Magic Lantern Video & Book Storecinema pioneer
Georges Méliès
[1861-1938]
Georges Méliès
![animated landing on the Moon [1902] by George Méliès of France](images/Melies-moon_cropped.jpg "animated landing on the Moon [1902] by George Méliès of France") | short profile | ![cinema pioneer Georges Méliès [1861-1938] of France](images/GeorgeMelies-hand.jpg "cinema pioneer Georges Méliès [1861-1938] of France") |
Georges Méliès was a stage magician before producing and directing films. 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.
Méliès is sometimes referred to as the 'Cinemagician'.
B I O
t e x t
h e r e
brother Gaston Méliès helped his older brother in his screenplays and film productions, and in 1903 he opened a sales office in New York City to market his films in the USA
younger brother Henri Méliès ran the family shoe factory in London
Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès Date of Birth 8 December 1861, Paris, France Date of Death 21 January 1938, Paris, France
The Theatre Robert-Houdin was closed in 1914 as a result of World War I. This sent Méliès into bankruptcy
awarded the Legion of Honor in 1931.
1902: Thomas Edison made pirated prints of Méliès's silent short sci-fi masterpiece "A Trip To The Moon" and distributed them across the U.S before Méliès could do so, effectively stealing the U.S. box office revenue.
French-language official Georges Méliès website
Georges Méliès entry at Wikipedia
Georges Méliès credits [1896-1913] at Internet Movie Database {over 550 entries}
Movies of Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès credits [1896-1913] at Internet Movie Database {over 550 entries}
character Georges Méliès credits at Internet Movie Database
search for Georges Méliès on VHS & DVD at Amazon
Georges Méliès Filmography at Wikipedia
 | "Landmarks of Early Film" Volume 1 [1994]
includes Edison Kinetoscope films (1894-96), films by the brothers Lumière (1895-97), films by French special effects pioneer Georges Méliès, documentary 'actualities' {1897-1910), and selected short films from 1903 to 1913 Image Ent b&w DVD [7/98] for $24.99 |
 | "Landmarks of Early Film, Volume 2: The Magic of Méliès" [1994] includes the documentary "Georges Melies: Cinema Magician" [1978] and 15 restored Georges Méliès shorts Image Ent. b&w/color DVD [3/99] out of prodn/used |
 | "Georges Melies: First Wizard of Cinema" DVD box set [2008]
Flicker Alley b&w/color DVD set [3/2008] 5 disks for $80.99 more than 170 short films by Méliès, fifteen in hand-tinted color, from fragments to half-hour works, including "Partie de Cartes" [1896], "After The Ball" [1897], "The Misfortunes of An Explorer" [1900], "A Trip To The Moon" [1902], "The Kingdom of Fairies" [1903], "The Impossible Voyage" [1904], "The Untamable Whiskers" [1904], "The Palace of The Arabian Knights" [1905], "The Merry Frolics of Satan" [1906], "Conquest of The Pole" [1912], and "Voyage de la Famille Bourrichon" [1913]; extras include Georges Franju's touching filmed tribute "Le Grand Méliès" [1953], and a booklet of essays |
 | "Méliès Encore: 26 Additional Rare and Original Films By The First Wizard of Cinema, 1896-1911" [2010] Flicker Alley b&w DVD [2/2010] for $19.95 contains 23 short films by Méliès, from fragments to half-hour works, plus imitator "Excursion To The Moon" and two 'in the Méliès style' by Segundo de Chomon |
 | "Méliès: Fairy Tales In Color" on DVD [Blackhawk/Flicker Alley 2018]
Flicker Alley color Blu-ray/DVD combo [12/2018] 2 disks for $31.58 contains 13 short silent films restored by Lobster Films in Paris, France: "Haggard's She: The Pillar of Fire (La Colonne de Feu)" [1899]; "Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)" [1900]; "A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans La Lune)" [1902]; "Robinson Crusoe (Les Aventures de Robinson Crusoé)" [1902]; "Fairyland: or, The Kingdom of Fairies (Le Royaume des Fées)" [1903]; "The Infernal Cauldron (Le Chaudron Infernal)" [1903]; "The Impossible Voyage (Le Voyage à Travers L'Impossible)" [1904]; "Rip's Dream: or, The Legend of Rip Van Winkle (La Légende de Rip Van Winkle)" [1905]; "The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship (Le Dirigeable Fantastique ou Le Cauchemar d’Un Inventeur)" [1905]; "The Merry Frolics of Satan (Les Quatre Cents Farces du Diable)" [1906]; "The Witch (La Fée Carabosse ou Le Poignard Fatal)" [1906]; "A Diabolic Tenant (Un Locataire Diabolique)" [1906]; and "Whimsical Illusions (Les Illusions Fantaisistes)" [1909]; extras include optional commentary on five films, paper booklet |
