Georges Méliès

A compilation of three short trick films by Georges Méliès: El melómano (1903) (The Melomaniac aka The Music Lover)(1903), El monstruo (1903) (The Monster) (1903) and El verdugo turco (1904) (The Terrible Turkish Executioner) (1904).

A comprehensive landmark collection celebrating the foundational work of French illusionist and cinema pioneer Georges Méliès. Painstakingly assembled from archival holdings worldwide by film preservers Eric Lange and David Shepard, this 5-disc collection spans Méliès' entire cinematic career across 173 rare, original silent films—ranging from his debut, Playing Cards (Partie de cartes, 1896), to his final production, Voyage de la famille Bourrichon (1913). Showcasing masterpieces like A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune, 1902) alongside hand-tinted prints and special effects marvels, the set captures the birth of narrative trick photography, fantasy, and cinematic showmanship.

Lost in the streets of Paris, Georges Méliès is looking everywhere for the Salle Pleyel. On the wall he sees an enormous Gala poster bearing his picture. He dives head first into the poster.

An indebted French family flees its creditors in this comic picaresque, one of pioneering French director George Méliès last films.

One of the last films Georges Méliès made. By now, he was under contract for his former rival Pathé, where he made a few of his most lavish productions, including this one. Here, Méliès performed in front of the camera as the Devil […]. His incarnation of Satan this time is a sprightly antagonist who kidnaps a princess by locking her in a cage and taking off through the sky in a dragon-pulled carriage. […]

Georges Méliès's first attempt at Cinderella was in 1899. That film was extraordinary then for having multiple scenes and a semblance of a narrative; additionally, the use of dissolves as transitions in it influenced other filmmakers for years to do the same. Méliès was the cinema world's preeminent leader then. By 1912, however, that was no longer the case; frankly, as evidenced by this feature, his style had become dated. Moreover, Méliès had begun to adopt techniques from other filmmakers, such as direct cuts instead of dissolves, and there's even a match on action shot during the slipper trying-on scene.

A science fantasy film that deals with an extraordinary race to the north pole by rival parties of balloonists. Based on the novel "The Adventures of Captain Hatteras" by Jules Verne.

After an evening of excessive wining and dining Baron Munchausen must be helped to bed by his servants. Once asleep, he has bizarre and frightening dreams.

Here we have an old scholar/alchemist brooding over a book, challenged by the devil, and going through the familiar sorcery to create a woman by throwing pieces of clothing against a stain-glass church window, like a jigsaw puzzle (and later in reverse). The woman also multiplies herself five-fold so as to match a similar paravent.

French short silent comedy film by Georges Méliès, which is presumed to be lost. The film was a skit on the popular topic of hypnotism; it featured a magician-hypnotist using his skills to cheat at cards, before being caught at it and pursued in a hectic chase. The film had no French release.

In this hand-colored short, a magician and his assistant do a series of magic tricks, including making potted plants appear, among others. Melies played the magician, and the actor Manuel played his assistant.

A man rents an apartment and furnishes it in remarkable fashion.

Surviving fragment of a longer film. A magician makes a butterfly woman appear, and a woman in a star. Exhausted, the magician falls asleep and the star woman turns into a spider, dragging the butterfly into her web.

Doctors blow to pieces a patient in a hydrotherapy machine and re-assemble him.

1908 French short silent Christmas film by Georges Méliès, which is now presumed lost. The film, combining American ideas about Santa Claus with Méliès's fantasy style and a modern touch, followed the adventures of a young girl, Polly, one Christmas night, as she escapes kidnappers, travels to Santa's palace, and—by changing places with a large doll—goes with Santa on a giftgiving journey by airplane.

A good shepherdess is persecuted by an evil, tantrum-throwing princess. A good fairy decides to intervene, and dishes out quite a bit of retribution.

There's a chemistry lab, in which one or two people ingest the wrong drug -- apparently -- and have a seriously bad trip. Then there's this wizard in his cave, and a fairy appears -- then there's this massive feast with about a dozen people. Then it ends.

A young boy's adventure takes him to the domain of the Genie of the Cathedral Bell, where he finds a fortune to enrich his family. The film is currently presumed lost.

1908 French short silent film by Georges Méliès, which is currently presumed lost. Though the plot of the film is unknown, it may have been built around a parody of the famous illusionist Buatier de Kolta, whose name is parodied in the film's title.

1908 French short silent film by Georges Méliès, which is presumed lost. No English-language release is known for this film,[1] but the translated title The Fairy Dragonfly has been used in film reference.

In one of his dreams, Don Quixote is fighting monsters. Having vanquished them, he goes to put on his armor, only to be met with a succession of strange events: first the armor appears occupied by a creature with stretching limbs, then a lovely young woman appears and sprouts butterfly wings. As Quixote approaches her, the wings become giant tentacles and attack him. Just as Quixote is fighting back and reaching for his lance, he wakes up to find himself pummeling his servant Sancho Panza. This film is currently presumed lost.

A mischievous duke comes across a drunkard in a town square, and decides to pull a practical joke. He has the drunkard carried to the ducal palace and dressed as a nobleman, where he is made to receive courtiers. A banquet is prepared for the fake nobleman, who is too far gone to understand the situation, and unusual things seem to begin occurring. When the drunkard attempts to get more to drink, the bottle magically grows to giant size and disappears, so the duke's servants bring in a large funnel and fill the drunkard up, with his stomach swelling up like a balloon to fit. The duke's doctors work to deflate him back to normal. The drunkard tries to get some sleep, but the paintings on the walls come to life, showing him all sorts of scenes of people drinking merrily.

A painter boards a train and puts his paintings in the windows so that they look like passengers.

The fairest maiden is crowned queen of the May Day festival and the dignitaries of the town, surrounded by the cheering populace, music and decoration, are on the huge platform to do her honor. She is entitled to marry the man of her heart with public celebration. The bridegroom makes his way to the fair grounds and jumps into the basket of a balloon. Just as he is ascending his bride comes to the scene and attempts the hazardous task of joining her loved one, but she is a few seconds too late, for the aircraft goes with a jerk, and she finds herself caught by its dangling anchor, and thus she rides, struggling and squirming as the balloon goes high into the clouds.

