Cheap Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 2: The Magic of Melies (DVD) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 2: The Magic of Melies

A master magician
Even though these films are nearly all 100 years old or older, they still have the power to entertain, fascinate, delight, and charm. Decades before moviegoing audiences were familiar with computer special effects and had lost the sense of wonder that audiences had at the turn of the last century, Georges Méliès (one of my favorite directors) was creating amazing magical trick shots and special effects just by drawing on his own past career as a magician and by using his imagination. He did all of these tricks by himself instead of relying on a computer, and not only did he do the special effects by himself, he did everything else associated with the film-making process. He directed, produced, wrote, acted in, and distributed all of these films. People who only know him by his best-known film 'Le Voyage Dans la Lune' are missing out on a whole lot. The 15 films contained on this disc show that he did a lot more than just that early sci-fi film. The first film, the longest, is 'Le Voyage à Travers l'Impossible' (1904), which in many ways seems like a sequel to 'Le Voyage Dans la Lune.' Here the travellers and their brave leader are travelling into the Sun, and also have a series of mishaps along the way before coming home victorious. This film is also hand-colored (though given its extreme age, the colors are a bit faded), and with a narration by Fabrice Zagury, the same one who narrates 'Le Voyage Dans la Lune.' The narration doesn't bother me, since it's my understanding that both of these films were originally meant to be accompanied by this narration when shown in theatres, and besides, without any intertitles, this story can seem a bit confusing because of how complex it is. There are also 14 shorter subjects, many of them reenactments of Monsieur Méliès's magic act, only even better and with more potential to stun an audience thanks to the moving image and what appears to be a nonstop stream of magic tricks instead of the more mundane explanation of stopping and starting the camera again to achieve these breathtaking stunts. The short documentary which starts the disc is also very good, giving the viewer a concise but nevertheless compelling and detailed look into Monsieur Méliès's life and career. My only complaint about the disc is that it wasn't longer and didn't have a lot more than just 15 of these amazing films on it!

---

pretty good early french cinema
The movies are in good order, however I wasn't able to play the first few without dealing with the commentary. I enjoyed the sidebars but there are times too when I want only the film. Beyond that the films are in a state or repair that I would expect and the musical acccompaniment was very suitable. Very enjoyable for a novice collector(my self).

---

Melies is fabulous!
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.