User Reviews

One of the tropes established by Georges Melies was "The Haunted Castle". Someone entered a castle, and things kept appearing and disappearing in a combination of camera trickery and stage magic. Everyone imitated this, including Melies himself several times. So when Pathe, Segundo de Chomon's employer, told him to make pictures to take away Melies' market, he made several in the mode.

In this one, a family tries to eat dinner, but the table vanishes and reappears, changes shape and location, all in the usual manner laid down by Melies. It's a pleasant little trick film, but nothing more than that.

Back in the very early days of cinema (approximately 1895-1910), Georges Méliès was the biggest innovator in film. Using many things he learned as a stage magician, Méliès wowed audiences. These tricks (many of which were achieved using simple stop-motion techniques) really wowed the audiences and he was very popular. And, in those days, being popular meant being copied. Unscrupulous folks would make their own films and pass them off as the work of this French master. And, some might use their own names but essentially copy Méliès' films. The most talented of these was Segundo de Chomón....and "La Table Magique" ("The Magic Table") is a film that sure looks like it was done by Méliès.

The plot is simple...three folks try to sit down to a meal but all sorts of weirdness prevents them from actually eating. The table or chairs might disappear or grow or move about the room--mostly due to stop-motion but also due to the use of trap doors which could make the table drop to floor level and rise up again. It's all fun and enjoyable...and familiar.

By the way, if you want to see this film and others by these two filmmakers, they're available to download or watch online for free from archive.org. Be aware, however, that the quality of this particular print is poor...due to the effects of time on the nitrate print.