Georges Méliès

Personal Info

Known For

Directing

Known Credits

146

Gender

Male

Birthday

1861-12-09

Day of death

1938-01-21 (76 years old)

Place of Birth

Paris, France

Georges Méliès

Biography

Georges Méliès (December 9, 1861 - January 21, 1938), full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French illusionist and filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. One of the first filmmakers to use multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, tracking shots, dissolves, and hand-painted color in his work, Méliès pioneered effects that would define cinematic special effects for decades to come.  A prolific innovator in the use of special effects, Méliès accidentally discovered the substitution stop trick in 1896, a method of creating seamless disappearing and/or appearing effects used throughout both films and television for decades to come.  Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform reality through cinematography, Méliès is sometimes referred to as the first "Cinemagician". Two of his best-known films are A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904). Both stories involve strange, surreal voyages, somewhat in the style of Jules Verne, and are considered among the most important early science fiction films, though their approach is closer to fantasy. Méliès was also an early pioneer of horror cinema, which can be traced back to his Le Manoir du diable (1896).   In early 1909 Méliès stopped making films to protest Thomas Edison's Motion Pictures Parents Company monopoly, and presided over the first meeting of the International Filmmakers Congress in Paris.  Further financial hardships created by his opposition to Edison and diminishing influence, Méliès disappeared from public life. By the mid-1920s he made a meager living as a candy and toy salesma in Paris, with the assistance of funds collected by other filmmakers.  Although he was recognized for his contributions in cinema, Méliès spent most of his later years in poverty before being accepted into La Maison du Retraite du Cinéma, the film industry's retirement home in Orly.  

Known For

  • The Méliès Mystery

    The Méliès Mystery

  • Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma

    Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma

  • The Extraordinary Voyage

    The Extraordinary Voyage

  • A Trip to the Moon

    A Trip to the Moon

  • Cinderella

    Cinderella

  • Cinematógrafo 1900

    Cinematógrafo 1900

  • The Pillar of Fire

    The Pillar of Fire

  • The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès

    The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès

  • Le manoir du diable

    Le manoir du diable

  • The Astronomer's Dream

    The Astronomer's Dream

  • The Mystical Flame

    The Mystical Flame

  • The Dwarf and the Giant

    The Dwarf and the Giant

  • The Impossible Voyage

    The Impossible Voyage

  • Le château hanté

    Le château hanté

  • Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus

    Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus

  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

    20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

  • A Trip to the Melisverse

    A Trip to the Melisverse

  • The Magic of Méliès

    The Magic of Méliès

  • The Merry Frolics of Satan

    The Merry Frolics of Satan

  • The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy

    The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy

  • The Fortune Favors the Brave

    The Fortune Favors the Brave

  • Hat of Many Surprises

    Hat of Many Surprises

  • Joan of Arc

    Joan of Arc

  • The Human Pyramid

    The Human Pyramid

  • A Terrible Night

    A Terrible Night

  • Summoning the Spirits

    Summoning the Spirits

  • A Desperate Crime

    A Desperate Crime

  • Méliès: Tales of Terror

    Méliès: Tales of Terror

  • The Temptation of St. Anthony

    The Temptation of St. Anthony

  • Robinson Crusoe

    Robinson Crusoe

  • A Moonlight Serenade

    A Moonlight Serenade

  • Delirium in a Studio

    Delirium in a Studio

  • Playing Cards

    Playing Cards

  • The Famous Box Trick

    The Famous Box Trick

  • The Devil in a Convent

    The Devil in a Convent

  • The Conquest of the Pole

    The Conquest of the Pole

  • Not Guilty

    Not Guilty

  • Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer

    Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer

  • Misfortune Never Comes Alone

    Misfortune Never Comes Alone

  • The Brahmin and the Butterfly

    The Brahmin and the Butterfly

  • The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match

    The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match

  • The Prince of Magicians

    The Prince of Magicians

  • Between Calais and Dover

    Between Calais and Dover

  • The Good Luck of a 'Souse'

    The Good Luck of a 'Souse'

