Never-before-seen archives unveil the mystery around the genius inventor of special effects, who shot more than 500 films and paved the way for many others. The film uncover the personality of Georges Méliès, to learn how he came to this spectacular sacrifice.
A frantic search for his films in cellars and attics, until the recent discovery of an incredible treasure… A feat thought impossible! In a gesture of despair, the director of A Trip to the Moon and The Conquest of the Pole burned the 520 original negatives of all his films, one by one, and all the copies of his films that had built his fame. In 1929, there were only 8 films by Georges Méliès still in circulation, three of which were incomplete – the last remnants of a work he had wanted to be ephemeral. Méliès the magician had unknowingly played one last trick on us in his own way. And as lost and forgotten as they may have seemed, these negatives – which had actually gone up in smoke – reappeared across the world. Hats off, sir Méliès.
A frantic search for his films in cellars and attics, until the recent discovery of an incredible treasure… A feat thought impossible! In a gesture of despair, the director of A Trip to the Moon and The Conquest of the Pole burned the 520 original negatives of all his films, one by one, and all the copies of his films that had built his fame. In 1929, there were only 8 films by Georges Méliès still in circulation, three of which were incomplete – the last remnants of a work he had wanted to be ephemeral. Méliès the magician had unknowingly played one last trick on us in his own way. And as lost and forgotten as they may have seemed, these negatives – which had actually gone up in smoke – reappeared across the world. Hats off, sir Méliès.
Director | Serge Bromberg, Eric Lange |
Author | Serge Bromberg, Eric Lange |
Production | Serge Bromberg |
Editing | Eric Lange |
Music | Léon Rousseau |