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The usual practice on this website is to code films based on the listing at IMDb, then search Amazon for DVD & Blu-ray releases, and fill out the 'Movies of' section over multiple sessions. But Georges Méliès has over 550 short films listed, and roughly 200 are available on the two collection DVD sets above, and winnowing the 200 out of the 550 makes no sense. However, since the films of Georges Méliès are all public domain, the Internet Archive contains over forty Georges Méliès silent shorts (and a few fragments) that can be viewed online for free. Those films are coded below, in alphabetical order of English title – 'for your viewing pleasure', as the saying goes – and other films/links will be added as they are found.
NOTE: the ‡ red double-dagger symbol signifies being on the color tinting restoration 2018 DVD just above
"Le Voyage dans La Lune (A Trip To The Moon)" ‡
14-minute tinted silent short [France Sept 1902]
| | French scientists construct a gigantic gun and shoot a manned capsule to the moon . . .; a major box-office success in France, Thomas Edison stole prints and distributed the movie in the U.S.A, essentially stealing that revenue from Méliès • Produced & directed by cinema pioneer Georges Méliès; adapted by Méliès from stories by Jules Verne & H.G. Wells
Flicker Alley Blu-ray/DVD combo [2/2018] 2 disks for $30.49 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia view version 1 [11:18 at 20fps] for free at Internet Archive view version 2 [music & accented English narration; 11:48] for free at Internet Archive |
 | "Fantastic Voyages of The Cinematic Imagination: Georges Méliès's Trip To The Moon" [2011] Edited by Matthew Solomon hardcover edition includes DVD with several versions of the 1902 silent film Kindle Edition from SUNY Press [5/2011] for $17.25 SUNY Press 9x6 pb [5/2011] for $23.25 SUNY Press 9x6 hardcover + DVD [5/2011] for $56.01 |
 | "Le Voyage Extraordinaire (The Extraordinary Voyage)" documentary [FR3-TV/Lobster Films Dec 2011] Chronicles the innovative production of the iconic 1902 film "A Trip To The Moon" • Produced by Marianne Lère; co-written & directed by Serge Bromberg; co-written & co-directed by Eric Lange; co-written by Frédérique Moreau; featuring Costa-Gavras, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Michel Gondry, Michel Hazanavicius, Nicolas Ricordel, Eric Lange, Tom Burton, Serge Bromberg, with archive footage of Charles Chaplin, Tom Hanks & Georges Méliès Flicker Alley Blu-ray/DVD combo [6/2012] 2 disks for $99.95 {sic} Flicker Alley Blu-ray [4/2012] 2 disks - out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • |
"A Diabolic Tenant (Un Locataire Diabolique)" tinted silent short [1906] ‡
"A Mesmerian Experiment (Le Baquet de Mesmer)" color silent short [France 1905]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [3:10] at Internet Archive
"An Impossible Voyage" color silent two-reeler [France 1905]
aka "Le Voyage à Travers l'Impossible"
bare credits at IMDb •
view for free [4/2010 upload; 19:58] at Internet Archive
watch full movie with music by La Pêche [9/2014 upload; 20:26] online at YouTube
"The Artist and The Mannequin (L'Artiste et Le Mannequin)" silent short [1903]
view for free [4/2012 upload; 1:09] at Internet Archive
"The Black Imp (Le Diable Noir)" silent short [France 1904]
bare credits at IMDb •
view for free [3:53] at Internet Archive
"The Christmas Angel (L'Ange de Noël)" silent short [France 1905]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [9:38] at Internet Archive
"The Conjurer" 1-minute silent short [France 1900] /tt0464634/
Directed by George Albert Smith; a magician (Georges Méliès) places a mannequin of a ballerina on a table and wills it to life.
"The Conquest of The Pole (A la Conquête du Pôle)" tinted silent short [Pathé/Star France 1912]
bare credits at IMDb • restored film page at Europa Film Treasures
"The Cook In Trouble (Sorcellerie Culinaire)" silent short [France 1904]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [4:28] at Internet Archive
"The Diabolical Church Window (Le Vitrail Diabolique)" tinted silent short [France 1911]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [7:16] at Internet Archive
"The Doctor's Secret (Hydrothérapie Fantastique)" silent short [France 1910]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [9:53] at Internet Archive
"The Eclipse (Eclipse de Soleil en Pleine Lune)" silent short [France 1907]
bare credits at IMDb •
view version #1 [9:10] •
view version #2 [9:08 with piano]
"The Enchanted Sedan Chair (La Chaise à Porteurs Enchantée)" silent short [France 1905] •
bare credits at IMDb
view for free at Internet Archive: [4/2010 upload; 3:10] +
[4/2012 upload; 3:11]
"Eruption On Mount Pelée (Éruption Volcanique à la Martinique)" silent short [France 1902]
bare credits at IMDb •
view for free [1:03] at Internet Archive
"Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter (Un Peu de Feu s.v.p.)" silent short [France 1904]
bare credits at IMDb •
view fragment [0:07] for free at Internet Archive
"Fairyland: or, The Kingdom of Fairies (Le Royaume des Fées)" tinted silent short [1903] ‡
"The Fugitive Apparitions (Les Apparitions Fugitives)" silent short [France 1904]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [1:56] at Internet Archive
"Good Glue Sticks (La Colle Universelle)" silent short [France 1907]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [5:02] at Internet Archive
"The Haunted Castle (Le Château Hanté)" silent short [France 1897]
aka "The Devil's Castle (Le Manoir du Diable)"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [3:18] at Internet Archive
"The Hilarious Posters (Les Affiches en Goguette)" silent short [France 1906]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [3:22] at Internet Archive
"How Bridget's Lover Escaped (Le Mariage de Victorine)" silent short [France 1907]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [8:17] at Internet Archive
"The Impossible Voyage (Le Voyage à Travers L'Impossible)" tinted silent short [1904] ‡
"The Infernal Cauldron (Le Chaudron Infernal)" tinted silent short [1903] ‡
"The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship" tinted silent short [France 1906] ‡
aka "Le Dirigeable Fantastique ou Le Cauchemar d’Un Inventeur"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [2:43] at Internet Archive
"Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)" tinted silent short [France 1899] ‡
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [accented English narration; 10:21] at Internet Archive
"The King and The Jester (François 1er et Triboulet)" silent short [France 1907]
bare credits at IMDb • view damaged print for free [4:50] at Internet Archive
"The Kingdom of The Fairies (Le Royaume des Fées)" silent short [Star-Film France Sept 1903]
A prince is about to marry, but a witch steals the bride and takes her to a strange and distant land; the prince follows and rescues her with help from several magic goddess figures;
YouTube upload is tinted, without intertitles, and with modern abstract orchestral music • Produced, adapted & directed by and starring Georges Méliès; also starring Bleuette Bernon
bare credits at IMDb •
watch tinted film [3/2014 upload; 16:44] online at YouTube
"The Last Cartridges (Les Dernières Cartouches)" silent short [France 1897, USA 1903]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [1:06] at Internet Archive
"The Living Playing Cards (Les Cartes Vivantes)" silent short [France 1905] •
bare credits at IMDb
watch Méliès perform card tricks online at Internet Archive:
[4/2010 upload; 2:45] +
[4/2012 upload; 2:45]
"Long Distance Wireless Photography" silent short [France 1908]
aka "La Photographie Électrique à Distance"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [6:01] at Internet Archive