  • The Magic Book

    The Magic Book

  • The Marvellous Wreath

    The Marvellous Wreath

  • The Man with the Rubber Head

    The Man with the Rubber Head

  • Beelzebub's Daughters

    Beelzebub's Daughters

  • The Black Imp

    The Black Imp

  • Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants

    Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants

  • The Dreyfus Affair

    The Dreyfus Affair

  • Going to Bed Under Difficulties

    Going to Bed Under Difficulties

  • The Hilarious Posters

    The Hilarious Posters

  • The Infernal Cauldron

    The Infernal Cauldron

  • El hombre que quiso ser Segundo

    El hombre que quiso ser Segundo

  • The Mysterious Knight

    The Mysterious Knight

  • An Up-to-Date Conjurer

    An Up-to-Date Conjurer

  • The Christmas Dream

    The Christmas Dream

  • Naval Combat in Greece

    Naval Combat in Greece

  • Sure Cure for Indigestion

    Sure Cure for Indigestion

  • The Human Fly

    The Human Fly

  • Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid

    Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid

  • Whimsical Illusions

    Whimsical Illusions

  • The Clockmaker's Dream

    The Clockmaker's Dream

  • The Four Troublesome Heads

    The Four Troublesome Heads

  • The Infernal Cake-Walk

    The Infernal Cake-Walk

  • Apparitions

    Apparitions

  • The Prolific Magical Egg

    The Prolific Magical Egg

  • Tunneling the English Channel

    Tunneling the English Channel

  • The Terrible Turkish Executioner

    The Terrible Turkish Executioner

  • Bluebeard

    Bluebeard

  • Alcoléa & cie Documentary

    Alcoléa & cie Documentary

  • The Artist and the Dummy

    The Artist and the Dummy

  • The Living Playing Cards

    The Living Playing Cards

  • The Witch

    The Witch

  • The Devilish Plank

    The Devilish Plank

  • The Monster

    The Monster

  • Extraordinary Illusions

    Extraordinary Illusions

  • Pygmalion and Galatea

    Pygmalion and Galatea

  • Cleopatra's Tomb

    Cleopatra's Tomb

  • The Kingdom of the Fairies

    The Kingdom of the Fairies

  • Les infortunes des patineurs

    Les infortunes des patineurs

  • The Vanishing Lady

    The Vanishing Lady

  • The Treasures of Satan

    The Treasures of Satan

  • Conjuring

    Conjuring

  • Up-to-Date Spiritualism

    Up-to-Date Spiritualism

  • The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head

    The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head

  • Long Distance Wireless Photography

    Long Distance Wireless Photography

  • The Enchanted Basket

    The Enchanted Basket

  • Violons d'Ingres

    Violons d'Ingres

  • A Maiden's Paradise

    A Maiden's Paradise

  • The Wandering Jew

    The Wandering Jew

  • The Indian Sorcerer

    The Indian Sorcerer

  • The Knight of the Snow

    The Knight of the Snow

  • The Devil and the Statue

    The Devil and the Statue

  • Dancing in a Harem

    Dancing in a Harem

  • The Doctor's Secret

    The Doctor's Secret

  • Jupiter's Thunderballs

    Jupiter's Thunderballs

  • Gala Méliès

    Gala Méliès

  • In the Barber Shop

    In the Barber Shop

  • French Cops Learning English

    French Cops Learning English

  • The King and the Jester

    The King and the Jester

  • The Untamable Whiskers

    The Untamable Whiskers

  • A Nightmare

    A Nightmare

  • The Christmas Angel

    The Christmas Angel

  • The Bewitched Inn

    The Bewitched Inn

  • The One-Man Band

    The One-Man Band

  • An Impossible Balancing Feat

    An Impossible Balancing Feat

  • A Roadside Inn

    A Roadside Inn

  • Alcofribas, The Master Magician

    Alcofribas, The Master Magician

  • The Diabolic Tenant

    The Diabolic Tenant

  • The Mysterious Portrait

    The Mysterious Portrait

  • The Firefall

    The Firefall

  • The Lilliputian Minuet

    The Lilliputian Minuet

  • The Mysterious Box

    The Mysterious Box

  • The Mermaid

    The Mermaid

  • Faust and Marguerite

    Faust and Marguerite

  • The New Lord of the Village

    The New Lord of the Village

  • A Fantastical Meal

    A Fantastical Meal

  • Satan in Prison

    Satan in Prison

  • The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon

    The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon

  • The Melomaniac

    The Melomaniac

  • The Palace of the Arabian Nights

    The Palace of the Arabian Nights

  • Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler

    Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler

  • The Diabolical Church Window

    The Diabolical Church Window

  • The Magic Lantern

    The Magic Lantern

  • The Ballet Master's Dream

    The Ballet Master's Dream

  • The Cook in Trouble

    The Cook in Trouble

  • Tit for Tat

    Tit for Tat

  • A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself

    A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself

  • The Magician

    The Magician

  • A Funny Mahometan

    A Funny Mahometan

  • The Oracle of Delphi

    The Oracle of Delphi

  • Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter

    Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter

  • The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship

    The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship

  • Rip's Dream

    Rip's Dream

  • Faust in the Underworld

    Faust in the Underworld

  • The Magician's Cavern

    The Magician's Cavern

  • A Midnight Episode

    A Midnight Episode

  • The Triple Headed Lady

    The Triple Headed Lady

  • A Mesmerian Experiment

    A Mesmerian Experiment

  • The Temple of the Sun

    The Temple of the Sun

  • Good Glue Sticks

    Good Glue Sticks

  • The Mysterious Retort

    The Mysterious Retort

  • The Fugitive Apparitions

    The Fugitive Apparitions

  • The Wonderful Living Fan

    The Wonderful Living Fan