Georges Méliès - The Infernal Cauldron / The Damnation of Faust (1903)

Georges Méliès (December 8, 1861 January 21, 1938), full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was very innovative in the use of special effects. He accidentally discovered the stop trick, or substitution, in 1896, and was one of the first filmmakers to use multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, and hand-painted color in his films. Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform reality through cinematography, Méliès is sometimes referred to as the "Cinemagician."

Here are two short films I captured digitally from 8mm reels, both from 1903. First The Infernal Cauldron, and second, The Damnation of Faust. The projector wasn't so great, and there was dust in the gate that I couldn't remove - but heck, it's the only version of these on YouTube. Enjoy.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• georges
• melies
• infernal
• cauldron
• damnation
• of
• faust