Bessie Love shines in a cute fantasy short film

The Little Knight (aka "The Adventures of Prince Coraguous: The Litte Knight") (1923)

Starring: Bessie Love, Arthur Trimble, Monte Collins, and Charles Belcher

Directors: Fred Becker and Charles R. Seeling

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A wandering knight (Belcher) is cursed by an evil witch to appear to all who see him as a little boy (Trimble). He soon meets and falls in love with Princess Bernice (Love) who is being forced into an arranged marriage with the cowardly, villainous Duke Craven (Collins). Will our hero overcome his curse, rescue the damsel in distress, and win her heart?  

"The Little Knight" is a fun fantasy short film that was intended to be the first in a 12-part series meant primarily as a vehicle for child actor Arthur Trimble (and produced by a film company bearing his name). Ultimately, only three were finished and released. 

Sharing top billing with Trimble was Bessie Love who in 1923 was near the top of her all-too-brief stint as a Hollywood superstar. While everyone else in the picture can be described giving adequate performances, Love is as attention-commanding as ever when she's on screen. Only Monte Collins comes close to rivaling her in being remarkable as he hams it up as the film's main bad guy. But, Love's cuteness, if not her acting skills, are eclipsed by Little Arthur Trimble; it's easy to see why he was tapped for child-stardom. 

A few plot threads are left dangling when "The End" flashes on the screen, but what we have is still basically a complete story. If you like classic fantasy and can get past the opening swordfight with the world's smallest giant, I think you'll find the 16-minutes you'll devote to watching "The Little Knight" time well spent.

And if you've made it this far, why don't you click below to check out "The Little Knight" and see if you agree with our take on the film. And please let us know with a comment, either here or on the video itself.

Damsels & Dragons: A New Shades of Gray Series!

A young dragon had taken to dining on the sheep of a human village, snatching one each evening. As the dragon was about to grab his 14th sheep, an adventurer, whose physical strength was legendary, ambushed him. 

"I will subdue you with my bare hands, then by the gods' decree you shall become my slave and bedevil innocent people no more!" the human declared.

The dragon laughed, but his mirth faded as he came to realize he had underestimated the human. The adventurer was winning the battle.

At the very last moment, just as the dragon was about to surrender, a beautiful maiden appeared. She declared her undying love for the heroic man and ran up and kissed him. The adventurer was so distracted that the dragon ended up victorious. 

The maiden was actually the dragon's love who had shapeshifted into human form. The two dragons then celebrated by eating the adventurer's corpse. The sheep were spared that day, but for the next little while, the village lost TWO sheep each evening. (Art by Henry Justice Ford.)

An unusual role for Mary Pickford

Suds (1920)
Starring: Mary Pickford, Harold Goodwin, Albert Austin, and Rose Dione
Director: John Francis Dillon
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A London laundress (Pickford) spins a fantasy that she is a disherited noblewoman who is just waiting to be rescued by her banished lover (Austin). As she tries to make her fantasy a reality, she pushes away and disregards a man who truly loves her (Goodwin).

 

"Suds" is one of those rare films where there's no antagonist whatsoever; the main character is the source of every obstacle to her success and happiness. It's also a film where every cast-member has a degree of presence and likeability that makes the film extremely watchable. Between the talented cast and some excellent photography, the film moves easily from comedy to drama and back to comedy again. Similarly, the subplot involving an aging horse might not have seemed as impactful and relevant as it did. 

The leader of this excellent cast is, in every way, Mary Pickford. In the film's real world, her character is at times comedic, at times uncouth bordering on revolting, at times so pitiful it makes the viewer want to cry for her. On the other hand, in the world of her character's imagination, she is poised, elegant, devoted to her lover beyond concern for even her own life. Where the real character is scattered and clumsy, she imagines herself as focused and graceful. It is in this form that we get to see the Mary Pickford we can recognize from other films. 

Perhaps the most tragic thing about Pickford's character in "Suds" is that she is actually the noble character she imagines herself to be, at least in personality. The aforementioned subplot with the draft horse sees her go above and beyond to save it shows her kind and noble character very clearly. She doesn't have the self-esteem and social grace to apply it properly.

If you have enjoyed Mary Pickford in other films, I think you're going to enjoy her here, too. She gets to play a character very different from what you have seen her do before, but she also provides some examples of her "standard" performance styles.

Click below to watch "Suds" in its entirety. The version featured has a modern score that works in some places and doesn't in others. For all I know, it might be a random piece of instrumental music that is just repeated over and over... and any of the times when it matches perfectly with the action on the screen is purely luck.

Artful magic... or is it magical art?

The Drawing Lesson (aka "The Living Statue") (1903)
Starring: Jehanne d'Alcy and Georges Méliès

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A sorcerer (Melies) causes chaos during a life-drawing class.

"The Drawing Lesson" is a fun visual romp from Georges Melies, a stage magician turned filmmaker who pioneered a whole host of special effects and film editing mainstays. We are treated to a mixture of two of the most common elements in his film--sorcery and/or stage magic performed via the wonders of in-camera editing and doube-exposure, and a setting that feels like a fairy tale come to life.

If this is the first Georges Melies film you have seen, it's an excellent introduction to his work. Take a couple minutes to check it out. If you like quirky, comedic short films, I am certain you will enjoy it.

'Validation' is fun, sweet, and entertaining

Validation (2007)
Starring: TJ Thyne and Vicki Davis
Director: Kurt Kuenne

Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

A parking attendant (Thyne) with a gift for lifting people's spirits falls in love with the one person he can't make smile (Davis).

If you're feeling down and/or are in the mood for a romantic comedy, you need to watch "Validation". Even if you're happy and just want to watch something really fun and entertaining, you need to watch "Validation".  Go ahead and click on the embedded video below! I guarantee you will have a smile on your face at the end of its 15-minutes run-time... and I likewise feel you'll find yourself adding this to your lists of favorite romantic comedies and urban fantasy films. You'll also find yourself humming the theme song, "Smile".

I probably already gave too much away about the film between the teaser summary at the top and the paragraph above, so I'll just add that if liked T.J. Thynes on the long-running Fox series "Bones" (2005 - 2017), you'll love him after seeing his performance here.

I love everything about this short film. It's among the most solid Ten of Ten Stars I've awarded since I began writing reviews again in 2003. If I could, I'd give it Eleven Stars, because it deserves a Star for the punnish title alone. (If you've spent any time on my Facebook page, you know how much I love puns.)

The Electric Boogaloo of the Gods

Jupiter's Thunderballs (1903)
Starring: Anonymous Actors and Dancers

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Zeus's thunderbolts begin to fizzle, so he summons Hephaestus to repair them. While the upgraded bolts intially are able to call all nine Muses into Zeus' presence, it soon becomes clear that they work a too well!

Although not a very good example of how fantastic Georges Méliès' special effects could be--what we have here is rather clumsy and badly executed when compared to the perfection in some of his other films--this is one of my all-time favorite modern usages of the Greek gods. I don't think I will ever not feel like this is among the most fun three-and-a-half minutes of film that was ever made. Likewise, I don't think I'll ever have to supress the urge to make a Beavis and Buttlike like snicker and say, "He said balls" whenever I see its title. (I also think I'll never understand why both the French and English title reference Jupiter when the sets and costumes all reference the Greek names and versions of the featured gods rather than the Roman ones. Maybe it's a fourth-wall joke that's going over my head?)

Click below and watch "Jupiter's Thunderballs". If you end up not considering it among the best moments you had today, you may take me to task in the comments!)

Opium Fiend vs Booze-Stealing Moon Hussy

The Dream of an Opium Fiend (1908)
Starriing:  Jeanne d'Alcy and an otherwise anonymous cast

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

An upper-class drug addict's opium-enduced fantasy turns bizarre and nightmarish.

"The Dream of an Opium Fiend" is one Georges Méliès many "dream sequence" films. Although I prefer the ones where it's unclear if what's happening is a dream or if the main character has been transported to a weird world or is being visited by supernatural beings, I still rank this one among the best of this particular type of Méliès. The trick photography is expertly executed, the mechanical effects are excellently done, and the acting is hilarious. The storyline of the dream is both funny and frightening, something that's befitting of it being a drug-induced hallucination. 

I might have given this film a Nine or even a Ten rating if not for the odd choice of having the beer-stealing Moon Maid descend from her perch on a step ladder instead of by floating. The sudden appearance of the ladder is amusing, but I feel like her descent would have been more impactful if it had taken place through less mundane means.

If you've liked other Méliès films I've written about and featured here on the blog, I think you'll like this one, too. As usual, it's embedded below. It ends rather suddenly, so I think what's survived to this day is missing whatever the original ending was. Still, it's an enjoyable few minutes.

Halloween Warm-Up: The Monster

Here's a little flick from the cinematic special effects pioneer Georges Méliès that may help you get in the proper mood this Halloween season!


The Monster (1903)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A necromancer in Ancient Egypt shows off to a friend, summoning spirits and restoring life and beautiful youth woman who's long been dead.

