Les illusions fantaisistes (1910) Online

My first reaction is that this is nothing spectacular for Melies: ordinary stage conjuring, done with plenty of verve and pleasure in his presentation, and just enough under-cranking to add special vivacity to his presentation. However, the print that is preserved is beautifully hand-tinted and still, after ninety years, preserves lot of color. So it's good to look at.

But what a thing to do to Santa Claus!

This is one of the many previously lost or infrequently seen Melies pictures that have been made available by Serge Bromberg, David Shepherd and a myriad of other hands in the newly issued DVD set GEORGES MELIES: FIRST WIZARD OF CINEMA. Required viewing for anyone interested in the history of movies ..... and a lot of fun.

This is another of those Georges Melies films that amounts to little more than a presentation of a magic act enhanced with trick photography and hand-painted colour.

The film possesses Melies' characteristic energy and exuberance, but it's really no different from what he was producing five years earlier - simply a succession of stage tricks that no longer manage to astound its audience. It's for this reason that Melies' Star Films production company would go into bankruptcy in the next couple of years.

The highlights are the beating to death of Santa Claus and a bizarre moment in which Melies appears to produce a potted plant from his footman's derrière...

This film is currently on the website for Flicker Alley--a freebie for the fans. The company has already released two sets of films from the great French director, Georges Méliès. They are wonderful films and I highly recommend you give them a viewing.

Méliès made many shorts where he is a magician doing a variety of magic tricks--though the magic is really just turning the camera on and off to make things seem to appear, disappear or change before your eyes. The reason he did this so often in his films is that he was originally a stage magician--and brought his training into his films. I have probably seen 10-20 such films of his so far, though I must say this is the best of them. Why? Well, the color is AMAZING. It appeared as if the production company was using a hand-stenciling technique like the one developed by Pathé Frères--but it looks even better because Flicker Alley restored the full brilliance of the colors. Also, while the 'tricks' sometimes are pretty obviously done using stop-motion, a few of them were still REALLY, REALLY GOOD! However, when Santa (Père Noël) appears, don't let the kids see this--as the magician kills him!! Wow! Talk about being a grinch!! And, despite this, the film has a great sense of humor!

Melies reprises the magic show motif. He basically dresses the scene and then uses every prop he can imagine and a truly delightful box to demonstrate amazing visual tricks. Of course, everything is stop action but with the color and the quickness, the things we've seen before are fresher. There has a been a quality uplift. Melies does a nice job as the magician.