Georges Méliès (partially found silent films from French director; 1890s-1910s)

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George Melies.jpg

Filmmaker George Méliès.

Status: Partially Found


NOTE: Because of Georges' massive filmography, any information on his missing films should be put here. Nearly half of his 500+ films are still missing, many with very minimal information. This is to prevent hundreds of articles on his films, many of which would be very short and lacking information.[1]

Georges Méliès is often cited the "First Magician of Cinema".[2] Starting out his career as a stage magician, he was introduced to film by its French inventors during a tour. He invested his time and money into constructing a film studio. After some initial financial struggles, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential filmmakers of his time.

Méliès was most well-known for his innovations in special effects. His films often have a very surreal, dreamlike feel to them. Other filmmakers of his time used special effects that look dated by today's standards, but Melies films have aged far better.

Méliès slowly fell out of popularity by World War I, as audiences became disillusioned of his dreamlike visions, and George went bankrupt. He had to shut down his business and destroy most of his master negatives in order to sell the silver contained in the film to pay off his debts. It wouldn't be until close to Méliès' death that his films would be recognized for their historical importance.

Of the over 500 Méliès films created (and documented) a total of only 231 exist today. His films are some of the most commonly sought-after lost films of his era. Some films exist only in their black-and-white versions with many of his colorized versions (which were hand-tinted frame by frame) still missing.

Among the most recent films discovered was a colorized copy of his most treasured film A Trip to the Moon. It was found in an abandoned barn after having survived harsh weather conditions.

Recovered Footage

The colorized version of Melies' renowned film, A Trip to the Moon.

References