1908 French short silent film directed by Georges Méliès, which is currently presumed lost.

An elderly actor, once an audience favorite, goes to a talent agency for work, but is told he is too old to be hired. Going home, he tells the bad news to his wife. They pawn most of their possessions, and end up begging on the streets. There they happen to come across a familiar face: a star performer, who rose to fame after getting valuable advice from the older actor. The star, finding his mentor impoverished, offers his home as a place to live.

An impoverished father, with his young son and daughter, begs for food in a marketplace. When a merchant angrily turns them away, their plight attracts the attention of a woman of charity. Calling shame upon the unkind merchant, she buys the poor family some food, talks with the family, and adopts the two children. Marketplace workers, witnessing the scene, give the father work as a sign carrier.

The film begins with a grandmother reading a story to a small child (played by Georges Méliès's son, André) before tucking him into bed. No sooner has the mite fallen asleep than he begins dreaming of an angel standing over his bed and whisking him off to a land of giant toys. The kid wanders around for a bit before being led away by a lady who takes him to a forest where other young ladies dressed as butterflies dance around a bit.

1908 French short silent film directed by Georges Méliès, which is currently presumed lost.

Two pranksters, finding out that a couple is about to apply for a marriage license at the town mayor's office, sneak into the office to pull a practical joke. First they rig up the furniture with string; then they hide in the room, inside some big boxes they put in place of the mayor's desk. When the bridal party arrives for the license, the pranksters go to work, making the chairs and "desk" move of their own accord, foiling the bride's and groom's attempts to sit and the mayor's attempts to write. Finally, the pranksters appear, disguised under white sheets as ghosts. The bridal party rushes in surprise out of the office as the joke comes to a successful close.

The seven-minute film takes place inside a classroom where some cops are learning English.

1908 French silent film directed by Georges Méliès, which is currently presumed lost.

A group of people take roller skating too far.

1908 French silent comedy film directed by Georges Méliès, which is currently presumed lost.

1908 French silent comedy film directed by Georges Méliès, which is currently presumed lost.

The Merchant, the Farrier, and the Roman accompany a mysterious woman into a magical cave full of terrors and wonders.

1908 French silent comedy film directed by Georges Méliès, which is currently presumed lost.

A sorcerer turns a small egg into a bigger one and keeps repeating this trick until the egg is large enough to do other things including delivering children.

A family goes to a photographer. The photographer pushes the boy around, and no one seems to care. The boy gets his revenge.

Georges Melies' film has a new guy showing up in a store on his first day and he obviously just doesn't fit in as he makes one mistake after another.

1908 French short silent film directed by Georges Méliès, which is currently presumed lost

A 1908 French short silent film directed by Georges Méliès, which is currently presumed lost.

This Georges Melies film is one of several to appear in only a fragment form. The film opens up with a title card explaining what happens in the missing parts of the movie. Basically a man wants to give some flowers to a stage star but a prankster instead gives them to an obese cleaning woman.

Three burglars invade a house, kill two people, and blind a third person, a woman. The police arrest the wrong man.

A Spanish dancer, in front of an inn in the Spanish mountains, is courted by a smuggler, who asks her to marry him. She agrees. Later, in the dancer's room, another man enters and declares his love for her. The smuggler, entering unnoticed, hears the declaration of love, and a violent argument breaks out between the two rivals for the dancer's affection. The suitors travel to a remote spot in the mountains and fight to the death; the smuggler wins the fight when the other suitor falls over a precipice. Returning to the dancer's room, the smuggler comes to meet his beloved, but the dancer refuses him when she finds out he killed his rival. The smuggler stabs himself in despair. The dancer, running to his corpse, touches his hands, and is repulsed to find them covered with blood.

French silent short film by Georges Méliès, presumed to be lost.

Silent French short film by Georges Méliès, based on the character from Alphonse Daudet's novel of the same name. The film is presumed to be lost.

If a violin was actually broken here we don't get to see it. Sadly this is one of many Georges Melies films that are only available in a fragment. Hopefully one day a complete print will turn up but until then at least we have this. The film starts off in some sort of bakery as the boss starts giving orders and then a bit later we see a young man pull out a violin he has been hiding and start to play it. The film then flashes to another location but this is where it cuts off so I'm not certain where the story went from here.

Silent film from Georges Méliés. It is presumed to be lost.

Silent film from Georges Méliès, presumed to be lost.

A man gets cajoled into working as a sideshow wrestler.

This Georges Melies film is only available in a five-minute fragment. The film starts off with a title card setting up the events. An elderly miser keep all of his money to himself and refuses to help people no matter what they might need. We see him turn away a few people and then portions of the film are missing and we pick up later in the story as the old man is scared of something (apparently someone stole his money).

There's a scene in a village, then there's a scene out in the wilderness with what appear to be gods, and a giant crab, and a giant frog... then there's another scene in the village... and that's it.

An actor tries to get to a show on time. Many mishaps along the way.

An actor tries to get to a show on time. Many mishaps along the way.

A band of musicians stage a fake murder as a practical joke for their grumpy, curious neighbor.

A fraudster is at work in his laboratory, where he pretends to make synthetic diamonds.

An Innkeeper introduces his young and pretty daughter to a wealthy old man who is in quest of a wife, but she being already in love spurns his protestations.

Two couples, one old and one young, have blind dates at the same meeting place. The arrival of the wrong people at different times makes a fun confusion.

One fine day at a barbershop that has stupid staff and very rude customers.

