134 Georges Méliès Movies, Ranked (Prelude)

Note: “The Ranks of the Auteurs” is a written series that traces notable people, studios, and series throughout film history and ranks their work. This is the (prelude to the) fifth installment, featuring Georges Méliès, who was born on December 8, 1861 in Paris, France and died there on January 21, 1938.

Georges Méliès, the reigning movie magician during the birth of cinema, was a groundbreaking pioneer of narrative film, camera techniques, special effects, and entrepreneurship in the movie business. I’ve written at length about my love for the French filmmaker, a man who made over 500 films (none of them feature length) from 1896 to 1913, about 200 of which survive. I was able to track down 184 (many thanks to the fantastic Flicker Alley collection “Georges Méliès: The First Wizard of Cinema”), and now I will rank them. But this is a prelude: since there are so many films, I figured I’d start with a little teaser about Méliès himself and a simple list of the 134 “worst” of his movies. And to be honest, even up through to the top 25 or 30, there is a lot of splitting hairs in distinguishing the very similar films that make up the bulk of Méliès’ output.

Méliès, after stints at a prestigious school, military service, and his family’s shoe business, began studying stage magic. His father retired, Georges sold the family shoe business, and bought the Théâtre Robert-Houdin. A lot of the tricks he would invent there would be adapted to film in some form or another, especially in the early days, and his involvement as performer, director, producer, technical supervisor, and more foreshadowed the “auteur” approach he would bring to film. Méliès was one of those in attendance at a private Lumière demonstration, where the story goes he tried to persuade the brothers to sell him one of their cameras. When they refused, he bought one from Robert W. Paul in England, and began presenting, and quite quickly, making movies in 1896.

With my top 50 write ups, I hope to more extensively tell the story of Georges while also evaluating the films themselves. Please be excited, because I am, as someone who finds Méliès one of the most exciting and creative filmmakers who ever lived.

#184 — BUNCOED STAGE JOHNNIE (1908)

#183 — ARTIST AND THE DUMMY (1900)

#182 — OFF TO BLOOMINGDALE ASYLUM (1901)

#181 — THE DAINAID’S BARREL (1900)

#180 — THE IMPERCEPTIBLE TRANSMUTATIONS (1904)

#179 — CARD PARTY (1896)

#178 — POST NO BILLS (1896)

#177 — IN THE BARBER SHOP (1908)

#176 — ROGUES’ TRICKS (1907)

#175 — A TRICKY PAINTER’S FATE (1908)

#174 — SIDESHOW WRESTLERS (1908)

#173 — THE ROADSIDE INN (1906)

#172 — THE SCHEMING GAMBLER’S PARADISE (1905)

#171 — THE FUGITIVE APPARITIONS (1904)

#170 — TCHIN-CHAO, THE CHINESE CONJUROR (1904)

#169 — GOOD GLUE STICKS (1907)

#168 — THE HUMAN PYRAMID (1899)

#167 — THE COLONEL’S SHOWER BATH (1902)

#166 — MARVELLOUS EGG PRODUCTION (1902)

#165 — UP-TO-DATE SPIRITUALISM (1900)

#164 — THE SPIRITUALIST PHOTOGRAPHER (1903)

#163 — THE BACHELOR’S PARADISE (1901)

#162 — HAT OF MANY SURPRISES (1901)

#161 — THE LUNY MUSICIAN (1906)

#160 — BETWEEN CALAIS AND DOVER (1897)

#159 — THE LAST CARTRIDGES (1897)

#158 — THE SURRENDER OF TOURNAVOS (1897)

#157 — PYGMALION AND GALATEA (1898)

#156 — JACK JAGGS AND DUM DUM (1903)

#155 — THE MYSTERIOUS BOX (1903)

#154 — THE MISCHANCE OF A PHOTOGRAPHER (1908)

#153 — THE ENCHANTED SEDAN CHAIR (1905)

#152 — THE DEVILISH PLANK (1904)

#151 — FRENCH INTERPRETER POLICEMAN (1908)

#150 — THE BALLET MASTER’S DREAM (1903)

#149 — HOW HE MISSED HIS TRAIN (1900)

#148 — TIT FOR TAT (1904)

#147 — THE ENCHANTED TRUNK (1904)

#146 — NOT GUILTY (1908)

#145 — SOAP BUBBLES (1906)

#144 — THE MYSTICAL FLAME (1903)

#143 — SUMMONING THE SPIRITS (1899)

#142 — PROLIFIC MAGIC EGG (1902)

#141 — THE DRAWING LESSON (1903)

#140 — THE MARVELLOUS WREATH (1903)

#139 — THE SKIPPING CHEESE (1907)

#138 — THE LIVING PLAYING CARDS (1904)

#137 — WHY THAT ACTOR WAS LATE (1908)

#136 — THE CLOCK MAKER’S DREAM (1904)

#135 — THE COOK IN TROUBLE (1904)

#134 — UNEXPECTED FIREWORKS (1905)

#133 — THE DOCTOR’S SECRET (1908)

#132 — THE BROKEN VIOLIN (1908)

