Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Six of Ten Stars
A man (Méliès), who has been cursed to wander the world until Judgement Day, rests and dreams about how he came to suffer this fate.
From a 21st century perspective, "The Wandering Jew" is one of Georges Méliès's lesser efforts. In 1905, I suspect that the audiences were very impressed by elaborately painted sets that give this film an almost three-dimensional look, as well as the way a dream unfolds semi-transparently on the screen and devils and angels appear and disappear in split seconds. To the modern viewer, though, these things are common place... and they way Méliès does it may even seem clumsy. For the time it was remarkable, especially considering that he invented and developed the techniques that.
One good reason for a modern viewer to watch this short film is for its succinct telling of the 13th century story of the man who was watching Jesus drag his cross through Jerusalem on his way to be executed--and this man not only refused Jesus's plea for water but also mocked him. As a result, he was cursed to wander the earth, without rest, until God renders Final Judgement on all humans who ever lived.
It's been a story that's fascinated me since I first heard it as a little kid, so I am predisposed to liking adaptations of it. This one I enjoyed because it is very literally in its interpretation of the Wandering Jew not ever being able to rest... and that not only do angels enforce the curse, but devils do as well. This is a nicely done adaptation that relates the core of the original story in a clear and straightforward fashion. Another sign of its effectiveness is that it once again made me wonder why the man remains cursed, given the central theme of Jesus's sacrifice and Christianity in general.
One good reason for a modern viewer to watch this short film is for its succinct telling of the 13th century story of the man who was watching Jesus drag his cross through Jerusalem on his way to be executed--and this man not only refused Jesus's plea for water but also mocked him. As a result, he was cursed to wander the earth, without rest, until God renders Final Judgement on all humans who ever lived.
It's been a story that's fascinated me since I first heard it as a little kid, so I am predisposed to liking adaptations of it. This one I enjoyed because it is very literally in its interpretation of the Wandering Jew not ever being able to rest... and that not only do angels enforce the curse, but devils do as well. This is a nicely done adaptation that relates the core of the original story in a clear and straightforward fashion. Another sign of its effectiveness is that it once again made me wonder why the man remains cursed, given the central theme of Jesus's sacrifice and Christianity in general.
As always, you're invited to take a few moments to watch this historic short film right here, from this post.
You can check out another of Méliès' films based in Christian tales--"The Temptation of St. Anthony" by clicking here. The effects in that one are more extensive... and it's also just a whole lot of fun.
.jpg)
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment