at this stage in the history of the cinema, there was no copyright protection for individual films, so successful efforts were often redone by competitors.... and the ways in which they wound up doing things differently tells us more about their weaknesses and strengths than their original works.
This is Melies' version of the Lumiere Brothers' film of 1895 and while he imitates them adequately in terms of composition, it can be seen immediately that this is a Melies movie: the actors are much more flamboyant than those in the Lumiere piece.
This is one of the many previously lost or infrequently seen Melies pictures that have been made available by Serge Bromberg, David Shepherd and a myriad of other hands in the newly issued DVD set GEORGES MELIES: FIRST WIZARD OF CINEMA. Required viewing for anyone interested in the history of movies ..... and a lot of fun.
This is Melies' version of the Lumiere Brothers' film of 1895 and while he imitates them adequately in terms of composition, it can be seen immediately that this is a Melies movie: the actors are much more flamboyant than those in the Lumiere piece.
This is one of the many previously lost or infrequently seen Melies pictures that have been made available by Serge Bromberg, David Shepherd and a myriad of other hands in the newly issued DVD set GEORGES MELIES: FIRST WIZARD OF CINEMA. Required viewing for anyone interested in the history of movies ..... and a lot of fun.