'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.

The first horror movie?

The Cook's Revenge (1900)

Starring: Georges Méliès and Jeahanne d'Alcy
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

The accidental decapitation of an evil cook (Méliès) is only the beginning...

A couple weeks ago, I posted about "The Temptation of St. Anthony", a film that has been described as the first religious movie. Upon watching "The Cook's Revenge", from the same filmmaker, I wonder if he can also be credited with making the first straight-up horror movie?

Georges Méliès was the first filmmaker to recognize the medium's use for telling fantastic stories and creating scenes and events that could not be created without the use of various forms of trick photography. Severed heads that continue to talk (or otherwise behave in bizarre ways) was a mainstay in many of his films, but I've yet to see any of them be quite as gruesome and horrific as what we have in the film embedded below.

What do you think? Is this film that opens with a cook trying to force his sexual attentions upon a waitress and ends with a brutal murder the first horror film? It's surreal and darkly comedic, as are many of Méliès's films, but the action here is something that would be perfectly at home in one of the "Evil Dead" films or series episodes. It's not even a minute long, so how about your check it out below and tell me what you think, either in the comments section, or on my Facebook page.

Fun with Religion and Trick Photography

The Temptation of St. Anthony (1898)
Starring: Georges Méliès and Jeahanne d'Alcy
Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

Spirits try to make St. Athony (Méliès) to give into lustful, and even blasphemous, desires.

I've seen "The Temptation of St. Anthony" described as the first religious film. I don't know if that is factually accurate, but given the innovative filmmaker who made it, as well as the time at which it was made, it makes sense. 

Although this is one of Georges Méliès' early films, and he was still perfecting his techniques, it is also among his best. The pacing is perfect and the trick photography involving spirits appearing and disappearing is very well done. The bit where Christ is replaced on the cross by one of the tempting spirits is particularly impressive--and I can only imagine what the reaction of audiences must have been ca. 1900.

This is one of the best Méliès pieces I've seen yet--and if all religious films were as much fun as this, they'd be more popular both with their target audience and the population at large. There are only two things that make me give it a rating of a Low Nine, and one may just amount to nit-picking.

First--and most nitpicky--while I love the excitement and enjoyment of creation that oozes from every frame of many of these early Méliès films, actress Jeahanne d'Alcy (as the primary spirit trying to lead St. Anthony astray) almost seems to be having too good a time. She got such a big grin on her face at times that it seems like she's trying keep from laughing. It runs a little contrary to the whole temptress role that she is playing.

Second, as the film comes to a close, I feel that it's unclear exactly where the spirits that were tempting St. Anthony came from. My natural assumption is that they were evil in nature, but the final few moments of the film seem to indicate they may well have been angelic in nature. While Divine Mysteries are all fine and good, I'm not a fan of them in movies, not even religious ones.

How about you take a minute--because that's about all it will take--to watch "The Temptation of St. Anthony" and let me know what you think. Were angels trying to set up the pious man, or was he staving off demons? It's embedded below, right here in this post.

A man and his box of tricks...

The Famous Box Trick (1898)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

A magician performs his signature trick, involving a box, a bird, a boy, and a big axe.

"The Famous Box Trick" is, as the title should make clear, another one of trailblazing filmmaker and special effects artist Georges Méliès short films that presents and, using trick photography, enhances a fairly standard stage illusion. As I've mentioned in previous articles, these are among my least favorite of his films, but this one I absolutely adore. In fact, I am so fond of it that I watched it, and then came back a week later and watched it again, just make sure I wasn't in some strange mood when I first saw it.

In the final analysis, this is, by far, the most charming of Méliès' films I've seen, and I recommend it to everyone reading this--whether you want to watch something fun or something historic.

At just over a minute, this film is so brimming with joy and excitement that even the most surly of viewers can't help but have his or her spirits lifted. The creative energy of Méliès as he essentially creates not only the art of special effects but, arguably, filmed fiction in general, is also so evident here that it's impossible not to love this effort. Even better, despite being one of his earliest efforts, every bit of trick photography is executed with absolute perfection. 

Take a look at "The Famous Box Trick" for yourself. I hope I haven't raised expectations to high with my praise above, but I really to think it's a perfect little film. If I could time travel, I think I'd want to go back to see how the audience reacted in 1898 when Méliès screened this film for them, as an add-on to the live magic act he performed in his theatre.

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"?

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.)

Magic Tricks with Georges

The Vanishing Lady (aka "The Conjuring of a Woman at the House of Robert Houdin") (1896)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A magician gives a private performance where he makes a lady vanish and then reappear gradually.

