Invented within the last decade or so of the 1800s, "cinema" (a fluid definition not owed to any one person or group as this season has demonstrated) grew exponentially through the end of the century. The guests for this first season of The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever have demonstrated the diversity of filmic form in this incubatory period, including technologies, genres, and representation before and behind the camera associated with much later decades. In this finale, host Tristan Ettleman summarizes the trends of the era, shares his five picks for the 1800s, and creates a "mini-canon" from guests' and listeners' picks. You can view that list at the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com. And be sure to look forward to the next season on 1900, starting soon!

Thank you to the guests of this first season:

• J.J. DiUbaldi
• Aurore Spiers
• Maggie Hennefeld
• Bryony Dixon
• Peter Domankiewicz

Films mentioned:

• Pauvre Pierrot (1892) - Charles-Émile Reynaud
• Cinderella (1899) - Georges Méliès
• The Astronomer's Dream (1898) - Georges Méliès
• Annabelle Serpentine Dance (1895) - William K.L. Dickson and William Heise
• Autour d'une cabine (1894) - Charles-Émile Reynaud
• Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory (1895) - Louis Lumière
• Something Good/Negro Kiss (1898) - William Selig
• The Four Troublesome Heads (1898) - Georges Méliès
• The Dairy Maid's Revenge (1899) - Frank S. Armitage