"The Monster" is one of hundreds of showcases that Georges Melies made for his brand of cinematic wizardry during the early years of filmmaking. At roughly two-and-a-half minutes in length, this is an uncomplicated film, but it features some impressive (for the time) and well-executed special effects, and a nice little twist at the end. 

(If you've seen several other of Melie's films, there won't be many surprises here, but if you're a fan of his work, you'll still enjoy yourself.)

Check out "The Monster" right here, in this post, embedded below via YouTube.

'The Genii of Fire' is hot stuff

The Genii of Fire (1908)
Starring: Anonymous Actors
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

In ancient Persia, a wealthy couple trespasses in a temple for the worship of fire genies... and are punished for it. 

"The Genii of Fire" is another great fantasy film from Georges Méliès, a guy who was making better movies before they'd even been fully invented than most filmmakers working today. He had been making these short films for over a decade at this point, and it shows. 

In this film, Méliès stages complex scenes involving a dozen actors interacting with each other as well as facilitating the film's effects which are a mix of the now-expected appearing and disappearing creatures and items, with some very nice pyrotechnics thrown in. It's rare that I am impressed with performances from actors in a Méliès film, but here we have an exception. While there are a few moments of what I assume is unintentional comedy, we are also treated to a bit where the cultists arrive in the temple, find the couple checking it out, and have an absolutely hilarious "what the hell are these two idiots doing here?" reaction. What makes the reaction funny is that it is subtle--there's none of the over--emoting or mugging or any of the typical early silent movie "acting techniques" but just good, solid acting. 

"The Genii of Fire" would be a solid Ten if Méliès had come up with a better way to end it. On the one hand, it's nice to see some honest-to-God story structure since so many of his films are, at best, vignettes, but on the other hand... well, I don't want to spoil anything for those who rightly take a few minutes to watch this great little film.

Not one of Melies' best, but still worth watching

Parafaragamus the Alchemist, or The Infernal Horn 

(aka "The Mysterious Retort" and "The Alchemist and the Demon") (1906)

Starring: Georges Méliès

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

An aged mystic (Méliès) drifts off to sleep in his workshop, and his magic still malfunctions and creates spirits--but not the kind you drink.

"Parafaragamus the Alchemist, or The Infernal Horn" is one of the many fantasy shorts that Georges Méliès created during the first decade of the 20th century to showcase his groundbreaking cinematic special effects. It's not the best example of his work--what little story we have here doesn't make a lot of sense, and he did better and more elaborate effects in films--but it only runs roughly three-and-a-half minutes, so it's okay for what it is. (The overall message--mess with the demons, you'll get the horns--but there's not much else going on... except perhaps for the clever bit where Melies shows that something good MIGHT have come from the experiment if only the old man had been awake.)

Despite my negativity above, I do have say that like all of Méliès' fantasy-oriented shorts, it holds up better to modern sensibilities than do the ones where he's just replicating stage illusions, or using film to create elaborate magic tricks that would been impossible  to do live on stage. I think the film is also remarkable in the way it manages to both be goofy and grim at the same time.

As is my habit with these silent shorts, I make them available for you watch in the same post as my review. While there may be better examples of Melies work out there, I think this one is still worth the few minutes of your day it will take you to watch it. (And if you disagree with my estimation, be sure to leave your your take on it in a comment below.) 

It's early movie magic with 'The Magician'

The Magician (1898)

Starring: Georges Méliès

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

An old magician (Méliès) turns himself into a young clown... and then things get really weird.

"The Magician" is one of groundbreaking filmmaker's Georges Méliès early efforts, and it's more of a vignette than a proper short film. As with many of his efforts, it's made primarily to be a magic show up on film, creating the illusions primarily with in-camera film editing and other trick photography instead props and sleight-of-hand. I usually find those to be among the least interesting of Méliès' efforts, but there's an exception to every rule... and this is that exception.

As is my habit with these Méliès reviews, I'm embedding the film I'm talking about in this post. Unlike my usual habit, it's going to be here in the middle instead of at the end, because I'm going to "spoil" the film with the comments that follow. (Watch it now if you want to watch the surprises unfold as Méliès intended, and then continue reading below.)

As I've already mentioned, "The Magician" is one of those plot-free offerings where Méliès is mostly (and joyously) showing off his special effects trickery, using stage magic as his point of departure. and However, it's slightly more interesting than most of them.

First, the trick photography effects here are executed with amazing precision, especially taking into account how early this film comes from, both in Melies time as a filmmaker and the art of filmmaking in general.

