Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès (December 8, 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.
346 directing credits · 150 acting credits
Directing · 346
A Trip to the Moon
1902
Cinderella
1899
The Impossible Voyage
1904
Gugusse and the Automaton
1897
Le manoir du diable
1896
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
1907
The Surrender of Tournavos
1897
The One-Man Band
1900
Naval Combat in Greece
1897
A Nightmare
1896
The Bewitched Inn
1897
Joan of Arc
1900
The Untamable Whiskers
1904
Arrival of a Train (Joinville Station)
1896
Playing Cards
1896
The Four Troublesome Heads
1898
L'acteur en retard
1908
Cleopatra's Tomb
1899
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon
1907
Long Distance Wireless Photography
1908
The Man with the Rubber Head
1901
The Mermaid
1904
The Dreyfus Affair
1899
Pharmaceutical Hallucinations
1908
Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus
1905
Jupiter's Thunderballs
1903
Bluebeard
1901
The Astronomer's Dream
1900
Adventures of William Tell
1898
The Scheming Gambler's Paradise
1905
The Coronation of Edward VII
1902
A Terrible Night
1896
The Good Luck of a 'Souse'
1907
The Damnation of Faust
1898
After the Ball
1897
The Christmas Angel
1904
The Hallucinated Alchemist
1897
What Is Home Without the Boarder
1900
The Magician
1898
A Desperate Crime
1906
The Terrible Eruption of Mount Pelee and Destruction of St. Pierre, Martinique
1902
Dreyfus Court Martial - Arrest Of Dreyfus
1899
The Mysterious Retort
1906
Robinson Crusoe
1902
The Merry Frolics of Satan
1906
Between Calais and Dover
1897
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
1904
The Devil and the Statue
1901
The Christmas Dream
1900
Satan in Prison
1907
The Kingdom of the Fairies
1903
Boxing Match
1897
The Magic Lantern
1903
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
1905
The Mystical Flame
1903
The Clockmaker's Dream
1904
The Spider and the Butterfly
1909
Going to Bed Under Difficulties
1900
An Adventurous Automobile Trip
1905
Le château hanté
1897
The Microscopic Dancer
1902
The Witch
1906
Cinderella or The Glass Slipper
1912
Whimsical Illusions
1909
Pygmalion and Galatea
1898
Dancing in a Harem
1897
The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
1900
The Vanishing Lady
1896
The Hallucinations of Baron Munchausen
1911
The Treasures of Satan
1902
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
1902
A Miracle Under the Inquisition
1904
An Up-to-Date Conjurer
1899
The Temptation of St. Anthony
1898
The Ballet Master's Dream
1903
A Tricky Painter’s Fate
1908
The Devil in a Convent
1899
Fun With the Bridal Party
1908
The Infernal Cauldron
1903
The Good Shepherdess and the Evil Princess
1908
The Skipping Cheese
1907
Guerre de Cuba et l'explosion du Maine à La Havane
1898
Faust and Marguerite
1897
Up-to-Date Spiritualism
1900
Dreyfus Meets His Wife at Rennes
1899
The Melomaniac
1903
Fantastic Dining Room
1899
The Pillar of Fire
1899
The Fortune Favors the Brave
1908
Apparitions
1903
Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler
1908
The Old Hag
—
The Prince of Magicians
1901
Sightseeing Through Whisky
1907
The Magic Book
1900
How Bridget's Lover Escaped
1907
Watering the Flowers
1896
Tunneling the English Channel
1907
Shakespeare Writing "Julius Caesar"
1907
The Dream of an Opium Fiend
1908
Rip's Dream
1905
Addition and Subtraction
1900
The Genii of Fire
1908
The Colonel's Shower Bath
1902
The Diabolic Tenant
1909
The Catastrophe of the Balloon "Le Pax"
1902
Landing of Dreyfus at Quiberon
1899
Hat of Many Surprises
1901
The Devil's Laboratory
1897
Faust and Marguerite
1904
How He Missed His Train
1900
In the Barber Shop
1908
The Hilarious Posters
1906
The Unexpected Bath
1900
The Cook in Trouble
1904
His First Job
1908
