This film is an interesting one to study, because of other factors in the French film business, that were going on at the same time. Director Gaston Velle and legendary French film director, Georges Melies (A Trip to the Moon - 1902), were both very busy in their careers at this time. They both were pioneers in a new medium, making their marks, being competitive, in the early days of French film history. They were both working at the same time, so there is an opportunity here to compare and contrast the two directors, in order to give Velle a fair shake in a very new medium.
After watching this film you may feel that Velle was the discount version of Melies. That is not a bad thing. Its just a different thing. It depends on the amount of your exposure to both directors. Why was the running time so short on this film? Why were the edits so choppy on this film, but smoother in a Melies film? Was there a financial issue? I don't think the runtime is a factor really, because Melies was also making films as short as two to five minutes long, as well as, his 15 to 20 minute films at this time. A Trip to the Moon (1902), was 13 minutes long. So, runtimes, sometimes, may not have been an option, that could be controlled in 1904, so a story could be thin on plot, because of forced short runtimes.
It is important to remember, that this was only year eight of the film industry. Humans hadn't reached a decade yet in the grand experiment called motion pictures. Film was an eight year old child. It was nice seeing another pioneering artist, trying his hardest to create a fantasy story, for the sole purpose of entertaining an audience. The editing may be choppy, because of the age of the physical film. Velle also experimented with hand-painted color cells, as this film eventually shows us, as it jumps into color at a critical moment in the film. I am taking a point off on my grade, because an important shot in the film is badly shot at the wrong perspective. It is a shot that is totally controllable and shouldn't have been used, even for 1904. It still doesn't dull the impact this film has towards film history. I am sure, that when people saw this film in 1904, they loved it. Just put yourself in a 1904 frame of mind and love it too.
8.1 (B MyGrade) = 8 IMDB.
After watching this film you may feel that Velle was the discount version of Melies. That is not a bad thing. Its just a different thing. It depends on the amount of your exposure to both directors. Why was the running time so short on this film? Why were the edits so choppy on this film, but smoother in a Melies film? Was there a financial issue? I don't think the runtime is a factor really, because Melies was also making films as short as two to five minutes long, as well as, his 15 to 20 minute films at this time. A Trip to the Moon (1902), was 13 minutes long. So, runtimes, sometimes, may not have been an option, that could be controlled in 1904, so a story could be thin on plot, because of forced short runtimes.
It is important to remember, that this was only year eight of the film industry. Humans hadn't reached a decade yet in the grand experiment called motion pictures. Film was an eight year old child. It was nice seeing another pioneering artist, trying his hardest to create a fantasy story, for the sole purpose of entertaining an audience. The editing may be choppy, because of the age of the physical film. Velle also experimented with hand-painted color cells, as this film eventually shows us, as it jumps into color at a critical moment in the film. I am taking a point off on my grade, because an important shot in the film is badly shot at the wrong perspective. It is a shot that is totally controllable and shouldn't have been used, even for 1904. It still doesn't dull the impact this film has towards film history. I am sure, that when people saw this film in 1904, they loved it. Just put yourself in a 1904 frame of mind and love it too.
8.1 (B MyGrade) = 8 IMDB.