The film, a parody of the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, follows a fisherman, Yves, who dreams of traveling by submarine to the bottom of the ocean, where he encounters both realistic and fanciful sea creatures, including a chorus of naiads played by dancers from the Théâtre du Châtelet. Méliès's design for the film includes cut-out sea animals patterned after Alphonse de Neuville's illustrations for Verne's novel.
A traveler stays the night at a rural inn, but gets no rest as he is tormented by various spectres and mysterious happenings.
The story of the life and passion of Jesus Christ, from the proclamation of his birth to his ascension into heaven.
The first adaptation of Lew Wallace's novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
A combination of the story of Goldlocks and the Three Bears with the true story of how Teddy Roosevelt spared a bear cub after killing its mother while hunting, an event which led to the popularization of the teddy bear. Goldilocks goes to sleep in the bears' home after watching six teddy bears dance and do acrobatics, viewing them through a knothole in the wall. When she is awoken by the returning bear family, they give chase through the woods, but she runs to the aid of the Old Rough Rider, who saves her.
In this film, Méliès concocts a combination fairy- and morality tale about the foolishness of trying to look too deeply into the workings of an unstable and inscrutable universe. At a medieval school, an old astronomer begins to teach a class of young men, all armed with telescopes, about the art of scrutinising an imminent eclipse. When a mechanical clock strikes twelve, all the young men rush to the windows and fix their telescopes on the heavens.
During the Paris Commune, a boy runs across trouble at the barricade. This film, which has been mistakenly attributed to Alice Guy (she married and moved to the United States in March, 1907), was shot by Etienne Arnaud on August 12th, according to the director's own, preserved notes.
A piano entices anyone who comes near.
A short film about a dirigible.
A short comical ghost story from the era of affordable nickelodeon movie theaters.
Four Arab men in white burnouses, two women in grey, and one female cook in striped burnous, are sitting in front of a cave in a forest path.
It is an early example of the rural melodramas that were going to be popular in Spain, with situations that Bunuel will enjoy subverting. The outside locations have probably not been modified and therefore present an interesting reflection of the rural Spain around Valencia. The blind man of the title is not central character of the narrative, a nice twist.
A man with a bald head visits a specialist and places an order for an especially strong hair tonic. Late in the evening a messenger is dispatched with the tonic to the purchaser, but, through error, delivers to wrong flat. The contents of bottle, however, are drained by the male contingent of the family and water substituted therefore. Later on we see our friend applying the water to his head and giving liberal massage, but the soil remains as unfertile as ever. Our other friend, however, meets with better results, and he is soon covered with a luxuriant growth of hair. He is exhibited as a man monkey and, playing his part well, proves quite a drawing card with the ladies, when his wife, who is acting as his keeper, proves competent and administers to him a flogging, and one of the feminine members of the affair also comes in for an ample share. (Gaumont catalogue)
Many demonstrations of the art of Jiu Jitsu are given, and as evidence that this is not a passing fad intended only for the amusement of the public there is illustrated in very thrilling manner how several footpads follow two girls and then in a deserted section of the road make an attack, which is successfully foiled and the perpetrators taken into custody. Splendid action and good photographic quality. (Gaumont catalogue)
No prints of the film have been preserved so the film can be considered a lost film. The original screenplay has also been lost. However, some plot descriptions are still known based on contemporary newspaper advertisements of the film. As the name would indicate, the film tells about two local men who are making moonshine in the woods. A customer comes to them, and while sampling the product they start a game of cards, which eventually leads to a fight. While the fight is going on, the local police shows up and arrests the makers while the customer manages to escape.(Wikipedia)
The plot follows King Edward VII and President Armand Fallières dreaming of building a tunnel under the English Channel.
Joseph Vallot and his team of guides and porters climb Mont Blanc in 1906. Their ascent will take three days. They spent their nights at the Grands Mulets refuge and the Grand Plateau refuge. This is the very first successfully filmed ascent. Joseph Vallot (1854-1925), rich heir of Lodève in Occitania. He devotes part of his fortune to the observation of the Alps, sometimes opposing the scientific community. He built an observatory, still standing today.
A boy breaks his sister's doll and it mends, grows, tears him up and eats him.
Stencil-coloured version of Segundo de Chomón's Les roses magiques (1906).
A midsummer Phantasy. The man having been attacked by footpads, puts on a suit of medieval armor which has been magnetized at a dynamo by two boys. Every metallic article which he approaches flies to him, to the great consternation of many people.