#131 — JUSTINIAN’S HUMAN TORCHES (1908)

#130 — THE KNIGHT OF BLACK ART (1908)

#129 — THE MONSTER (1903)

#128 — THE TRIPLE CONJURER AND THE LIVING HEAD (1900)

#127 — THE APPARITION (1903)

#126 — A CRAZY COMPOSER (1905)

#125 — THE TRAMP AND THE MATTRESS MAKERS (1906)

#124 — SIGHTSEEING THROUGH WHISKEY (1907)

#123 — THE DIABOLICAL CHURCH WINDOW (1911)

#122 — THE DWARF AND THE GIANT (1901)

#121 — THE ONE-MAN BAND (1900)

#120 — THE SHADOW-GIRL (1902)

#119 — THE KING AND THE JESTER (1907)

#118 — THE DREYFUS AFFAIR (1899)

#117 — TEN LADIES IN ONE UMBRELLA (1903)

#116 — AN IMPOSSIBLE BALANCING FEAT (1902)

#115 — A MYSTERIOUS PORTRAIT (1899)

#114 — HOW BRIDGET’S LOVER ESCAPED (1907)

#113 — THE INN WHERE NO MAN RESTS (1903)

#112 — TROUBLES IN A TENEMENT-HOUSE (1901)

#111 — BOB KICK, THE MISCHIEVOUS KID (1903)

#110 — JACK AND JIM (1903)

#109 — IN THE BOGIE MAN’S CAVE (1907)

#108 — THE BEWITCHED INN (1897)

#107 — THE VANISHING LADY (1896)

#106 — THE PROPHETESS OF THEBES (1908)

#105 — AN EXTRAORDINARY WRESTLING MATCH (1899)

#104 — A FALL FROM FIVE FLOORS (1906)

#103 — THE MISER (1908)

#102 — PHARMACEUTICAL HALLUCINATIONS (1908)

#101 — WHIMSICAL ILLUSIONS (1909)

#100 — SATAN IN PRISON (1907)

#99 — DELIRIUM IN A STUDIO (1907)

#98 — THE GENII OF FIRE (1908)

#97 — THE WONDERFUL LIVING FAN (1904)

#96 — PANORAMA FROM TOP OF A MOVING TRAIN (1898)

#95 — THE FAMOUS BOX TRICK (1898)

#94 — ADVENTURES OF WILLIAM TELL (1898)

#93 — EXTRAORDINARY ILLUSIONS (1903)

#92 — ON THE ROOF (1897)

#91 — A TURN OF THE CENTURY ILLUSIONIST (1899)

#90 — THE MAGIC BOOK (1900)

#89 — MISFORTUNE NEVER COMES ALONE (1903)

#88 — A TERRIBLE NIGHT (1896)

#87 — ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION (1900)

#86 — SEA FIGHTING IN GREECE (1897)

#85 — THE WANDERING JEW (1904)

#84 — THE DEVILISH TENANT (1909)

#83 — THE WOES OF ROLLER SKATERS (1908)

#82 — THE BLACK IMP (1905)

#81 — THE WITCH’S REVENGE (1903)

#80 — THE ORACLE OF DELPHI (1903)

#79 — THE FIREFALL (1904)

#78 — A MESMERIAN EXPERIMENT (1905)

#77 — THE MELOMANIAC (1903)

#76 — THE HUMAN FLY (1902)

#75 — THE CORONATION OF EDWARD VII (1902)

#74 — THE COOK’S REVENGE (1900)

#73 — THE MYSTERIOUS KNIGHT (1899)

#72 — DIVERS AT WORK ON THE WRECK OF THE ‘MAINE’ (1898)

#71 — THE MAGICIAN (1898)

#70 — THE INDIAN SORCERER (1908)

#69 — THE TEMPTATION OF SAINT ANTHONY (1898)

#68 — THE UNTAMABLE WHISKERS (1904)

#67 — EXCELSIOR! (1901)

#66 — THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY (1901)

#65 — THE DEVIL AND THE STATUE (1902)

#64 — THE MYSTERIOUS RETORT (1906)

#63 — ALCOFRIBAS, THE MASTER MAGICIAN (1903)

#62 — AFTER THE BALL (1897)

#61 — GOING TO BED UNDER DIFFICULTIES (1900)

#60 — THE MERMAID (1904)

#59 — THE DAMNATION OF FAUST (1903)

#58 — THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1905)

#57 — THE TERRIBLE ERUPTION OF MOUNT PELEE AND DESTRUCTION OF ST. PIERRE, MARTINIQUE (1902)

#56 — THE VOYAGE OF THE BOURRICHON FAMILY (1913)

#55 — THE GOOD SHEPHERDESS AND THE EVIL PRINCESS (1908)

#54 — THE NEW LORD OF THE VILLAGE (1908)

#53 — THE WIZARD, THE PRINCE AND THE GOOD FAIRY (1900)

#52 — THE FOUR TROUBLESOME HEADS (1898)

#51 — A NIGHTMARE (1896)

Look for the expanded list with write ups and pictures for the top 50 later this week!