Secondly, because he includes elements of fantasy here. As this vignette unfolds, we watch a gray-bearded wizard turn himself into a young, starving harlequin. He is then transformed by an artist by the devil--an artist who creates living sculptures whom he falls in love with. Ultimately, the devil returns and, literally, kicks his ass. And that's where it ends.

 And with that sudden non-ending ending (the devil kicks the artist, he flies off-camera... and we have no wrap-up or even a hint as to what happened to the magician ultimately), it occurred to me that maybe there IS a plot in this film. Maybe it's a story about an old man who tries to recapture his youth through magic, but as he relives his life and grows from a foolish child into a worldly man, the devil and even death--and final oblivion--catch up with him anyway.

I could be reading something into this film that's not there--sort of like a cloud might look like a dragon, or an ink blot test might look like two men with hammers--but maybe it's the exact story/message that Méliès was trying to convey. What do you think out there? What's your take on "The Magician"?

In memory of Jim Holloway

Artist Jim Holloway passed away on June 28, 2020. He drew some fabulous illustrations for RPGs during the 1980s and 1990s, full of action and humor. Here is a gallery of drawings for such diverse games as "Chill", "Dungeons & Dragons", "Paranoia", and "Star Frontiers", in his memory and honor.

Welcome to 'Hell's Kitchen: Silent Move Edition'

The Ogre's Cuisine (aka "In the Bogie Man's Cave") (1907)

Starring: Jeahanne d'Alcy and Anonymous Actors
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

An ogre is happily preparing his favorite dish--freshly butchered human, flour-coated and pan-fried with a mix of spiced vegetables--when the fairy equivalent of Gordon Ramsey and her sous-chefs decide to pay him a visit...

Cooking shows continue to be very popular with friends of mine. If you enjoy them as well, you might get a kick out this gruesome little silent fantasy film from special effects pioneer Georges Méliès. 

Like other of Méliès's best pictures, "The Ogre's Cuisine" presents a story that is a fun balance of the bizarre and the macabre, as well as being something more than just a way for him to show off his cinematic illusions. I'm a little fuzzy on exactly what happens at the end--when the titular ogre puts on his butt-stomping boots--but everything up to the final few seconds is highly enjoyable. (This film is only six minutes long; maybe you can check it out below and tell me what you think is going on at the very end.)

'A Crazy Composer' will brighten your day

The Crazy Composer (1906)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

A composer suffering from a creative block is visited by Muses and other magical creatures that rekindle his creativity... or is he?

It may be over 100 years old, but I suspect more than a few of those of you out there who work in creative fields can relate to the "crazy composer" in this film. Heck, these days, we can probably all relate to this film's title character, in the sense that we're all going a little stir-crazy with the global pandemic keeping many of us housebound. It's even worse now that the weather is turning good in many places.

Another thing that makes me strongly recommend watching "A Crazy Composer" is that it's the best Méliès film that I've watched so far. The large cast of energetic dancers and musicians perform their bits with flawless precision, and the special effects trickery is so precisely executed that it's clear why Méliès is more than deserving of being called "The Father of SFX". As this film unfolds, the cast on screen keeps growing and the dance numbers keep getting more elaborate and funnier... and the execution remains flawless.

As good as the film itself is, the modern musical score that is featured in the version I've embedded below makes the viewing experience eve better. It's PERFECT and absolutely hilarious, and it proves that these films are so much better served when someone takes the time to actually score them instead of just using some random muzak trck.

I can't recommend "A Crazy Composer" strongly enough. Whether you're homebound, stuck working more than you'd like, or not working at all, due to the current global crisis, I think the four or so minutes you'll devote to this film will brighten the rest of your day tremendously.

"Well... that escalated quickly." (Lesson: Don't steal!)

The Devil's Money Bags (aka "The Treasures of Satan") (1902)
Starring: Uncredited
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A burglar tries to steal sacks of money from an enchanted chest and pays dearly.

"The Devil's Money Bags" is another fun mini-fantasy film from pioneering special effects artist Georges Méliès. Like most of Méliès films, this one serves up some light-hearted fun with its photographic trickery... but unlike most of his films, this one takes a gruesome and downright terrifying turn at the end. Hell... this 100+ year-old movie is more chilling than a lot of horror movies that get made today.

Take a few minutes out of your day and check out this great little piece of horror film history, right now via the embedded YouTube vide below!

A man gets his due 'In the Witch's Home'

In the Witch's Home (aka "The Bachelor's Paradise") (1901)
Starring: Uncredited Actors
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating:  Seven of Ten Stars

A wealthy man pays a witch to create the perfect woman for him.

