The German legend of a scholar's unholy pact with the Devil would have been very familiar to most moviegoers (at least European ones), so Georges Méliès' more
The German legend of a scholar's unholy pact with the Devil would have been very familiar to most moviegoers (at least European ones), so Georges Méliès' early cinematic treatment likely got away with simply offering a fancifully illustrated late episode without the earlier narrative context (however, spoken narration provides some of the latter in this restored print). Tempted by Mephistopheles with all kinds of dancing and ethereal babes, Faust is at first excited and then terrified by the sight of various demons and monsters. The painted-set designers really went hog wild on this one, depicting the (sometimes sexy) torments of subterranean Hell with in bold terms (even when ballerinas prance in the foreground). (Dennis Harvey, Fandor) close
As the camera looks down an open road, a horse and carriage approaches, and passes by to one side of the field of view. Soon afterwards, an automobile more
As the camera looks down an open road, a horse and carriage approaches, and passes by to one side of the field of view. Soon afterwards, an automobile comes up the road, straight towards the camera. As it gets nearer, the occupants start to wave frantically, but can a collision be avoided? close
Hazel, the miller's daughter, is courted by a country boy and a sophisticated city boy. Her father favors the country boy, but she elopes with the city more
Hazel, the miller's daughter, is courted by a country boy and a sophisticated city boy. Her father favors the country boy, but she elopes with the city boy. Before they can marry, his wife shows up and stops the ceremony. Hazel tries to return to her father, but he has disowned her. She jumps into the river, but is rescued by the country boy, who later marries her. close
A baker's assistant throws a handful of dough at a rat. The dough sticks to the side of a barrel and the assistant proceeds to sculpt the dough into various more
A baker's assistant throws a handful of dough at a rat. The dough sticks to the side of a barrel and the assistant proceeds to sculpt the dough into various faces and shapes. There is some experimental use of stop motion. close
The Flicker Alley DVD "Georges Méliès: Encore New Discoveries (1896-1911)" misidentified a partial hand-colored print of the 1906 film "Alchimiste Parafaragaramus more
The Flicker Alley DVD "Georges Méliès: Encore New Discoveries (1896-1911)" misidentified a partial hand-colored print of the 1906 film "Alchimiste Parafaragaramus ou La cornue infernale" (The Mysterious Retort) as this film, "L'hallucination de l'alchimiste" (An Hallucinated Alchemist) from 1897, which continues to be considered a lost film. close
A man needs to get to Monte Carlo from Paris, but finds out that a train will take 17 hours to get there. He decides to go with a man with a special car, more
A man needs to get to Monte Carlo from Paris, but finds out that a train will take 17 hours to get there. He decides to go with a man with a special car, who claims that he can get there in just two hours. Complications ensue. close
This vibrant film was shown as part of the Lancashire town's celebrations of Edward VII's coronation. People wave, cheer and laugh at the camera as a more
This vibrant film was shown as part of the Lancashire town's celebrations of Edward VII's coronation. People wave, cheer and laugh at the camera as a tram worker playfully tries to clear them out of the way by spraying them with water. As the camera pans to follow the tram disappearing down the hill, it passes over women in shawls, men smoking, and a little girl in a bonnet being held aloft. close
In this picture there is a limited amount of action in the pose. As the curtains are drawn aside the shell appears shut. It gradually opens, disclosing more
In this picture there is a limited amount of action in the pose. As the curtains are drawn aside the shell appears shut. It gradually opens, disclosing the model curled up in a recumbent position. She slowly arises as if awakening, and gracefully assumes the final position of the pose. close
A professor eating his lunch at his work table becomes suspicious of the taste of his cheese. He puts a slice under the nearby microscope. But the crawling more
A professor eating his lunch at his work table becomes suspicious of the taste of his cheese. He puts a slice under the nearby microscope. But the crawling creatures thus revealed aren't quite what one might expect. close
In the film "Gulliver en el pais de los gigantes" (Gulliver en el pais de los gigantes), the director Segundo de Chaumont filmed the story about the famous more
In the film "Gulliver en el pais de los gigantes" (Gulliver en el pais de los gigantes), the director Segundo de Chaumont filmed the story about the famous character Jonathan Swift.
Gulliver’s soul requires adventure, he is bored in his native land, and he begins to travel. One day he is taken to an unusual country. Its inhabitants are huge creatures – giants. To survive in the new conditions, the hero has to work hard. How will he get out of a difficult situation? close
The Flying Train depicts a ride on a suspended railway. The footage is almost as impressive as the feat of engineering it captures. For many years our more
The Flying Train depicts a ride on a suspended railway. The footage is almost as impressive as the feat of engineering it captures. For many years our curators believed our Mutoscope rolls were slightly shrunken 70mm film, but they were actually shot on Biograph’s proprietary 68mm stock. Formats like Biograph’s 68mm and Fox’s 70mm Grandeur are of particular interest to researchers visiting the Film Study Center because the large image area affords stunning visual clarity and quality, especially compared to the more standard 35mm or 16mm stocks. close
