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.
Because of the serious feel to the serial, one wouldn't really find any of the elements you find in Méliès's other work. "Landing of Dreyfus at Quiberon" is actually a little different in this regard. Since the director was gung-ho about special effects, he probably couldn't resist the little touches he throws in here: while Dreyfus is, as the title suggests, disembarking from the boat at Quiberon, a few stray lightening strikes in the sky on that stormy evening create an interesting effect. As the other reviewer pointed out, however, Méliès didn't handle their making very well as several flashes are half-superimposed into the action rather than being confined into the sky area completely. This can be forgiven though. Double exposure were still developing in the director's career and it's interesting that he used them for a non-fantasy environment here.
Because of the serious feel to the serial, one wouldn't really find any of the elements you find in Méliès's other work. "Landing of Dreyfus at Quiberon" is actually a little different in this regard. Since the director was gung-ho about special effects, he probably couldn't resist the little touches he throws in here: while Dreyfus is, as the title suggests, disembarking from the boat at Quiberon, a few stray lightening strikes in the sky on that stormy evening create an interesting effect. As the other reviewer pointed out, however, Méliès didn't handle their making very well as several flashes are half-superimposed into the action rather than being confined into the sky area completely. This can be forgiven though. Double exposure were still developing in the director's career and it's interesting that he used them for a non-fantasy environment here.