I Dream Your Dreams
Georges Méliès
George Melieses set for “Man with the Rubber Head” , which includes his Star Film Company Logo in the lower left
I am just gaga for Georges Méliès. I think it’s mainly because of his beautiful film sets, which according to many film historians were strongly influenced by the “fearie genre theatral” usually translated as fairy plays. This was a french theater genre known for “fantasy plots and spectacular visuals, including lavish scenery and mechanically worked stage effects” (from wikiepedia)
Another of Georges Méliès’ film sets.
Georges Méliès was born in 1861 in Paris, his parents owned a high-end boot-making factory and had become wealthy by the time their third child Georges was born.
Georges seems to have always been interested in art, drawing, and painting while in school—creating little puppet theaters and at one point wanting to become a painter. After his school years ended he did a mandatory stint in the military and then was sent by his father to do clerical work for a friend in London where he learned English and started visiting Egyptian Hall where he was introduced to stage magic.
Egyptian Magic Theater
In 1885, when he returned to Paris and his family refused to support his painterly aspirations, he worked for the family boot business. Shortly after he returned, he married a daughter of a family friend, named Eugenie Genin. They had two children, Georgette and Andre born in 1889 and 1891.
George started taking magic lessons and hanging out at Theatre Robert Houdin in Paris. When his father retired, George sold his share of the boot business to his brothers and used this money (along with his wife’s dowry) to buy the Houdin Theater, though even with updates and renovations and his elaborate stage shows, the theater didn’t have great attendance.
On December 28th, 1895 Meliese attended a Lumiere brothers’ private presentation for theater owners featuring their movie-making device. Méliès immediately made an offer for a projector and camera, but The Lumiere Brothers turned everyone down as they planned to keep control of their devices.
Méliès then became intent on finding a projector for his theater and was pointed back to London where he bought an “Animatograph” from Robert W. Paul.
This is where the history of George Meliese begins in the beautiful movie “Hugo” by Martin Scorcese -- which itself is based on Brian Selznick’s beautiful book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”. This movie conveys a decent history of Georges Méliès, with a little nice poetic fictional storytelling thrown in.
Georges figured out a way to modify his projector so that it could act as both a camera and projector, and started to first show the old Edison street scene-type films at his theater. Those were surely boring, so he began to make his own films.
I don’t want to drone on too long here but:
Georges went on to create the Star Film Company and he wrote, directed, and acted in around 500 films (one of the first “Auteurs” of film)
In his “A Trip to the Moon” (his most famous film), he created one of the first narrative films (most people were still just making realistic street scene-type films)
With his influence from “Fairy Play”, his stationary camera style, and stage technology adapted from his work in stage magic, his film sets and artwork are absolutely beautiful!
His history in magic and illusion made him a special effects pioneer.
He poured all of his money into his filmmaking venture, but when the war broke out, people lost interest in his fantasy-style filmmaking, and he went bust.
During the war, many of his films were melted down (ironically) to make combat boot heels
He became disillusioned and in a state of despair burnt some of his own art and film work
He truly did open a little toy shop in the train station to make a living (as is portrayed in HUGO) and he was truly rediscovered and celebrated by filmmakers of the 30s
Anyway, I love him, and if you live in or near Minneapolis, my group the
Dust of Suns is playing a concert before a screening of “Hugo” at the Parkway Theater on 1/21/2024. Please come! I’ll see if I can get the theater to screen a couple of his movies between us and Martin Scorcese’s wonderful movie about Melies!
Tickets to the upcoming Hugo Screening, featuring music by the Dust of Suns :)
There are much better histories written about George Meliese than what I’ve written here, but I want to share some wonderful links below
His last known words on his deathbed were:
“Laugh, my friends. Laugh with me, laugh for me, because I dream your dreams.”
Here is an official English-language website
Here is an archive of most of the surviving films!