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Georges Méliès

Page history last edited by Jessica Knight 14 years, 6 months ago

 

The Early Years Before Film

 

Maries Georges Jean Méliès was born on December 8, 1861 in Paris. From an early age, Méliès revealed promise excelling in the arts, which landed him a place at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. While attending this school of arts, Méliès expressed an interest for both stage design and puppetry. After studying abroad in London and learning to speak English, Méliès returned to Paris to work at his father’s business as a shoe maker where he eventually took over as manager upon his father’s retirement. Working as a shoe manufacturer allowed Méliès to save enough money to purchase the Robert Houdin Theatre that was placed for sale in 1888. After the purchase of the theatre, Méliès began working full time as a stage illusionist and magician. The skills for his performance consisted of techniques he had learned while studying in London. Méliès also worked on developing illusions and tricks of his own. (Early Cinema Pioneers: Georges Melies).

 

The Grand Inspiration and Beginnings in Film

 

On December 28, 1895, Méliès was able to view the Lumière brother's displaying the "Cinématographe." This exhibition sparked Méliès’ fascination with moving pictures and the art of film. Méliès directed 531 films between 1896-1914 and started a studio in 1897 where, for many of his films, actors performed in front of painted sets. The films ranged from one to forty minutes in length. The content of many of his films related back to Méliès’ interest in magic and illusion, sometimes displaying objects on screen to disappear or change in shape or size. Méliès was more interested in displaying these innovative special effects as merely as possible in film rather than having them contribute to a major plot or purpose in the film (Wikipedia: Georges Méliès). Some of the effects that Méliès liked to explore in his films include multiple exposure, superimposition, dissolves, and other editing techniques (Schneider 20).

 

Le Diable Noir (1905)

 

 

In this creative short film created by Méliès, we are introduced first to a devil character who is up to no good. He plans to wreak havoc in the inn by “playing” with an important guest. As the guest enters we see the devil vanish before our eyes. More of Méliès’ innovative filmmaking can be seen next when the dresser and table begin to move around the room in an instant with no one doing the work. A series of chairs coming, going, multiplying and vanishing on screen is another way that Méliès adds not only fun but depth and complexity by way of these visuals into the film.

 

Fame, Downfall, and the End

 

One of Méliès’ most famous films is titled Le voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) and was made in 1902. The film is an important example of early science fiction and fantasy film (Schneider 20). Méliès was driven out of the film industry when his film company went bankrupt in 1913 due to the development and success of larger French and American studios (Wikipedia: Georges Méliès). Thomas Edison, who also produced films during the same time period, managed to procure a copy of A Trip to the Moon, and wasted little time showing it to as many people as possible, which caused the film to gross very little in the United States. Méliès then became a toy salesman but eventually returned to the arts as a stage performer. Many of Méliès’ films have been lost, some due to the film being taken by the French army during World War I to be melted down to make boot heels and others lost due to the film being re-sold to be recycled into new film (Wikipedia: Georges Méliès). Méliès died January 21, 1938 in Paris and was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery (Early Cinema Pioneers: Georges Melies).

 

Final Thoughts

 

Some would say that Méliès created the notion of narrative in film. While he may not have been the very first to take a hand at narrative in film, Méliès definitely was one of the earliest to create fictional dramas rather than capturing actualities. His early experiments in filmmaking, such as that seen in Le voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) as well as the film Le Diable Noir (clip above), are some of the earliest examples we as viewers have of the new wave in art and entertainment. Méliès was a pioneer in visual techniques, dazzling audiences with “vanishing ladies, flying severed heads, monstrous bats and the Devil personified” (Méliès: Inspirations & Illusions). Even to a viewer today, one can’t help but grin when watching the marvels in filmmaking seen in Le voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon). From the “man in the moon” being hit in the eye to the sprouting mushrooms and creatures of the moon, the early work in cinema will never cease to impress audiences who take the time to delight in the early works of Méliès.

 

"Georges Méliès." EarlyCinema. n.d. Web. September 7, 2009

"Georges Méliès." Wikipedia. August 20, 2009. Web. September 7, 2009.

"Méliès: Inspirations & Illusions." The Missing Link. n.d. Web. September 17, 2009.

Schneider, Steven Jay. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You DieNew York: Barron's, 2008. 

Comments (1)

Sean Desilets said

at 9:35 am on Oct 13, 2009

* "As merely as possible"?
* Relationship between narrative and tricks?
* Could definitely do more with _The Black Imp_: mise-en-scene; camera position; contrast with Lumiere style
* Link to special effects

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