"The_Mermaid (La Sirène)" silent short [France 1904]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [3:58] at Internet Archive
"The Merry Frolics of Satan (Les Quatre Cents Farces du Diable)" tinted silent short [1906] ‡
"The Monster (Le Monster)" silent short [France 1903]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [2:51] at Internet Archive
"The Mysterious Island" silent short [France 1905]
aka "L’Ile de Calypso: Ulysse et Le Géant Polyphème"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [3:32] at Internet Archive
"The Mysterious Retort" color silent short [France 1906]
aka "Alchimiste Parafaragaramus ou La Cornue Infernale"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [2:14] at Internet Archive
"The Mystical Flame (La Flamme Merveilleuse)" silent short [France 1903]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [2:00] at Internet Archive
"Off To Bloomingdale Asylum" silent short [France 1901]
aka "L'Omnibus des Toqués Blancs et Noirs"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [1:02] at Internet Archive
"On The Roof (Sur les Toits)" silent short [France 1897]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [1:08] at Internet Archive
"Haggard's She: The Pillar of Fire (La Colonne de Feu)" tinted silent short [1899] ‡
"Post No Bills (Défense d’Afficher)" silent short [France 1905]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [1:14] at Internet Archive
"The Prolific Magic Egg" silent short [France 1902]
aka "L'Oeuf du Sorcier ou L'Oeuf Magique Prolifique"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [1:54] at Internet Archive
"Rip's Dream: or, The Legend of Rip Van Winkle (La Légende de Rip Van Winkle)" tinted silent short [1905] ‡
"Robert Macaire and Bertrand" silent short [France 1906]
aka "Robert Macaire et Bertrand, les Rois des Cambrioleurs"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [10:45] at Internet Archive
"Robinson Crusoe (Les Aventures de Robinson Crusoé)" tinted silent short [France 1903] ‡
bare credits at IMDb • view fragment for free [1:17] at Internet Archive
"Satan In Prison" silent short [France 1907]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free {5:02] at Internet Archive
"The Scheming Gamblers Paradise (Le Tripot Clandestin)" silent short [France 1905]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [3:02] at Internet Archive
"Sea Fighting In Greece (Combat Naval en Grèce)" silent short [France 1897]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free at Internet Archive
"The Spider and The Butterfly" color silent short [France 1909]
aka "Le Papillon Fantastique"
bare credits at IMDb • view fragment for free [1:47] at Internet Archive
"Tchin-Chao, The Chinese Conjurer" silent short [France 1904]
aka "Le Thaumaturge Chinois"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [3:22] at Internet Archive
"20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" silent two-reeler [France 1907]
aka "Deux cent milles sous les mers ou le cauchemar du pêcheur"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [9:56 only] at Internet Archive
"The Untamable Whiskers (Le Roi du Maquillage)" silent short [France 1904]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [2:39] at Internet Archive
"The Wandering Jew (Le Juif Errant)" silent short [France 1905]
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [2:57] at Internet Archive
"Whimsical Illusions (Les Illusions Fantaisistes)" tinted silent short [1909] ‡
"The Witch (La Fée Carabosse ou Le Poignard Fatal)" tinted silent short 1906] ‡
"The Wonderful Living Fan" silent short [France 1904]
aka "Le Merveilleux Éventail Vivant"
bare credits at IMDb • view for free [3:18] at Internet Archive
Works About Georges Méliès
 | "Le Grand Méliès" docu-drama [RKO/Pathé 1952] Georges Franju's touching 31-minute filmed tribute features both of Méliès's wives, with André Méliès portraying his father • written & directed by Georges Franju; narrated by François Lallement; featuring André Méliès, Jeanne d'Alcy Méliès & Marie-Georges Méliès available on DVD on the "First Wizard of Cinema" box set [2008] above Kino Intl. b&w VHS [7/95] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Georges Melies: Cinema Magician" documentary [Blackhawk Films 1978]
