Rating: 
Summary: A silent film is suposed to be silent
Review: All I can tell is that the documentary is boring, and the form how the short films are articulated with the structure of the presentation makes me wanna cry, because for starting, the short films are played with the voice of an old lady who's explaining the film (i believe i can understand it by myself), and this voice over is un-remouvable. And the editor sometimes puts plans of the pianist playing, letting me the impression that film has not passed completely. The only thing good is the films of this visionaire.
Rating: 
Summary: WOW
Review: Georges Melies was a 50-year-old boy caught up in magic, splendor, and fantasy. A one-time Paris magician, he saw the Lumiere Bros. first early flicks and fell in love. With Film. This very excellent documentary explores Melies joys and tortures. One of the earliest film pioneers, his cinema genius introduced the stop-motion, animation, and trick photography years before anyone else. This DVD includes 15 complete films(some in beautiful color), narration by his French fans(including relatives), and a splendid documentary with ancient 35mm cameras and props. A true work of love, the DVD explains how greed and negligence allowed this classic artist to fail and drop into poverty. Rescued by French film societies, Melies was restored to prominence and allowed to retire in luxury. A man who maybe saved the early film industry from failure, Melies is really only appreciated by his home country of France today. No wonder. His film production career was stalled and damaged by American movie piracy and the demonic Edison trust. A must-see for any genuine cinephile.
Rating: 
Summary: Stupid logos ruin this DVD!
Review: I bought this DVD because I am a fan of silent era films and especially people like Melies and Winsor McCay. Sadly though, this DVD is utterly ruined. Someone thought it was a good idea to super-impose a gawd-awful white logo in the lower left hand side of the film, creating a distraction and a nuisance. I recommend against buying this DVD because it will encourage others to pull this nonsense. Would you like to see a beautiful restoration of Star Wars with a nasty Lucasfilms logo on top of it??? Didn't think so.
Rating:
Summary: More Melies, Please
Review: I hate complain when anyone bothers to release rarities has enjoyable as George Melies collections, but the images are too tightly cropped! There looks to be about a 20-25% picture loss on these prints compared to the Blackhawk Films prints or even the Kino Melies DVD I own. I've never seen the explorers in Trip To The Moon climb into the rocket off screen!? It's a great collection, the documentary is very good, and I still think it's worth owning, but I don't get the framing which will probably bug anyone who has seen these films elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: What a load of crap!
Review: Personally, I enjoyed this DVD, especially the rare Melies color films. A joy to watch. Also his very early film with his four heads talking on a table. The color tinted films are quite delightful too.As for the narration, Melies granddaughter (whose voice you hear) made it clear that in the days before titles were used in silents, people like Melies verbally narrated the action in such films to their audiences. Gives you a kind of "you are there" feel. But in either case, lovers of Disney and fantasy films in general should flock to this, as Meleis was the grand master who strarted it all. Great to watch with kids too (aside from the hanging scene in "Blue Beard").
Rating:
Summary: I loved it myself
Review: Personally, I enjoyed this DVD, especially the rare Melies color films. A joy to watch. Also his very early film with his four heads talking on a table. The color tinted films are quite delightful too. As for the narration, Melies granddaughter (whose voice you hear) made it clear that in the days before titles were used in silents, people like Melies verbally narrated the action in such films to their audiences. Gives you a kind of "you are there" feel. But in either case, lovers of Disney and fantasy films in general should flock to this, as Meleis was the grand master who strarted it all. Great to watch with kids too (aside from the hanging scene in "Blue Beard").
Rating: 
Summary: The biography of an unappreciated innovator.
Review: Prior to owning and viewing this documentary, I knew nothing about Melies, and only had a vague idea about one of his films as a result of a Smashing Pumpkins music video. I can only be ashamed of this former ignorance, for Melies is one of the most influential men of film history. Having the roots of a draftsman and a performing magician, Melies utilized the birth of film and founded special effects, constructed the first film studio, and created the very first science fiction film. Yet he was reduced to selling candy at a trainstation as an old man!
This documentary is quite long, indepth, and some of the dramatizations are quite mundane. However, it is the story of an a profound innovator, deserving of greater recognition.
Rating:
Summary: The biography of an unappreciated innovator.
Review: Prior to owning and viewing this documentary, I knew nothing about Melies, and only had a vague idea about one of his films as a result of a Smashing Pumpkins music video. I can only be ashamed of this former ignorance, for Melies is one of the most influential men of film history. Having the roots of a draftsman and a performing magician, Melies utilized the birth of film and founded special effects, constructed the first film studio, and created the very first science fiction film. Yet he was reduced to selling candy at a trainstation as an old man!
This documentary is quite long, indepth, and some of the dramatizations are quite mundane. However, it is the story of an a profound innovator, deserving of greater recognition.
Rating:
Summary: okay
Review: The DVD begins with the doctumentary and the shorts later. I suggest actually watching the documentary because of the insight you gain into the creator and the work he put into this shorts. As the shorts go they're like the early signs of cinema, fuzzy, but imaginative. Melies has some quirks too like all the stuff he does with his head. His material is limited as the documentary explained he burnt most of his films in a panic. But what is there shows why he is considered to be one of cinema's early greats. The documentary leaves something to be desired which is why I only rate this as a whole as 3 stars. Other reviewers complain about the same things as I did, how the narration on the shorts were unnecessary. But I liked how it didn't target to the average viewer. Sure I know nothing about this guy but I liked hearing about his magic and editing tricks. One thing the documentary does right, is its presentment of how Melies was a passionate busybody. It made me feel guilty for my lazy behavior.
Rating:
Summary: What a load of crap!
Review: The picture was terrible and the sound didn't work well. Maybe you should check out Duran Duran videos instead.
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