Georges Méliès

Georges Méliès (December 8, 1861 – January 21, 1938), full name Maries-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was born in Paris, where his family manufactured shoes.

Related Topics:
December 8 - 1861 - January 21 - 1938 - French - Film - Paris - Shoe

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He was very innovative in the use of special effects. 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.

Related Topics:
Special effects - Stop trick - 1896 - Multiple exposures - Time-lapse - Dissolve

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Before making films, he was a stage magician at the Theatre Robert-Houdin. In 1895, he became interested in film after seeing a demonstration of the Lumière brothers' camera. In 1897, he established a studio on a rooftop property in Montreuil. Actors performed in front of a painted set as inspired by the conventions of magic and musical theater. He directed 531 films between 1896 and 1914, ranging in length from one to forty minutes. In subject matter, these films are often similar to the magic theater shows that Méliès had been doing, containing "tricks" and impossible events, such as objects disappearing or changing size.

Related Topics:
Stage magic - Theatre Robert-Houdin - 1895 - Lumière brothers - 1897 - Montreuil - Musical theater - 1896 - 1914

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His most famous film is A Trip to the Moon (Le voyage dans la lune) made in 1902, which includes the celebrated scene in which a spaceship hits the eye of the man in the moon. Also famous is The Impossible Voyage (Le voyage a travers l'impossible) from 1904. Both of these films are about strange voyages, somewhat in the style of Jules Verne. These are considered to be some of the most important early science fiction films, although their approach is closer to fantasy. Agents of Thomas Edison bribed a theater owner in London for a copy of A Trip to the Moon. Edison then made hundreds of copies and showed them in New York City. Méliès received no compensation.

Related Topics:
A Trip to the Moon - 1902 - The Impossible Voyage - 1904 - Jules Verne - Science fiction film - Fantasy - Thomas Edison - London - New York City

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In 1913 Georges Méliès' film company was forced into bankruptcy by the large French and American studios and his company was bought out of receivership by Pathé Frères. After being driven out of business Méliès became a toy salesman at the Montparnasse station. In 1932 the Cinema Society gave Méliès a home in Chateau D'Orly. Long after burning his negatives in despair, Méliès was rediscovered and honored for his work, eventually taking up stage performance.

Related Topics:
Bankruptcy - Pathé Frères - Montparnasse - 1932 - Negatives

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Georges Méliès has been awarded the Légion d'honneur (Legion of honor).

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Méliès died in Paris and was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery.

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The name of his assistant for Le Voyage dans la Lune, Jean-Luc Dupont, is a possible source for the name of Jean-Luc Picard, a character from Star Trek.

Related Topics:
Jean-Luc Picard - Star Trek

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The music video for the Smashing Pumpkins song "Tonight, Tonight" was largely shot in the style of Méliès' most well-known films.

Related Topics:
Music video - Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight

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