"In the Witch's Home" is another of pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès trick-photography showcases. Unlike some of this other films, which are just about showing off special effects illusions, this one provides a plot along with the movie magic.

Story-wise, Méliès covered this same ground in 1900's "The Wizard, the Prince, and the Good Fairy", but, while the cinematic trickery in that one was focused on clothing transforming and characters appearing and disappearing in-frame, this one is built around a centerpiece of one woman turning into several, with a couple of very effective physical transformations thrown in at the end. This film is less chaotic in its execution than Méliès's previous similar effort, and the effects are also more convincing. Additionally, the ending to this one is more satisfying to 21st Century viewers.

You can watch "The Bachelor's Paradise" right here, embedded below via YouTube.

The Jackson Four go to Mt. Olympus

Another Day on Mt. Olympus (2015)
Starring: Rebekah Jackson, Elisabeth Jackson, Bethany Jackson, and Sharon Jackson
Director: Rebekah Jackson
Rating Six of Ten Stars

1920s party girl Arachne (Rebekah Jackson) stumbles through a dimensional portal to Mt. Olympus where she incurs the wrath of the goddess Athena (Elisabeth Jackson).

Back when I was in college, making silent short films was a typical assignment for film students. If YouTube is any judge, it still is (and it appears that some folks make them just for the hell of it--some even attempt to make them look and feel as if they were made during the silent era.

I don't know if "Another Day on Mt. Olympus" was a student project or just something the Jackson Sisters made for fun, but it's one of the more entertaining of such efforts I've come across. In fact, I like the basics here so much that I found myself wishing a little more effort had been put into mimicking the filming techniques and scene framing used during the silent films--but then I told myself to just relax. Whatever motivated the creation of this silent, 1920s-styled retelling of the myth of Athena and Arachne, it's a glee-filled little movie. The Jackson Sisters are having fun making it (so much fun that they can't keep from cracking up during a highly dramatic scene), which makes the film fun to watch... and I shouldn't leach that fun out of it by putting on my critic cap.

I encourage you to take a look at this fun little movie, in the spirit of April Fool's Day. There are far less entertaining ways you could waste eight minutes!



(Okay, so I will bring up one thing that bugs me. Why does Jackson do random fades in the middle of scenes? THAT I don't get...)

Musical Monday with Woodkid

Here's a little something to kick off the week for my fellow D&D players and other lovers of fantasy! It's a neat song and an excellent music video that features some great visualizations of what it must be like when the evil priest calls down a rain of fire upon the heads of that pesky adventuring party!


Woodkid (2011)
Starring: Willy Cartier, Agyness Deyn, and Matvey Lykov
Director: Yoann Lemoine
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Angels and Fairies and Toys--Oh My!

The Grandmother's Story and the Child's Dream (aka "Grandmother's Story") (1908)
Starring: André Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Four of Ten Stars

An angel descends and whisks away a child (André Méliès) to a magical land of living toys and fairies. Or was it all a dream?

"The Grandmother's Story and the Child's Dream" (1908) is one of Georges Méliès lesser efforts. It's slow to get started, it's got sloppy blocking, and the trick photography is less precise than is the standard set by other films. I think the main problem here is that it was under-rehearsed, with its large cast not hitting their marks quite right and not standing still enough for Méliès in-camera special effects to work properly. That more rehearsal was needed also seems evident in how some of the fairies seem clumsy or listless, and how an adult actor yanks the "dreaming child" back to his mark in one scene.

It's a shame the performers in this film weren't steadier, because I like every idea present, I like the visualizations of the fairy-realm, and, other than the slow start, I appreciate that Méliès lets this film unfold at a less frenetic pace than many of his other works.
As always with these Méliès reviews, I encourage you to take a few mintues to check out the movie for yourself, right here in this post. You might find my take completely wrong--in which case I hope you'll let me know in a comment below.

'The Mysterious Knight' brings the movie magic!

The Mysterious Knight (aka "Le Chevalier Mystère") (1899)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A sorcerer (Méliès) brings a chalk drawing of a head to life.

During the earliest days of filmmaking, Frenchman Georges Méliès made dozens upon dozens of short fatasy films that pioneered cinematic special effects. Some have plotlines and tell weird, phantasmagorical stories, while others are created for no reason other than to show off trick photography.

"The Mysterious Knight" is in this latter category. While most 21st Century viewers may not be "wow'ed" by this little film, the straightforward, exuberant presentation makes it a joy to watch. My favorite part of the film are the transformations of the head, as well as the way the character "proves" to us that it really is a disembodied head.

But don't just take my word for it. Why don't you brighten your day and take a minute to check out "The Mysterious Knight", right now from this post?