Partially lost film. One of the kings of ancient Thebes enters the abode of an astrologer and demands that he be told his future. The former utterly refuses to forecast the coming events of his sovereign, even under the pain of death; but he brings forth a priestess who possesses the powers of divination. This priestess is introduced in a wonderful way: a throne is brought forward, and then a box from which the pieces of a statue are removed and piled up in regular order; the statue suddenly becomes animated. The king implores the latter to foretell his life. She commands him to look through a telescope toward the side of the room. A vision appears. (Moving Picture World)

Into a photography studio full of large fantastic machines steps an elderly couple. The bearded proprietor explains the equipment and gives them a demonstration: he starts machines whirring, and projects a painting of three women onto a large screen; suddenly the women begin to move. The customers are impressed. First the women sits in the special seat: she's projected onto the screen, and her good nature comes out in the laughing image. Then it's the man's turn, but the machine discloses a vastly different nature in him. Will his reaction threaten our proprietor's inventions?

Some jubilant young men have decided to end their evening of pleasure by taking supper in a restaurant after having passed a few hours at a masquerade ball. When they have regaled themselves they order a Hungarian orchestra to come and play for them so that they may continue the joys of the dance. Unfortunately, one of the men conceives the idea of speaking to the serving woman at the counter. In his excitement, he seizes the counter and shoves it over, sending to the floor everything on it, including the glasses, plates, cups and saucers. They all fall and break with a terrific noise. The police, summoned by the proprietor, arrest the ringleaders and carry them off to the police station. During the hearing of their complaints, the two prisoners escape, one by the window, the other through the door. The police dart into the street during a snowstorm in pursuit.

The opium fiend is seen in a den, puffing on this terrible narcotic. He then falls fast asleep and dreams that he is at home with his wife. He asks for something to drink and he is given wine, which he does not care for, and he is finally given some bottled beer and a glass, but he complains that the glass is too small and he gets a very large sized glass receptacle, into which his wife and maid servant pour the contents of the bottle. As he is about to drink the glass passes from his hand mysteriously, sailing through the room and out of the window to the moon…

Not much of a plot. A couple is menaced by some sort of bizarre religious cult. Then they're saved.

During an orgy, Emperor Justinian orders three people to be torched alive.

An episodic narrative displaying examples of humankind's brutality, from the story of Cain and Abel through the Hague Convention of 1907.

This film from George Melies is sadly one that's only available in fragments. The film starts off with a title card stating that a drunk man has just thrown his family out a window. We see a couple of them landing on the ground and then we go back to the room where the drunk is now trying to kill himself.

French short about King Francis I and his jester Triboulet, who form the basis for Hugo's play Le roi s'amuse (and Verdi's opera Rigoletto).

The Bogie Man's cave is one of the many triumphs of set design for Georges Méliès. More unusual for the pioneering French director is the grisly turn when the monster chops up his servant for a steaming pot of stew. But the Bogie Man’s guilty conscience weighs on him, plaguing his sleep with even more fantastic visions of just deserts. (Max Goldberg, Fandor)

Magic tricks in a medieval setting.

John, who loves the bottle a little too much, is one of a group of sightseers. Too drunk to follow the party, the reeling drunkard remains on the site of a ruin where he starts having hallucinations.

Two bakers enjoy a break from work by drinking wine and playing cards. Soon enough, they're intoxicated and enter into a brawl with messy and fun consequences.

The title is vital, since the bulk of the action consists of a well-dressed man magically producing a series of items to furnish a bare room, culminating in his summoning up a charming lady to share his meal. Hearing the guards approaching, the man reverses the process, ending with a bare room when the two men enter.

A peddler of "the best glue" sets up his outdoor stall. A crowd gathers for a demonstration. As he gives his pitch, two observant cops decide drive off his customers and close him down, much to his fury. He seeks revenge as they sit on a park bench.

William Shakespeare, struggling to write the assassination scene for his play Julius Caesar, settles into an armchair and begins to daydream the scene that depicts the assassination of the dictator.

By designs of St. Hubert, patron saint of the hunt, a humble woodcutter is brought to a sumptuous palace and offered riches, which he despises.

An adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy.

A motley quartet of musicians inflicting the torture of their music on a law abiding citizen.

A magic cabinet turns two young girls into hideous beasts.

In this film, Méliès concocts a combination fairy- and morality tale about the foolishness of trying to look too deeply into the workings of an unstable and inscrutable universe. At a medieval school, an old astronomer begins to teach a class of young men, all armed with telescopes, about the art of scrutinising an imminent eclipse. When a mechanical clock strikes twelve, all the young men rush to the windows and fix their telescopes on the heavens.

The opening title card explains that a painter has just finished his work when his assistant comes in and accidentally drinks varnish. The film then picks up as the painter goes haywire and sends the assistant into the painting.

Shows a drunkard in a road man's cell, raving. He sleeps and dreams that he has a huge flask before him; this he attempts to grasp, but awakens, finds that it was a vision and then falls back and expires. The last picture is a tableau showing Sisters of Mercy round the departed inebriate.

The thief who robbed and killed a shoe dealer is sentenced to death by inhaling the fumes of his own shoes.

The plot follows King Edward VII and President Armand Fallières dreaming of building a tunnel under the English Channel.

Very much a slapstick chase in the mode of the period, as Victorine's boyfriend escapes from the kitchen and is pursued on rooftop by his unsuspecting fellow officers.

The interior of a trolley car. A menagerie of passengers notices a foul odour, and pinpoint the source of the stench at a cheese saleswoman. The gendarmerie removes her from the trolley and drags her to the precinct.

The film, a parody of the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, follows a fisherman, Yves, who dreams of traveling by submarine to the bottom of the ocean, where he encounters both realistic and fanciful sea creatures, including a chorus of naiads played by dancers from the Théâtre du Châtelet. Méliès's design for the film includes cut-out sea animals patterned after Alphonse de Neuville's illustrations for Verne's novel.

Fun film from French master Georges Melies has a couple burglar's breaking into a man's home and having to hide when that man returns. Instead of a trick film or something that he's known for, the director really changes gears here and instead delivers what's basically an action movie.

An easel appears, and soon after a canvas "walks" up from the floor of its own accord and takes its place on the easel. Now an artist's portfolio is seen, it opens up and different parts of a sketch which are enclosed therein, mysteriously fly from it upon the canvas until finally all the parts resemble the image of a man. When completed, the picture becomes animated and comes down upon the ground and engages in some merry antics with its own skeleton which shortly after is changed into a lady. After frolicking around for an interval, the man is changed to a sketch on the canvas; then it begins to dismember itself, one portion at the time. After all the parts of the sketch are in the portfolio, it folds itself up; then the animated person appears from some mysterious source and carries off the portfolio in which his own image is enclosed.

