Maries
Georges Jean Melies was born in Paris in 1861 and from a very
early age he showed a particular interest in the arts.
In
1884, Melies continued his studies in London at the request
of his parents. They insisted he learn English because they
intended him to work at his father’s footwear business.
While in London, he developed a keen interest in stage conjury
after witnessing the work of Maskelyne and Cooke.
Melies
attended the first screening of the Lumiere Cinematographe on
December 28, 1895, which changed his life forever.
On his return to Paris he worked
at his father’s factory and took over as manager when
his father retired. His position meant that he was able to raise
enough money to buy the famous Theatre Robert Houdin when it
was put up for sale in 1888.
Because
of the nature of running the Theatre Robert Houdin, Melies became
proficient as mechanic, cabinetmaker, draughtsman, painter,
caricaturist and several others areas which is just what the
industry needed.
Melies
sought out Robert Paul in London and viewed Paul's camera projector
and soon afterwards built his own. He was able to present his
first film screening on April 4th 1896.
Melies'
first films were straightforward cityscapes and event films,
patterned after the short films of the Lumieres, but soon he
was using the camera to document magic acts and gags from the
stage of the Theatre Robert-Houdin.
In
1896, while filming a street scene, Melies camera jammed and
it took him a few seconds to rectify the problem. Thinking no
more about the incident, Melies processed the film and was struck
by the effect such an incident had on the scene - objects suddenly
appeared, disappeared or were transformed into other objects.
Melies
discovered from this incident that cinema had the capacity for
manipulating and distorting time and space. He expanded upon
his initial ideas and devised some complex special effects.
Soon
afterwards Melies produced his One Man Band in which he appeared
as the one and only actor in numerous roles simultaneously.
In
1897, Melies set up a studio in Paris, called Star Film.
He
pioneered the first double exposure (La caverne Maudite, 1898),
the first split screen with performers acting opposite themselves
(Un Homme de tete, 1898), and the first dissolve (Cendrillon,
1899). He also introduced stop-motion photography, taken frame
by fame, so that inanimate objects appear to move on the screen.
Melies
was perhaps the most inventive filmmaker in the industry. He
also experimented with all types of special effects and multiple
exposures, and led to the development of a film language based
on separate scenes edited together in chronological order.
He was also one of the first
filmmakers to present nudity on screen with “Apres le
Bal”.
Melies
best known film, "A Trip to the Moon" (1902) was one
of the longest and most elaborate of his trick film epics. The
film was hugely successful, but not as profitable as it should
have been. "Trip to the Moon" was perhaps the most
heavily pirated film of its era, and while crowds around the
world marvelled at its tale of space travel, relatively little
of this success translated into financial gain for its creator.
In
1903, Melies open a New York branch of his Star Film Studio.
In
1909, Melies was asked to join Edison in forming the Motion
Picture Patents Company to try to shut out smaller studios.
The MPPC was formed by Edison,
Biograph,
Essanay,
Kalem, Kleine,
Lubin,
Melies, Pathe,
Selig
and Vitagraph.
This formation basically set the standards for movie paper.
They also formed the General Film Company to distribute their
films to theaters. This group would become known as 'the Trust'.
The
'Trust' didn't help Melies as much as it did the Studios in
the United States. The
aggressive and marketing ability of Pathe and Gaumont strangled
his market. Faced with a shrinking market once the novelty of
his films began to wear off, Melies abandoned film production
in 1912.
In
1914, the French government took over Star Films for use in
the war to make war and propaganda films.
In
1923 he was declared bankrupt and his beloved Theatre Robert
Houdin was demolished. Melies almost disappeared into obscurity
until the late 1928 when M. Druhot, of the Cine-Journal, discovered
Melies selling candy and toys in a booth at the Gare Montparnasse.
He was given a banquet and finally his substantial contribution
to cinema was recognized by the French. He was presented with
the Legion of Honour.
The
Chambre Syndicale which he founded and was president for 10
years, offered him free quarters where he spent the remaining
years of his life.
Ultimately,
Georges Melies wasn't a filmmaker. He was, in truth, a film
magician. A conjuror who experimented with films, but who was
more concerned with how the film reflected his concept for the
tricks involved than for the evolution of the new art form.
Melies
is considered the father of "sci-fi" films and unfortunately
was the only founding father of films that didn't make a great
deal of money.
Georges
Melies died in poverty in 1938 after making over five hundred
films in total - financing, directing, photographing and starring
in nearly every one.