Usually, I find the Georges Méliès films where he's just doing standard magician's tricks but using camera trickery to accomplish the illusion to be the most uninteresting of his works. However, "The Vanishing Lady" is one of the most impressive entries in that category, because the film stops are nearly undetectable, and the way he is takes steps to "prove" the magic is real almost appear like they are mistakes and are very well done.

For a bit of film that's some 125 years old is very impressive... and I suggest you take a minute (literally) to check it out right now.

 

'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.

Georges and the Magic Bubbles

Soap Bubbles (1906)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Come one, come all! Witness a performance by the magician (Méliès) who eschews smoke and mirrors in favor of smoke and bubbles!

"Soap Bubbles" is a straight-ahead showcase for Georges Méliès trick photography-created special effects. There's no narrative framework for the movie magic here, as the viewer is treated to a literal performance by a stage magician. I imagine that audiences in 1906 were awestruck by what they saw unfold on the screen, since special effects were still quite rare in films. For the modern viewer, this may be a little hokey, and if you've already seen several of Méliès's films there won't be any surprises here. Still, the effects hold up nicely, given that "Soap Bubbles" is over 110 years old, and there's really only one that I found myself disappointed with.

I invite you to take a few minutes to check out "Soap Bubbles" below, especially if you're new in these parts. Georges Méliès was a pioneer in the area of special effects, and I feel he deserved to be remembered and that movie lovers should continue to watch his work.

We've all had mornings like this... right?

It may be 120 years old, but "How He Missed His Train" is as relevant and important as ever. After all, we've all had mornings like the poor fellow in the film, and we've all had to call into work with this exact explanation as to why we were going to be late. We have, haven't we? I can't be the only one...

How He Missed His Train (1900)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

(This is an impressive and hilarious bit of trick photography filmmaking from the father of special effects. It's both simple and complex and it's near-flawless in execution. Even better, I'm sure it's relatable to anyone who's gotten up on the "wrong side of the bed.")

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?

'The Christmas Dream' brings Holiday Cheer

The Christmas Dream (1901)
Starring: Uncredited Actors
Directed by Georges Méliès
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A child dreams about more than just fairies and sugar plums on Christmas Eve.

"The Christmas Dream" consists of a series scenes of Yuletide merriment and magic, as dreamed by a child. Some of them are standard Christmas scenes (such as church bells being rung and a sumptuous feast for rich nobles being shared with a beggar). some are variations on standard Christmas imagery (angels delivering presents by dropping them down chimneys, and dancing fairies magically turning a wintery landscape into a Christmas tree), and others are just plain strange (such as some sort of weird Christmas parade with Punch & Judy-style jesters and a line of can-can dancers; I think maybe it's the 12 Days of Christmas song brought to life, but I'm not sure).

There’s no plot to speak of in this film, just lots of Christmas cheer. For a Méliès film, it's also very light on special effects, with only a couple simple (compared to what he does in other films) tick photography shots. It's not his most remarkable work, but it's worth checking out if you're in the mood for something with a different sort of Christmas Spirit. What's more, you can watch it in this very post, by clicking below!

'The Astronomer's Dream' is trippy fun!

The Astronomer's Dream (1898) (aka "A Trip to the Moon")
Starring: Georges Méliès and Jehanne d'Alcy
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars


An astronomer (Méliès) is plagued by strange events in his observatory, culminating in it being invaded by celestial bodies, and an angelic figure with a heavenly body (d'Alcy).

Georges Méliès was a French illusionist who fell in love with the power of moving pictures back when filmmaking was in its infancy. He made dozens upon dozens of trippy short films that were full of inanimate objects turning into people, and visa-versa; people and spirits appearing from, and vanishing into, thin air; and even rocket ships traveling to other worlds. He is widely and accurately considered the father of cinematic special effect, and by 1898, he had already perfected his basic techniques and his films and their visual trickery would only get more elaborate as the Silent Movie Age progressed.

"The Astronomer's Dream" is a rollicking 3-minute long special effects extravaganza which I think is almost as entertaining to modern viewers as it was back in the 1890s. Although there is a story here (but whether it's ultimately a comedy or a tragedy is left up to the viewers' interperation), and there are a some actors doing actor things, the driving force and star of this movie is the special effects. They must have been awe-inspiring back as the 19th century was giving way to the 20th, and while we may be less amazed by them today--since all but the youngest of children or most sheltered of adults know the basics of special effects--the trippiness they bring to the viewing experience remains undulled. After all, what's not to love about a movie where the moon descends to Earth to eat the content of an observatory and disgorge some children? Or a movie where a sexy space goddess decides to drop in, just because?

Whether you're interested in film as an art form, or just want to spend three minutes enjoying a weird little movie that's as charming now as it was 121 years ago, I strongly encourage you watch "The Astronomer's Drea", right here, right now!