Robert Macaire (Chevalier Macaire) was a noted criminal and assassin who appears in French plays. His name is renowned in French culture as that of the archetypal villain.

A penniless troubadour consults witch Carabosse about his future, but offends her by paying with a bag of sand. He evades the witch's revenge, and saves the beautiful princess.

A wizard sleeps at a table in his well-appointed sitting room. From a drawer in the table, a snake appears.

French silent film directed by Georges Méliès, considered lost.

Two travellers are tormented by Satan from inn to inn and eventually experience a buggy ride through the heavens courtesy of the Devil before he takes one of them down to Hell and roasts him on a spit.

A magician blows some big bubbles and makes heads of women appear inside them.

The staff of an inn play a cruel trick on a guest.

It is the proceedings of a spiritualist séance. A table whirls around, spirits appear and disappear, and other marvelous feats savoring of the supernatural are performed.

A group of people watches a guignol (the French version of a Punch and Judy show). Outtake from a longer, now lost, film.

A man is murdered and the killer brought to justice by guillotine. This film is partly lost.

A wall full of advertising posters comes to life.

A bum accidentally gets himself sewn up inside a mattress.

French silent film by Georges Méliès, considered lost.

French silent film by Georges Méliès, considered lost.

A crazy, rude musician gets some supernatural comeuppance.

Jack is taken on a sea-snail to the lair of a fairy, who magically turns him into a prince. He thoroughly enjoys the dancing and fawning of the court. Then he wakes up, and it turns out that he's an ordinary chimney sweep.

A photographer has an accident which not only screws up his lab but dumps a great deal of debris into the street below, causing general chaos.

An inventor dreams that his newly designed airship takes flight.

A combination gambling den and bawdy house is set up so that croupiers, patrons, prostitutes, and the owner can quickly change it all into a mercantile establishment when the cops stage a raid.

A dispute takes place between some traveling musicians while they are giving a concert in a courtyard. The Janitor of the house. who mixes himself up in the hubbub which follows, gets pushed into a well. One of the tenants rushes to his aid and he is assisted by others. They strive to pull the man out by a rope let down, but the rope breaks and he falls back to the bottom of the well while his rescuers topple over backwards. They call the firemen to aid the drowning man. There is nothing more comical than the sight of the extraordinary methods employed by these latter for extricating the hapless janitor from his sorry condition. Doctor Deathcheater applies a marvelous treatment--which had remained a profound secret up to that time-to cause the drowned man to eject the water he had swallowed. He is promptly restored to life, happy at having escaped death so cheaply.

A fisherman has taken a comfortable position on the bank of a river; he has thrown his line into the water to see what good fortune awaits him. But the heat is so intense that he becomes drowsy, and finally he is lulled to sleep by the murmur of the gently flowing current of the stream. His rest is disturbed by strange dreams, and as a result of a sudden movement he pitches into the water. A policeman who happens to be passing at this moment rushes to his aid, but the angler has already gained the shore before assistance reaches him, and the latter immediately starts to return to his house to change his clothes. During that time, the policeman, who has jumped into the river, is overtaken by two officers, who arrest him, thinking that he has been bathing in a place where it is forbidden. They lead the poor man away to the station-house without concerning themselves about the fact that he is a representative of the public force.

The Melies version of the old Rip Van Winkle tale.

On a city street, a number of men take advantage of an old drunken bum.

An early horror treatment of the hero's encounter with the one-eyed man-eating Cyclops.

A man needs to get to Monte Carlo from Paris, but finds out that a train will take 17 hours to get there. He decides to go with a man with a special car, who claims that he can get there in just two hours. Complications ensue.

A fine magician of the Royal Court materialises an elegant attire from a transparent glass container, and then, a refined dandy appears, as an ornate palanquin is summoned. Now, what does the illusionist have in mind?

Henry the Eighth, King of England, had six wives, and it is well known that he had several of them put to death, some by the axe, some by poison, and another by the rope. The following view is the reproduction of the death of Anne Boleyn in the Tower of London, the celebrated prison of state in the sixteenth century.

A silly-looking composer attempts to compose. He then falls asleep, and dreams of all manner of bizarre nonsense.

A poor but honest man wins great wealth, and the hand of a beautiful princess, after facing a series of exciting trials in the tunnels and catacombs of ancient Araby. Guided by the mysterious Khalafar, the troupe (alongside him go some cowardly scholars) encounter skeletons, fire-breathing lizards, and mirages on their journey through the lower world.

A respectable fellow has quietly taken a seat upon a bench in a park, and worn out from the excessive heat of the day, has fallen asleep. Two ramblers happen upon him and, seeing him an easy prey, chloroform him and proceed to rob him even to the extent of removing his clothes. The fellow under the influence of the drug has a pleasant dream while imagining himself surrounded by the houris of the seventh heaven of Mahomet. But he is quickly brought back to realize his actual situation by two policemen who, in the course of their rounds, have observed this man asleep in the park, only partly dressed. They lead him away to the station to the delight of the two thieves who, from afar, have watched his arrest. While they themselves follow with their eves the departure of their victim, a third thief sneaks up and snatches their booty which he successfully vets away with, The two prowlers accuse each other of the theft of the booty and come to most violent blows.

Lost trick film

Mr. Dauber, a painter very favorably known, receives a visit Mr. Pierrot, a white clown enjoying a popularity as wide-spread as that of the painter himself, who comes to request a sitting for his portrait, The painter sets out promptly to execute his order, and in a few minutes he sketches upon a blackboard the portrait of his new patron. Hardly has he finished when the painting, nothing but that of a jumping-jack, begins to move its arms and legs and afterwards springs out of the frame. There follows between the three an irresistibly comic scene during which a number of amusing incidents take place, producing bursts of laughter from the audience.

A magician creates a troupe of dancers out of thin air.

