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.
The Evidence of the Film (1913) Starring: Florence La Badie, Marie Eline, and William Garwood Directors: Lawrence Marston and Edwin Thanhouser Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
When a messenger boy (Eline) for a crime, a sharp-eyed film editor (La Badie) spots exonerating evidence accidentially captured on film by a crew working on location.
This may not be the first film to feature filmmaking and the film industry as part of the plot, but I think it may be first one to feature the literal backshop of the cinema business--the editing suite where pieces of film are spliced together into movies.
The various story elements are engaging and the acting is as naturalistic as can be expected from a film of this vintage; Florence La Badie seems particularly subdued in her scenes. William Garwood was the most expressive of actors, doing exaggerated sneaky and dramatic gestures as befitting his villainous character. With only 13-minutes of run-time, there isn't much room for character development, but nearly every character that is involved in some way with the story is given tiny moments that show its personality. This all adds up to a feeling that this story and cast could have supported a much longer film.
As much as I enjoyed this "The Evidence of the Film", any suspense that might have been generated from the poor messenger boy going to jail for a crime he didn't commit is dispelled by the fact the title gives away how he might be exonerated. On a related note, any suspension of disbelief on my part was also completely shattered by the way the film crew didn't seem to care that a child and a man wandered into the shot but just kept on cranking... and that the man didn't notice a camera pointing at him as he enacted his sinister plan to frame the child. Maybe audiences in 1913 didn't think along lines, because movies were still a new thing.
Despite these glaring flaws, I found this to be a highly enjoyable little film, with a talented cast and a well-paced story. It makes me feel it's a terrible shame that not more of the output of the Thanhouser film company has survived to the present day. But at least we have this one--and it's in excellent shape, despite missing its opening and end title cards.
Take a look for yourself by clicking below. And please let me know if you agree or disagree with my take by leaving a comment.
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