It's difficult to judge the quality of this short Melies film; I viewed it on Youtube, and only about 13 seconds exist there (it's a 19-second clip, but 6 seconds of that are a more recent title card). Most films in 1900 were about a minute long, so I'm guessing it's missing 40 seconds or so. Apparently set inside a pyramid, an actor in explorer's garb (complete with pith helmet) enters, sees a sarcophagus, opens it, and steps inside. He gets a surprised look on his face, and it appears that there may be an image of some kind behind him in the sarcophagus, but the clip ends there. Knowing Melies' style, I'm guessing that a mummy appeared out of thin air and scared off the explorer. I don't know if more of the film is still in existence, or if the clip on Youtube is all that's left of it.
3 Reviews
Just a Fragment
Hitchcoc10 November 2017
Since we don't get to see the entire film, it is hard to judge. The set is interesting. Melies like the whole idea of exploring, be it the depths of the ocean or outer space. Here, our explorer is about to open a sarcophagus but is disappointed. So are we. I'm sure there is some point but we will never know.
C'mon, c'mon...what happened after he got inside the sarcophagus?
Tornado_Sam19 October 2018
Viewing this film in frustrating for dozens of reasons. First, it's only about 16 seconds long, surviving only as a fragmentary print probably located on another reel packed with other Méliès shorts. Second, the surviving material gives no indication of what the rest of it was about and we're left to guess what happened. It doesn't help that the Star Film Catalogue facsimile I've downloaded from the internet has no description of the short at all, either. What was the point of this clip?
All the surviving scrap of the movie shows is an explorer (Méliès himself, likely) who enters the scene, espies a standing sarcophagus and upon opening it up, climbs inside. I suppose because the french title implies it, I can at least say there were no doubt some mummies involved somewhere. It was probably just another ordinary trick film--but did include some great sets and a well-painted sarcophagus. It's worth seeing then for the reasons listed above...but I sincerely hope more of it can be found before long. Surely SOMEWHERE on this earth there's another copy of the short.
All the surviving scrap of the movie shows is an explorer (Méliès himself, likely) who enters the scene, espies a standing sarcophagus and upon opening it up, climbs inside. I suppose because the french title implies it, I can at least say there were no doubt some mummies involved somewhere. It was probably just another ordinary trick film--but did include some great sets and a well-painted sarcophagus. It's worth seeing then for the reasons listed above...but I sincerely hope more of it can be found before long. Surely SOMEWHERE on this earth there's another copy of the short.
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