The film, of which only fragments are known to survive, features Méliès as a magician making playing-card figures come to life in miniature.

Another magic short of Méliès.

A traveler at an inn is harassed by a mischievous devil in his room.

Lost trick film from Georges Méliès.

A poor family in a rundown house where snow falls through the broken roof, there's no coal to heat the pathetic little stove, mother is sick, father sends daughter out to beg. Rejected by other beggars, the girl collapses in the snow…

The setting of this view is a series of underground grottoes, a part of the marvelous realm of Satan, through which the latter escorts a gentleman and works many wonderful tricks to the profound astonishment of the visitor.

A magic show.

A Jew who mocked Jesus on the cross is visited by a devil and an angel.

Using every known means of transportation, several savants from the Geographic Society undertake a journey through the Alps to the Sun which finishes under the sea.

Mr. Peter Jones has vowed to get married. In his efforts to secure a desirable wife he has inserted some advertisements in the newspapers. So we find him going through hundreds of letters as he thrusts aside disdainfully the greater number of photographs accompanying the answers. One letter finally finds favor in his eyes; the writing is excellent, the phrasing is pleasing and the photograph which he extracts from the envelope shows to him the likeness of a young girl, pretty, smiling, lovely, in every way ideal for a life’s companion. But while he dreams with half-open eyes of the joys in store for him, old Truth comes out of a well in the middle of the room, and she presents to him a mirror in which he may see reality.

"This view represents a grand transformation scene of several tableaux, the more interesting and the more surprising in the order of their presentation." -Star catalogue

The Count de Cagliostro, who occupies his spare time in working magic, has invited one of his friends to be present at an exhibition which has for its aim the object of showing how much the sense of sight can be abused and deceived. In the center of three fans he arranges a rose-window, which there appears a young page who is suddenly transformed into a marquis of the time of Louis XV. The count brings a large frame, the marquise arranges herself in it, and it seems to the visitor that she is changed into a nymph. He then approaches it to verify the fact, but he perceives that it is the count in person who is in the middle of the picture. But in order to assure himself that he is not mistaken, he strives to grasp him but the latter disappears mysteriously, and the frame, in the center of which he finds himself, is absolutely empty. What he has seen was only a marvelous illusion.

The Simple Simons have determined to give a dinner to their friends in honor of the birthday of the Madam. They call their chef who, just as he is on the point of presenting himself to them, is headed off by Mephisto, who has come to make a brief tour of the earth and to amuse himself at the expense of mortals, Mephisto appears to Mr. and Mrs. Simple Simon disguised as the cook: he receives their orders. Then he rapidly withdraws from an inexhaustible basket the table, the cloth, the napkins. all the service, and even all the chairs necessary for the guests. The latter arrive and joyously seat themselves around the magnificently appointed table: but, at the moment when they begin to cat, everything disappears in the midst of flames. The guests, amazed at this spectacle, rush off, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Simple Simon, who are at a loss to account for such an exhibition.

The scene represents the shop that rents garments for masquerades, A young student presents himself for the purpose of selecting a costume for a masked ball. The proprietor shows him several, which he refuses, one alter the other, for one reason or another. The costumer, furious at having found nothing to suit his client, who seemed hard to please, opens a hamper from which he draws the clothing of a clown, of an acrobat, of a musketeer, of a danseuse, and of various other personages which, as soon as he throws them down beside him, begin to move about and become animated, These animated costumes seize the student, deal him some hard blows, and shut him in the hamper from which they have come out. After terrific efforts, the unfortunate student extricates himself from the basket and throws himself upon what he supposes to be human beings, but his hand only grasps some tatters without consistence. They fall to the floor and he flies away in astonishment.

The comedy generally known as “The Barber of Sevilla” is strongly recommended because it contains nothing offensive nor objectionable, and also that it appeals to everybody in its delightfully amusing humor. The cinematographic piece has been pantomimed with the greatest care by competent artists, who have been carefully selected and who have studiously striven to conform themselves to the masterpiece of Beaumarchais. We place also on sale a shortened edition of the same piece, in which the second, fifth and seventh tableaux are taken out. We give our customers the privilege of purchasing any of the tableaux taken out of the shortened edition, urging them to be careful to specify in their orders what tableau or tableaux they desire. In such case we advise first of all the Seventh Tableau, which terminates happily and brilliantly the piece and forms a fine finale to the cinematographic view.

It is the birthday of Uncle Rube, a foxy old peasant who has gathered at his table his family and his help, among whom is a sleepy farmhand, a boy just suited for being made fun of by his comrades. The dinner over, Uncle Rube proposes to finish up the day at a cabaret, singing and drinking. The farmhand, already intoxicated quite enough, takes to bed. Stretching himself out as he falls asleep. Uncle Rube and his companions, seeing him asleep, propose to have a little fun at his expense. They balance the bed upon a stool, with a vessel of water at the head as a counterweight. The farmer takes a trumpet and makes some shrill noises which awaken the unfortunate boy, who, breaking the equilibrium, falls head first into the water while his comrades dance around him. Uncle Rube who has taken possession of the clock executes a breakdown. Frightened, amazed, the farmhand falls into a bucket of water from which he is unable to extricate himself.

An impoverished fisherman, not earning enough to support his wife and daughter, prays for help before an icon of the Virgin Mary. After trying to commit suicide, his prayer get answered.

A drunkard has taken off his overcoat and wishes to put in on again, but as he is not able to succeed in it. He asks aid of two bystanders, who hold the coat behind a lamp-post, so that when the drunk fellow has inserted his arms into the sleeves he finds himself fast to the lamp-post.

A magician conjures up a mermaid while fishing.

A film, very amusing, showing a countryman with a most tempting dinner before him, which he is unable to touch. The table, the dishes and the chairs change about continually. Finally the waiter who has served the dinner draws the cover with a quick jerk, and the whole affair flies into the air and bursts into pieces to the great astonishment of the unfortunate diner.

A magic trick is performed with a long plank with two pots built into it, both with holes in the bottom. Pretty girls are part of the magic.

