The life and passion of Jesus Christ (1905): Using 31 carefully costumed and staged tableaux, this early French film dramatizes Christ's crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension. From the manger to the cross (1912): A passion play, filmed on location in Egypt and Palestine.

"In the early decades of cinema, some of the most innovative and celebrated filmmakers in America were women. Alice Guy-Blaché helped establish the basics of cinematic language, while others boldly continued its development : slapstick queen Mabel Normand (who taught Charlie Chaplin the craft of directing), action star Grace Cunard, and LGBTQ icon Alla Nazimova. Unafraid of controversy, filmmakers such as Lois Weber and Dorothy Davenport Reid tackled...