Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 2: The Magic of Méliès

Rating:
Summary: Melies is fabulous!
Review: Between 1896 and 1912, Georges Melies produced over 500 films. Fifteen of them are found here, along with a twenty minute documentary about Melies. The documentary is unusual, told as a first person narrative with other voices occasionally reminiscing about Georges as a boy, etc. As I say, it is unusual but interesting, and we learn that Monsieur Melies' parents allowed him to leave the family shoe factory so that he could pursue his own different drummer. He became a magician and actor, later falling in love with the Lumiere brothers' cinematographe; unable to buy a Lumiere machine, he invented his own combination camera-projector and began showing his films at carnivals and fairs. After making many films, Melies finished his life running a toy shop with an old flame.

If the Lumieres were the first film documentarians, Melies was the first film wizard, and these fifteen examples of his work are still a pleasure to watch. Magnificently preserved and restored, they look fabulous and are entertaining almost one hundred years later. The films found here are: The Impossible Voyage; The Untamable Whiskers; The Cook in Trouble; Tchin-chao, the Chinese Conjurer; The Wonderful Living Fan; The Mermaid; The Living Playing Cards; The Black Imp; The Enchanted Sedan Chair; The Scheming Gambler's Paradise; The Hilarious Posters; The Mysterious Retort; The Eclipse; Good Glue Sticks; and Long Distance Wireless Photography. Melies' best known work, A Trip to the Moon (1902), is not here, but on the Landmarks of early Film, Volume 1, collection.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful introduction to the work of a film pioneer
Review: Between 1896 and 1912, Georges Melies produced over 500 films. Fifteen of them are found here, along with a twenty minute documentary about Melies. The documentary is unusual, told as a first person narrative with other voices occasionally reminiscing about Georges as a boy, etc. As I say, it is unusual but interesting, and we learn that Monsieur Melies' parents allowed him to leave the family shoe factory so that he could pursue his own different drummer. He became a magician and actor, later falling in love with the Lumiere brothers' cinematographe; unable to buy a Lumiere machine, he invented his own combination camera-projector and began showing his films at carnivals and fairs. After making many films, Melies finished his life running a toy shop with an old flame.

If the Lumieres were the first film documentarians, Melies was the first film wizard, and these fifteen examples of his work are still a pleasure to watch. Magnificently preserved and restored, they look fabulous and are entertaining almost one hundred years later. The films found here are: The Impossible Voyage; The Untamable Whiskers; The Cook in Trouble; Tchin-chao, the Chinese Conjurer; The Wonderful Living Fan; The Mermaid; The Living Playing Cards; The Black Imp; The Enchanted Sedan Chair; The Scheming Gambler's Paradise; The Hilarious Posters; The Mysterious Retort; The Eclipse; Good Glue Sticks; and Long Distance Wireless Photography. Melies' best known work, A Trip to the Moon (1902), is not here, but on the Landmarks of early Film, Volume 1, collection.

Rating:
Summary: Melies is fabulous!
Review: For my money one of the most underrated filmmakers in history, Melies' movies are a joy to watch. It's true you don't see the sophistication in film style that D.W. Griffith brought to his movies, but for anyone who today understands what the expression "film magic" means, Melies is the one who started it all. Not all of the films on this disk are completely captivating, but they certainly capture someone playing around with different ways to perform film magic and entertain an audience. Although his "voyage to the moon" is well placed in volume 1 of the "landmarks" series, along with other important early films, it is missed here. I can't say for certain because I AM a fan, but some may not enjoy this DVD as much because it is so heavy on Melies' shorter pieces (there is only one longer film in here, and for me it is a highlight). The short pieces can be fun, but I don't think they necessarily show Melies at his best - telling a complete, if totally whimsical and fantastic story.

Rating:
Summary: Another Beautiful and Fascinating Historical Release
Review: I'm sure many people will feel like I do; that there's a great fascination in seeing what was being done with film in the early 1900's. Many are familiar with "A Trip to the Moon" (which is not included here, but is presented in its entirety, with narration, in VOLUME 1), but these lesser known films offer much interest and enjoyment.

I especially like seeing the props and sets created for these surreal films. The hand-coloring on "The Impossible Voyage" is a wonderful feature. I also find it very interesting that at this early stage in filmmaking, the optical effects don't look nearly as primitive as one would expect.

As in other historical releases by Image, the prints are very clear. A beautiful presentation!

Rating:
Summary: Truly Astounding.
Review: It has been over one hundred years since Georges Melies first began making movies. He was a true pioneer in every sense of the word. He invented his own camera and projector and built his own studio so that he could have complete control over what he was doing. His use of nudity in 1897 created a scandal and some of his films had very unhappy endings. I bring this up only to illustrate the old French proverb "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Of the hundreds of films that he made it's the trick films as he called them that he is best remembered for. It was in these that Melies developed the art of special effects. Double exposures, dissolves, and stop motion animation were used and refined to create films that even today are truly astounding. Even people who aren't film buffs are familiar with his 1902 A TRIP TO THE MOON (which is not included in this anthology. It's in LANDMARKS OF EARLY FILM, VOLUME 1). The shot of the rocket hitting the Moon in the eye is one of the most famous in film history. What makes this collection so valuable are the 15 short films presented in virtually mint condition that allow us to sample the genius of Melies 100 years later. While they are all fascinating and entertaining, there is a block of four in a row beginning with TCHIN-CHAO, THE CHINESE CONJURER through THE LIVING PLAYING CARDS that show off Melies at his best. There is even a short documentary GEORGE MELIES: CINEMA MAGICIAN that gives a brief look at his life and work which opens the set although the credits don't appear until the end of the DVD. I would have left the documentary at the end of the presentation as on the VHS edition. This not only puts the credits where they belong but doesn't give away the secrets until after the shorts are finished. The musical accompaniment by Alexander Rannie is ideal and enhances the magic of these enchanting films. They may be 100 years old but true magic remains timeless.

Rating:
Summary: This Is a set of movies
Review: This iS a COOL SET OF STUFF a ton of Georges Méliès's movies

But a trip to the moon one his bests is on vol.1

buy my favorite one Conquête du pôle, La (Also Known As: Conquest of the Pole (1912) IS still OUT OF PRINT This movie is so hard to Find

Rating:
Summary: This Is a set of movies
Review: This iS a COOL SET OF STUFF a ton of Georges Méliès's movies

But a trip to the moon one his bests is on vol.1

buy my favorite one Conquête du pôle, La (Also Known As: Conquest of the Pole (1912) IS still OUT OF PRINT This movie is so hard to Find

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This wonderful disc opens with a 20-minute documentary view of French film pioneer Georges Méliés, then followed by 15 of his films, beautifully restored and presented uncut:

The Impossible Voyage (1904) (with hand-colored tint and narration written by Méliés), The Untamable Whiskers (1904), The Cook in Trouble (1904), Tchin-Tao: The Chinese Conjurer (1904), The Wonderful Living Fan (1904), The Mermaid (1904), The Living Playing Cards (1905), The Black Imp (1905), The Enchanted Sedan Chair (1905), The Scheming Gambler's Paradise (1905), the Hilarious Posters (1905), The Mysterious Retort (1906), The Eclipse (1907), Good Glue Sticks (1907), Long Distance Wireless Photography (1908).

Missing on this disc, of course, is Méliés' masterpiece, A Trip to the Moon (1902). You'll have to get Landmarks of Early Film Volume 1 to get that. I sincerely recommend both Vol. 1 and 2 to any film fan or collector.