A cook has his hands full with three mischievous devils, who pop in and out of his kitchen.

As a conjurer awaits an audience, a procession announces the arrival of a royal representative, carried in a sedan chair, to see him. The conjurer then has a large box brought in. It is opened, revealing a very large folding fan. When the fan is spread out, the designs on it begin to change and move. And this is far from the last of the surprises that the conjurer has in store.

A Chinese conjurer stands next to a table, it becomes two tables. A fan becomes a parasol, lanterns appear and disappear. The conjurer spins the open parasol in front of himself, and a dog leaps out from behind it. The dog becomes a woman, then a masked man appears. The conjurer sits them each on a box a few feet apart: suddenly the woman and man have changed places. The disappearing and the transfers continue in front of a simple backdrop.

In the interior of a small Russian cottage dwells a peasant with the reputation of being able to foretell future events. Alternatively, a Japanese soldier and a Russian General visit him and ask him about the outcome of the war both their countries are engaged at. One after the other, both men are shown visions where their respective countries win, and both give the peasant a big sum of money for his services.

Faust and his love Marguerite are sentenced to Hell where they are showed the torture that awaits.

Benvenuto Cellini, sculptor to the King, is thrust into a dungeon because he has offended His Majesty by not being able for some time past to produce a statue that will please him. He is told that he will stay there until he does so.

An inquisitor and two of his henchmen burn a woman at the stake. An angel intervenes.

This shows a prince entering upon the stage of the King's private theatre. He is about to do a few mystifying tricks for the amusement of the court.

A weary clock-maker dozes off in a chair. While he is asleep, three women suddenly appear in the midst of his shop. They proceed to show the sleeping clock-maker some new kinds of clocks that they know how to make.

The background of this picture represents a scene along the beautiful river Seine in Paris. A gentleman enters, and taking a blackboard from the side of the picture, he draws on it a sketch of a novelist. Then, standing in the centre, he causes the living features of his sketch to appear in the place of his own, which is utterly devoid of whiskers. The change is made so mysteriously that the eye cannot notice it until one sees quite another person in the place of the first. Again another sketch is shown on the board, this one being that of a miser; then an English cockney; a comic character; a French policeman, and last of all, the grinning visage of Mephistopheles. It is almost impossible to give this film a more definite description; suffice it to say that it is something entirely new in motion pictures and is sure to please. (Méliès Catalog)

A magician makes a woman appear and disappear.

A medieval magician performs a magic show involving a long ornate trunk in which he makes his assistants appear, disappear, and transform into other people.

"Scene opens showing interior of woods in India. In the centre is displayed a native altar of worship. The high priest enters, and at his command enter two native slaves, whom he commands to remove the pedestal in the centre of the alter. In its place he places an urn; with a few mysterious passes he causes flames to issue forth, to the consternation of his servants. He then throws a magic powder into the flames, and there appears, after the explosion, a beautiful vision of Siva the Invisible, who mysteriously ascends to the centre of the altar; and, before they can admire her beauty, she fades away into space. Not to be outdone, the priest makes a few more passes, and gradually there appears in the place of Siva a Hindoo princess. Both the priest and the servants fall on their knees to worship her. She immediately takes her place on the pedestal, and to the alarm of all turns to the stone statue of Buddah, the Hindoo God. They flee in terror."

Only 8 surviving seconds of a man getting great pleasure from smoking a cigar.

A performing magician divides into two people. The doubles then take turns doing tricks before merging back into one man.

Georges Melies the magician. Melies removes his own head, puts it in a glass box on a stool, then grows another one. Melies lights up a cigarette and blows smoke at his old head. The head gets payback by levitating above Melies and spewing water on him.

The Brahmin, Iftikar, who enjoys a great reputation in India, has determined to create something miraculous which will place the seal upon his renown. (giornatedelcinemamuto.it)

Pierrot goes to the house of his love to serenade her, but her father kicks him out. Soon the moon and its goddess Diana come towards the man and offers him something better.

In a public place in Constantinople at the corner of a bazaar, the executioner is seated upon a stone and is resting from his daily labors while eating a crust of bread. Suddenly there come running into the place a lot of Turkish men and women preceding some Turkish policemen, who drag along four prisoners in chains. The policemen shut up the four prisoners in the pillory. Their four heads stick up through the huge plank, which is provided with four openings. One of the policemen urges the executioner to decapitate the prisoners. He accordingly seizes a mighty sabre and cuts off by a single stroke the four heads, which roll upon the ground.

The German legend of a scholar's unholy pact with the Devil would have been very familiar to most moviegoers (at least European ones), so Georges Méliès' early cinematic treatment likely got away with simply offering a fancifully illustrated late episode without the earlier narrative context (however, spoken narration provides some of the latter in this restored print). Tempted by Mephistopheles with all kinds of dancing and ethereal babes, Faust is at first excited and then terrified by the sight of various demons and monsters. The painted-set designers really went hog wild on this one, depicting the (sometimes sexy) torments of subterranean Hell with in bold terms (even when ballerinas prance in the foreground). (Dennis Harvey, Fandor)

It's late in the evening, and the ballet master's bed has been prepared for him. But he cannot take his mind off of his work, and instead of going to sleep he paces the floor and tries out dance steps. Finally, he goes to bed and falls asleep, but ballet dominates even his dreams. He sees two dancers who seem to come right into his room as they perform, and that's just the beginning.

Two impish clowns construct a magic lantern. They prop it up at an angle, and use it to project pictures onto a wall. When the picture show ends, they open up the lantern to reveal a group of dancing girls inside - and this is only the first of the indications that this lantern really is magical.

In a room filled with jugglers' properties of enormous size a prestidigitateur dressed in eccentric costume enters with his assistant. The servant, believing that he would be comfortable in an armchair, sits down in it, but finds that it conceals a bucket of water, in which he falls. The juggler brings a large empty cask and puts it upon a table and fills it up with several pails of water.

Two men in a cave perform magic.

Pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès performs his cine-magic act.

