Santa Claus

You can't call this early Smith films' special effects outstanding for the time period, considering that exact same year Georges Melies made a film called "The Four Troublesome Heads" which has even more creative camera tricks. In terms of plot, however, this is pretty sophisticated considering most films at the time were plot-less and merely documented everyday life. In fact, considering its Christmas-y theme, you could call this the first holiday movie. I can imagine children being delighted back in 1898, and it's still a charming little gem even now.

Some children want to stay up on Christmas Eve but a maid tucks them into bed. By the clever use of a matte shot, we see Santa go down the chimney. He then enters the room and fills the children's stockings, disappears, and the children wake up. That's all there is in this movie but you have to admit for 1898 it's really quite good compared to other movies of the era.