French filmmaking magician Georges Melies appears on stage and produces a glass bowl under a handkerchief. He pumps the arm of his older male assistant to fill the bowl with water. Naturally, a fish will appear in the water. And, that's not all. A dizzying parade of increasingly outrageous materializations occur. Melies uses the trick photography he made so famous - but, there is more here than meets the eye. Melies doesn't just show the trick. His films display comic performance in addition to the technical skills. For example, Melies amusingly has to move the bowl when the first water (intentionally) misses the mark.
****** Excelsior! (1901) Georges Melies ~ Georges Melies
****** Excelsior! (1901) Georges Melies ~ Georges Melies