A boy is led into the frame by two nursemaids who give him a big ball to play with. For the remainder of the film heads appear and disappear, stage props blow up and turn into other objects or people, and finally Bob Kick disappears.

Two comic characters, Jack Jags and Dum Dum, perform slapstick comedy on stage.

The scene is similar to that seen at Coney Island, where a number of shows are constantly going on.

With godly entrapments, Zeus appears on the horizon, engages Hermes as an audience, and tries to throw some thunderbolts. They fizzle. Hephaestus tries to make some repairs but succeeds only in heating the bolts and burning Zeus's hands. Zeus conjures nine muses, but do their incantations help? He dismisses them as well as a visiting Pan, and his fits of pique become counter-productive. Can he get his powers back?

Alone in his room at an inn, a lustful old man is haunted by spirits.

A green-skinned demon places a woman and two courtiers into a flaming cauldron.

At the royal court, a prince is presenting the princess whom he is pledged to marry when a witch suddenly appears. Though driven off, the witch soon returns, summons some of her servants, and carries off the princess. A rescue party is quickly organized, but the unfortunate captive has been taken to a strange, forbidding realm, from where it will be impossible to rescue her without some special help.

An Egyptian prince has lost his beloved wife and he has sought a dervish who dwells at the base of the sphinx.

The leader of a marching band demonstrates an unusual way of writing music.

A magician transforms a woman into a portrait of herself, then restores her to life.

A box of valued jewels is placed inside the tomb of Delphi. A thief breaks into the tomb and steals it, but soon the ghost of Delphi appears and puts a curse on him.

Two guards bring a sorcerer into the hall of a palace of the time of the Middle Ages. The king who follows them orders the sorcerer to be chained and to be condemned to death for his practice of witchcraft. He begs the king to permit him just one hour of liberty, assuring the king that he will create, thanks to his power, a charming woman, worthy of becoming the king's consort. The king, after a moment of hesitation, agrees.

A juggler enters upon the scene, picks up a skull, throws it into the air, catches it in his hands, where it is transformed into a handkerchief. The handkerchief, after being twirled about a wand, is changed to a napkin, and afterward to a tablecloth. Out of the table cloth comes a servant.

In a corner of the garden we see an ornamental fountain. An old professor comes along, looking for a nice spot where he can teach his pupils. Finding the fountain to his liking he goes after his scholars. A mysterious person who has noticed the old man, by means of a balloon, a handkerchief and a coat, constructs a peculiar figure, doing a lot of tricks at the same time.

A traveller is shown to a room in an inn. After a brief dispute with the hostess and a porter, he is left to himself. But strange things begin to happen in his room, and before long he has created a disturbance that has everyone running to his room to find out what is going on.

A witch curses a town's well.

Before going to war with his neighbors, the King reviews his men. The Queen's Musketeer's, who number only young men, are proclaimed the best drilled and most skillful of his soldiers. These young men manoeuvre in front of the King, Queen and the Court, and perform the most difficult tactics. This subject will be much enjoyed and appreciated by any audience.

As scene as pleasing as incomprehensible. A juggler summons two chairs, which come to the stage jumping and twirling around. Across the back of these chairs the operator places a sheet of glass on which he lays a box about four inches high. He then takes a table cover, with his servant's help, rolls it up and from the centre emerges a lady, beautifully dressed. At the juggler's order she jumps in the box, in which she completely disappears.

Pluto, having seen the earth, comes back home amazed at the success of that well-known dance, the "cake-walk." He has brought back with him two noted well-known dancers, who start their favorite dance amidst the flames.

The scene takes place in front of a barrack, where a young soldier is on duty --most laughable and comical

Beelzebub, making fire on the tips of his fingers, develops a large blaze, from which three girls emerge, who commence a dance in the heart of the flames, while two devils shake burning torches; all disappear. This scene is the first of its kind and is quite magical in its effect.

A magician performs tricks with a marvelous wreath.

A farmer calls on a juggler to see a few of his best tricks. The juggler has brought a bouquet of flowers, from which he takes out a charming and beautiful girl. The farmer, enraptured, attempts to kiss the beauty, and in trying to do so he only catches a devil, who beats him unmercifully and finally bursts into a thousand pieces. The juggler asks the farmer if his cares for any more exhibitions, but the poor fellow runs away in great terror.

Georges Méliès adaptation of Robinson Crusoe, the first film adaptation of the story. Filmed in black & white, Méliès would then paint the film by hand to colour it. Originally a 15 minute film, twelve and a half minutes of painted film have been found and have been restored.

Georges Méliès' adaptation of Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" is most distinguished, today, for being a color film of the classic story. Color was rare in 1902 (and many years after) as non-tinted color has to be hand painted on the film; this was an arduous task. Also notable is the film's short running time of approximately five minutes. Much of the original work is not covered, but viewers were expected to be familiar with the story, and enjoy the filmed highlights. There are a couple of scenes missing; according to contemporary reports, Gulliver's shipwreck was certainly included. You can do a lot in a few minutes, as Mr. Méliès includes a re-make of his own "Une partie de cartes" (1896), which already looked like something previously covered by the Lumière Brothers.

In this film, we show the interior of a doctor's office. A patient enters, and judging from the expression on his face, he is in great pain. The doctor tells him that he is troubled with acute indigestion, and immediately places him upon the operating table. He begins his treatment by cutting off the patient's arms and legs with a huge saw. After removing these members, he takes a large knife and makes an incision in the unfortunate's stomach large enough to put his arm in. He then removes such things as bottles, knives and forks, lamps and other articles of furniture from the patient's body ...

Lost short film by Georges Méliès.

A magician along with three doppelgangers perform an elaborate balancing act.

After numerous exhibitions of the black art by the magician, he causes a handsome young woman to appear suspended in the air. She slowly turns until her head is pointed towards the floor and her feet toward the ceiling. She revolves in both directions, as though on a pivot, with apparently nothing to hold her.

This is a moving picture that moves. Positively the greatest magical picture ever offered. A Hindoo magician appears and dances for the entertainment of six pretty maidens. Then, to the astonishment of all, he runs up the wall, dances and turns handsprings in mid-air, introducing many tricks that are entirely new in animated photography. The most puzzling of all the mystical series. (Star Film Catalog)

King Edward VII's coronation ceremony.

