Neilan, starring Mary Pickford
Tarzan of the Apes, directed by Scott Sidney, starring Elmo Lincoln and Enid Markey
The Two-Soul Woman, directed by Elmer Clifton for Universal Pictures, starring Priscilla Dean and Ashton Dearholt, based on the novel by Gelett Burgess^[8]
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Under the Yoke, directed by J. Gordon Edwards, starring Theda Bara
Under the Greenwood Tree directed by Emile Chautard starring Elsie Ferguson
The Whispering Chorus, starring Raymond Hatton and Kathlyn Williams
Why Pick on Me?, starring Harold Lloyd and Bebe Daniels

U.S.S.R.

Main article: Soviet films: 1917-1921

Cagliostro, historical melodrama directed by Wladyslaw Starevitch, starring M. Yarosh and Arseniy Bibikov, based on the novel Count Cagliostro by E. Salias^[9]
Father Sergius, directed by Yakov Protazanov, starring Ivan Mozzukhin

Comedy film series

Only the films of the series released in 1918 are collected

Buster Keaton (1917–1944)

Snapshot of Good Night, Nurse!.

Main article: Buster Keaton filmography

Films starring Roscoe Arbuckle, featuring Buster Keaton released in 1918:

January 20: Out West as Sheriff / Saloon owner.
March 18: The Bell Boy as Bellboy.

Charlie Chaplin (1914–1940)

Film poster for A Dog's Life.

Main article: Charlie Chaplin filmography

11 August: Triple Trouble; compilation assembled by Leo White with scenes from Police and an unfinished short, Life, along with new material shot by White. Chaplin includes this production in the filmography of his autobiography.
May 1918: Chase Me Charlie; a seven-reel montage of Essanay films, edited by Langford Reed. Released in England.

Charlie Chaplin wrote, produced, directed, and starred in 9 films for his own production company between 1918 and 1923. These films were distributed by First National. Below the movies released in 1918:

Uncompleted and unreleased films

How to Make Movies: Never assembled, although parts were used in The Chaplin Revue (see below)
Reconstructed in 1981 by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill^[10]
Untitled film: A charity film co-starring Harry Lauder.

Harold Lloyd (1913–1938)

Hit Him Again.

Bees in His Bonnet.

Back to the Woods.

Main article: Harold Lloyd filmography

Glasses character ("The Boy"):

The Tip
The Lamb
Hit Him Again
Beat It
A Gasoline Wedding
Look Pleasant, Please
Here Come the Girls
Let's Go
On the Jump
Follow the Crowd
Pipe the Whiskers as Janitor
It's a Wild Life
Hey There!
Kicked Out
The Non-Stop Kid
Two-Gun Gussie
Fireman Save My Child
The City Slicker
Sic 'Em, Towser
Somewhere in Turkey
Are Crooks Dishonest? – sometimes wrongly titled as Doing, Doing, Done
An Ozark Romance
Kicking the Germ Out of Germany
That's Him
Bride and Gloom
Two Scrambled
Bees in His Bonnet
Swing Your Partners
Why Pick on Me?
Nothing but Trouble
Back to the Woods
Hear 'Em Rave
Take a Chance
She Loves Me Not

Lupino Lane (1915–1939)

Main article: Lupino Lane

Short films acting as his character Mr. Butterbun released in 1918:

His Busy Day
His Salad Days
Love and Lobster
The Blunders of Mr. Butterbun: Trips and Tribunals
The Blunders of Mr. Butterbun: Unexpected Treasure
The Haunted Hotel

Births

January 29 – John Forsythe, actor (died 2010)
February 4 – Ida Lupino, actress, director (died 1995)
February 15 - Allan Arbus, actor (died 2013)
February 16 – Patty Andrews, singer, actress, member of The Andrews Sisters (died 2013)
March 1 – Roger Delgado, actor (died 1973)
March 9 – Mickey Spillane, writer, actor (died 2006)
March 14 –Dennis Patrick, actor (died 2002)
April 17
- William Holden, actor (died 1981)
- Anne Shirley, actress (died 1993)
April 18 – Shinobu Hashimoto, screenwriter (died 2018)
May 14 – June Duprez, actress (died 1984)
May 15 – Joseph Wiseman, Canadian-American actor (died 2009)
May 26 – John Dall, actor (died 1971)
June 8 – Robert Preston, actor, singer (died 1987)
June 10 - Barry Morse, actor (died 2008)
June 11 – Jane Bryan, actress (died 2009)
June 13 - Ben Johnson, actor (died 1996)
June 26 – Ellen Liiger, actress (died 1987)
July 6 – Sebastian Cabot, actor (died 1977)
July 14 – Ingmar Bergman, Swedish actor, writer, director (died 2007)
July 18 – Jane Frazee, singer, actress (died 1985)
July 25 - Nan Grey, actress (died 1993)
July 26 – Marjorie Lord, actress (died 2015)
August 9 – Robert Aldrich, director (died 1983)
August 17 – Evelyn Ankers, actress (died 1985)
September – Rin Tin Tin, canine actor (died 1932)
September 13 – Dick Haymes, actor, singer (died 1980)
September 16 - Branka Veselinović, Serbian actress
September 21 – Rand Brooks, actor (died 2003)
September 24 - Audra Lindley, actress (died 1997)
September 28 – Arnold Stang, actor and comedian (died 2009)
October 9 – Lila Kedrova, Russian-born actress (died 2000)
October 13
- Yvette Thuot, Canadian actress (died 2021)
- Robert Walker, actor (died 1951)
October 17 – Rita Hayworth, actress (died 1987)
October 25 - Milton Selzer, actor (died 2005)
October 27 – Teresa Wright, actress (died 2005)
October 29 – Diana Serra Cary, born Peggy-Jean Montgomery ("Baby Peggy"), child silent film actress (died 2020)
November 4
- Art Carney, actor (died 2003)
- Cameron Mitchell, actor (died 1994)
November 27 - Stephen Elliott, actor (died 2005)
November 30 – Efrem Zimbalist Jr., actor (died 2014)
December 15 – Jeff Chandler, actor (died 1961)

Deaths

January 8 – Johannes Pääsuke, 25, Estonian photographer and director (train crash)
January 12 – Simeon Wiltsie, American actor
February 1 – Joseph Kaufman, 36, American silent film actor & director, married to film star Ethel Clayton
February 15 – Vernon Castle, 30, American dancer & writer
March 13 – William Courtleigh, Jr., 26, American actor
April 30 – "Mother" Mary Maurice, 73, American veteran stage & film actress
May 19 – S. Rankin Drew, 26, American actor and director.
June 29 – John van den Broek, 23, Dutch cinematographer
July 4 – Walter Stradling, 43, British cinematographer
August 12 – Anna Held, 46, Polish actress & singer
September 21 – Hal August, 28, American actor; brother of Edwin August
October 2 - Edwin Arden, American stage & film actor
October 19 – Harold Lockwood, 31, American actor
October 22 – Myrtle Gonzalez, 27, American actress
October 22 – Julian L'Estrange, 38, English actor
October 28 – Louise Vale, American actress
November 6 – William Shea, 67, Scottish veteran film actor & director
November 18 – Wayland Trask, Jr., 31, American comedian
December 6 – Charles Gunn, 35, American actor
December 29 – Jode Mullally, 32, American actor

Debuts

Warner Baxter – All Woman(uncredited)
Noël Coward – Hearts of the World
Neil Hamilton – The Beloved Impostor (1918 film)
Buck Jones – Western Blood (as Buck Gebhardt)
Ben Lyon – The Transgressor
Irene Rich – A Desert Wooing
Will Rogers – Laughing Bill Hyde