Item #: 2086DVD Category: SILENT Format: DVD MPAA Rating: G

Woolly Rating: 5/10 (85 votes)

MEMBER COMMENTS ON THIS VIDEO

jd	Aug 18, 2004 @ 18:53:15

"l'amour a credit."
all of this dvd concernins georges melies, who (i guess it would be fair to say) was the link between thomas edison and d.w. griffith. the first half is in documentary form, with someone pretending to melies narrating a biography illustrated by still photos and very interesting samples of his work. the second half has several interesting shorts from his 1904 - 1907 period. everything is nearly perfectly preserved or restored. melies concentrated heavily on magical illusions, employing dissolves in the camera and stopping the camera to make something appear or disappear instantly (simpler than cutting and splicing, but achieving the same, seamless effect in his hands). these tricks have been so completely cannibalized by all the directors to follow that they no longer surprise a modern viewer. however, they are so well done that they don't distract from the wildly imaginative sets, costumes, and choreography melies created. most of the dvd footage is trippy enough to be dangerous to the pharmaceutically incorrect. the poet apollonaire (sp?) is quoted telling melies that they shared the vocation of "lending enchantment to the vulgar." melies had a defiantly nonconformist attitude, and my favorite melies films are the ones that express that attitude most blatantly. "the hilarious posters" on a wall come to partying life when a john and a prostitute walk by, but freeze and remain inanimate when the gendarmes walk by. one of the 9(?) posters covers grafitti titled "mort au flic" and shows a gendarme being hung. one of the posters features an attractive, zaftig woman in skimpy attire and says "l'amour a credit." i don't speak french, but this seems to suggest love for money. she intrigues the john and causes a temporary spat between him and his "date." another poster advertises underwear, and is illustrated with a partially undressed woman, pretty shocking stuff for the time. the effect of all the posters doing their thing at once, and interacting with people on the sidewalk, is fascinating. when the gendarmes finally catch the characters in action, they toss things down on them (spurred on by a mischievous cook). when the gendarmes crash through the paper, the poster characters appear as real people taunting the gendarmes from behind an iron fence. melies uses "imps" in a lot of his films. "the hotel imp" shows a humorously demonic, horned creature driving a hotel guest out of the room the imp wants for himself, by taunting him with magic until he loses his temper and is evicted by the hotel staff. in another film, an elaborately apportioned, illegal gambling house transforms into a seamstress' shop in about 2 seconds. the gendarmes, foiled twice trying to raid the place, settle down to gamble themselves. the last frame shows the proprietors cautiously returning. one of the films concerning eclipses is really creepy. judging by the provocative facial expressions, the eclipse seems to be the moon hitting on and then getting buggered by the sun, who has a bald-headed pirate look. apparently, melies wanted to be inclusive in his entertainment.

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a genius reality check 4 our race we may live in the white mans land & call it hme bt in doing that we deny the truth of our being. All brown skin people nomatta hw light r african rayalty ... (lady swirl)