21-minute documentary written & directed by Luciano Martinengo & Patrick Montgomery
available on DVD on "Landmarks of Early Film, Volume 2" [1994] above
credits at IMDb
 | "Melies The Magician" TV documentary [Gaumont 1997] Directed by Jacques Mény Mr. Fat-W Video b&w DVD [2/2017] for $14.99 Facets b&w DVD [1/2002] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb |
 | "Georges Méliès (French Film Directors Series)" [2000] by Elizabeth Ezra Manchester Univ Press 8x5 pb [9/2000] for $19.55 Manchester Univ Press 8x5¼ hardcover [9/2000] out of print/used |
 | "Turning Points In Film History" [2004] by Andrew J. Rausch, Foreword by Joe Bob Briggs Chapters/topics include Thomas Edison; Georges Méliès; D.W. Griffith & "The Birth of A Nation" [1915]; Sergei Eisenstein & montage; the Academy Awards; Walt Disney; Orson Welles & "Citizen Kane" [1941]; Film Noir; The French New Wave; The MPAA Ratings System; The Blaxploitation Movement; Hollywood's New Wave; Home Video; the modern blockbuster; and Pixar & C.G.I. Citadel 8¾x6 pb [10/2004] out of print/used |
"Hugo" [Warner Bros. Nov 2011]
  | Live-action adventure in 3-D based on Brian Selznick’s bestselling 2007 book; filmed in U.K. & in Paris, France Co-produced & directed by Martin Scorsese; script by John Logan; starring Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley {as cinema pioneer Georges Méliès}, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chloe Grace Moretz, Helen McCrory, Jude Law, Christopher Lee, Emily Mortimer, Frances de la Tour, Richard Griffiths & Michael Stuhlbarg, with archive footage enhanced for 3-D of Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd & Georges Méliès; received 11 Oscar nominations: won for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing & Best Visual Effects; nominatited for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Music Score, Best Costume Design & Best Film Editing; also won A.F.I. Movie of The Year, Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Award, two BAFTA Film Awards (and 7 other BAFTA noms), National Board of Review Awards for Best Director & Best Film, Satellite Award for Best Visual Effects, three Visual Effects Society Awards Paramount 3-D Three-Disk Combo w/s color Blu-ray/DVD/digital bundle [2/2012] for $27.99 Paramount Two-Disk Combo widescreen color Blu-ray/DVD/digital bundle [2/2012] for $21.99 Paramount Studios widescreen color DVD [2/2012] for $15.49 full credits at IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" [ages 9-12; 2007 bestseller]   by Brian Selznick An orphan boy surviving inside a Paris, France railroad station meets an eccentric girl and a bitter old man, putting the boy's most precious secret in jeopardy; book won the 2008 Caldecott Medal Scholastic Press 8¼x6 hardcover [1/2007] for $13.72 official book site • book entry at Wikipedia |
Friends & Family
brother Henri Méliès [1844-1922]
brother Gaston Méliès [1852-1915]
first wife Eugénie Génin Marie-Georges Méliès [1867-1913]
daughter Georgette Mélies Fontaine [1888-1930]
granddaughter Madeleine Fontaine Méliès Malthête [1923-?]
son André Méliès [1901-85]
granddaughter Marie-Georgette Méliès [1921-83]
second wife Jeanne d'Alcy Méliès [1865-1956]
married 1926, widowed January 1938
great-granddaughter Marie-Hélène Méliès-Lehérissey [b. 1948]
(attended film festival screenings in 2005 with)
great-great-grandson Lawrence Léhérissey-Méliès [b. 1972]
L i n k s
French-language official Georges Méliès website
Georges Méliès entry at Wikipedia
Georges Méliès credits [1896-1913] at Internet Movie Database
character Georges Méliès credits [1896-1913] at Internet Movie Database
Georges Méliès entry at Victorian Cinema website
Georges Méliès entry at Early Cinema website
The Georges Méliès Database
Georges Méliès page on the "Hugo Cabret" booksite
here on the Georges Méliès [1861-1938] Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
top of page • • short profile • • movies of Georges Méliès • • works about Georges Méliès • • friends & family • • links
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