For a good chunk of his output in 1899, Georges Méliès committed himself to creating a series of short films detailing the events of the Dreyfus Affair political scandal, which was still progressing in France as the series was made. The serial, centering around Capt. Alfred Dreyfus who was accused of writing treasonous letters and discharged as a result, flared up the public which had already been divided into two groups: the Dreyfusards and the Anti-Dreyfusards (Méliès was one of the former). In the end, censorship was the answer--theater owners couldn't handle the disputes that the serial caused during showings. Thus, "The Dreyfus Affair" is now considered the first censored political movie.
Following the previous Devil's Island episode, "Dreyfus Put in Irons" apparently also takes place in the same location, only now inside the prison itself. Dreyfus is shown to be lying in bed, when two officers enter, tell him what they must do, and proceed to put his feet in the leg irons of the title while still in bed.
It's not apparent why Méliès bothered making this segment, except to show off another realistic set and to continue to cram his beliefs into people. Apparently, the reason for the leg irons was because somebody had published an article in the newspaper detailing Dreyfus's supposed escape plan. Méliès presumably decided to take the opportunity to gain more sympathy for the unfortunate officer using this premise. Again, the realism is strong for a non-fantasy environment, and it's understandable why audiences at the time believed these reconstructed newsreels to be documentations of the actual events.
Following the previous Devil's Island episode, "Dreyfus Put in Irons" apparently also takes place in the same location, only now inside the prison itself. Dreyfus is shown to be lying in bed, when two officers enter, tell him what they must do, and proceed to put his feet in the leg irons of the title while still in bed.
It's not apparent why Méliès bothered making this segment, except to show off another realistic set and to continue to cram his beliefs into people. Apparently, the reason for the leg irons was because somebody had published an article in the newspaper detailing Dreyfus's supposed escape plan. Méliès presumably decided to take the opportunity to gain more sympathy for the unfortunate officer using this premise. Again, the realism is strong for a non-fantasy environment, and it's understandable why audiences at the time believed these reconstructed newsreels to be documentations of the actual events.