The setting of this fantastic scene represents the hall of an old chateau in which a miser has locked up seven large bags containing his wealth. Satan, who has made his way into the chateau, puts the seven bags in a strong box, and makes with his hands some cabalistic motions. The miser comes into the hall and is greatly astonished to find his fortune missing. He opens the coffer and immediately the bags leap out. He gathers them up and puts them back into the coffer. When he opens it again he finds that they have been transformed into seven young girls, who rush out and chase after him, beating him unmercifully. They shut him up in the coffer from which his gold has vanished. The miser pushes open the lid of the coffer, and to his profound despair finds that both young girls and money have disappeared. (This view is most sensational in its mysterious scenes.) (Star Film Catalog)

The magician appears upon the stage with an imp as his assistant. The imp holds a piece of cloth in his hand. At the command of the magician the cloth is suddenly transformed into a beautiful girl, clad in tights. A barrel is then introduced and the girl enters one end.

Professor Barbenfouillis and five of his colleagues from the Academy of Astronomy travel to the Moon aboard a rocket propelled by a giant cannon. Once on the lunar surface, the bold explorers face the many perils hidden in the caves of the mysterious planet.

A reenactment of a dirigible explosion in Paris.

This picture depicts the eruption of the volcano by which over 30,000 souls were hurled into eternity. The numerous explosions which took place during the eruption are plain to be seen. Thousands upon thousands of tons of molten lava, sand, rocks and steam are thrown high in the air and descend with crushing force upon the unfortunate inhabitants of the doomed city of St. Pierre. This is the worst calamity which occurred since a similar eruption by Mt. Vesuvius when Pompeii was destroyed. (Lubin Catalog)

“This is an absolutely new and extraordinary subject. A juggler takes in succession about a dozen eggs out of his servant's mouth. He breaks all the eggs into a hat, and after having beaten them up after the manner of a cook, he extracts an egg as large as the hat itself. As soon as he sets this egg on the table there appears a tiny dancing girl, full of life, as big as a baby's doll, and who performs on the table some beautiful stage dances. All of a sudden she increases to the size of a ordinary woman, and jumping on the floor she delights the audience with her turns. The juggler and the dancing girl disappear in the most extraordinary way.” (Méliès Catalog)

A human skeleton is placed upon a table by an attendant. When the attendant leaves the room the skeleton begins kicking his legs and throwing his arms about and suddenly turns into a magician. The magician produces an egg, performing several sleight-of-hand tricks, and places it upon the table with the small end downward. He then crudely draws a human face upon the shell, and the egg immediately begins growing larger and larger until it reaches the size of a normal head.

A colonel in the military receives an unorthodox shower, an unorthodox shower indeed!

Lost comedy film from Georges Méliès.

A prestidigitator orders his assistant to bring a cabinet, which is displayed piece by piece to the audience. Two gentlemen are then introduced; they enter the cabinet and are securely bound with ropes to the chairs. The doors are closed and immediately the heads of the two men appear through apertures in the doors. The doors are immediately thrown wide open and the men are disclosed bound to the chairs as securely as at first. From this moment the most amusing scenes are enacted without interruption. The poor prestidigitator even loses his head, which is found upon a stool, while his body has been struggling in the most amusing way.

A magician explores two halves of his self: The Dwarf and the Giant.

At the beginning of the scene Romeo in his gondola sings to Juliet a sentimental song, then goes away. Hardly has he departed when the colonnade falls to pieces, disclosing the devil. Juliet, frightened, runs to the window and calls Romeo. The latter attempts to enter and protect his fiancée, but at a gesture from the devil the window is instantly covered with a grating and Romeo makes frantic efforts to break it. The devil begins to dance a wild dance before Juliet, who is beside herself from terror. The devil gradually becomes the size of a giant (a novel effect). Juliet implores the statue of Madonna, which becomes animated, descends from its pedestal, and stretching out its arms orders the devil to disappear. (Méliès Catalog)

A chemist carries out a bizarre experiment with his own head.

A magician's hat offers many surprises.

A young woman becomes the eighth wife of the wealthy Bluebeard, whose first seven wives have died under mysterious circumstances.

Lost short film from Georges Méliès.

Four black minstrels turn into white clowns and back again when they hit or kick each other.

A magician does tricks with the aid of his assistant, the Human Pump.

Lost comedy short film by Georges Méliès.

Lost short comedy film by Georges Méliès

Comedy short film by Georges Méliès.

A high nobleman finds himself in the Temple of the Sun, where he meets Mascarille, who proposes himself as a juggler. After extracting from the nobleman's nose several playing cards, Mascarille enlarges these cards and transforms them into the flags of all nations. From these flags he extricates a group of beauties. The nobleman begins to pay court to the ladies. Instantly the group disappears and the lord finds himself face to face with an animated Sun, who starts in a grotesque dance. The Sun is changed to a pumpkin. Then the devil appears, replaces the head of the lord with the pumpkin and drives him away with an enormous candlestick, which sends out flames and smoke.

A sorceress conjures up a bevy of beauties for a bachelor to peruse.

In a wizard's cavern, a series of magic tricks are performed..

A very enthusiastic magician performs several tricks.

In a bakery in the French countryside, Father Latourte, his wife, and their staff are busy with customers, pastries, and baked goods of all kinds. The Latourtes' young daughter, called Red Riding Hood, reads by the firelight until her parents leave for a moment. She starts to play boisterously, getting the bakery staff mixed up in hijinks and pratfalls. Her father and mother return, chagrined by her escapades, and she is told to take a pot of butter and a galette to her grandmother's cottage. Red Riding Hood travels through the forest on her errand, meeting a wolf, who finds out where she is going. Encountering her friends from the village school, she happily pauses her journey to play and dance with them. Meanwhile, at a windmill near the cottage, the miller Sans-Souci has comic trouble with his mule.

A clown performs various feats of magic based on his ability to detach and reattach different parts of his body.