The Bridegroom's Dilemma
1898
Les tribulations d'un concierge
1896
Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter
1904
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
1905
The Terrible Turkish Executioner
1903
The Brahmin and the Butterfly
1901
Not Guilty
1908
The Infernal Cake-Walk
1903
Extraordinary Illusions
1903
The Indian Sorcerer
1908
The Black Imp
1905
An Angelic Servant
—
Off to Bedlam
1901
The Clown and Automobile
1899
The Bewitched Trunk
1904
The Famous Box Trick
1898
The Grasshopper and the Ant
1897
Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"
1898
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
1898
Cooks fight
1900
The Marvellous Wreath
1903
Sure Cure for Indigestion
1902
The Fake Russian Prophet
1904
Buncoed Stage Johnnie
1908
The Attempt Against the Life of Maitre Labori
1899
The King and the Jester
1907
French Cops Learning English
1908
A Midnight Episode
1899
Conjurer Making Ten Hats in Sixty Seconds
1896
A Crazy Composer
1905
Painless Dentistry
1901
Faust in the Underworld
1903
The Living Playing Cards
1905
Benvenuto Cellini or A Curious Evasion
1904
Devil's Island - Within the Palisade
1899
Post No Bills
1896
The New Lord of the Village
1908
Soap Bubbles
1906
The Monster
1903
Delirium in a Studio
1907
The Oracle of Delphi
1903
Bois de Boulogne
1897
Miss de Vère - English Jig
1896
The Prophetess of Thebes
1908
The Doctor and the Monkey
1900
Little Red Riding Hood
1901
Summoning the Spirits
1899
An Impossible Balancing Feat
1902
A Twentieth Century Surgeon
1897
The Fugitive Apparitions
1904
The Triple Headed Lady
1901
Marvelous Suspension
1902
The Enchanted Sedan Chair
1905
A Moonlight Serenade
1903
The Last Cartridges
1897
D. Devant, Conjurer
1897
Two Crazy Bugs
1908
Les miracles du Brahmine
1900
The Imperceptible Transmutations
1904
A New Death Penalty
1907
Tit for Tat
1904
Conjuring
1896
The Mysterious Portrait
1899
The Wandering Jew
1904
The Witch's Revenge
1903
Fencing at the Joinville School
1897
Mr. Dauber and the Whimsical Picture
1905
Visite de l'épave du Maine
1898
A Mischievous Sketch
1907
The Fight of Reporters
1899
The Misfortunes of an Explorer
1900
A Seaside Flirtation
1906
The Wonderful Rose Tree
1904
The Mischances of a Drunkard
1904
The Magician and the Imp
1902
Extravagant Struggles
1899
Christ Walking on Water
1899
The Grotto of Surprises
1904
The Prolific Magical Egg
1902
A Novice at X-Rays
1898
The Wonderful Charm
1908
The Dwarf and the Giant
1901
Eight Girls in a Barrel
1900
Misfortune Never Comes Alone
1903
A Night With Masqueraders in Paris
1908
The Cave of the Demons
1898
The Conquest of the Pole
1912
The Enchanted Basket
1903
Moitié de polka
1908
The Astonishing Frame
1904
Good Glue Sticks
1907
Justinian's Human Torches
1908
The Old Footlight Favorite
1908
The Human Pyramid
1899
The King of Sharpshooters
1905
A Love Tragedy in Spain
1908
L'homme aux cent trucs
1900
Rogues' Tricks
1907
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
1903
The Mysterious Knight
1899
Les infortunes des patineurs
1908
Grandmother's Tale and Child's Dream
1908
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
1907
The Magic of Catchy Songs
1908
A Wedding by Correspondence
1904
The Providence of the Waves
1904
An Irritable Model
1897
The Two Blind Men
1900
The Broken Violin
1908
The Degradation of Dreyfus
1899
The Hotel Mix-Up
1908
The Miser
1908
The Artist and the Dummy
1900
Curiosity Punished
1908
The Devilish Plank
1904
Gala Méliès
1929
A Terrible Night (Remake)
1897
Suicide of Colonel Henry
1899
A Mistaken Identity
—
The Bachelor's Paradise
1901
A Roadside Inn
1906
The Inn Where No Man Rests
1903
L'agent gelé
1908
The Knight of the Snow
1912
A Good Trick
1901
The Firefall
1904
Ten Ladies in an Umbrella
1903
An Improvised Fireworks Display
1905
The Doctor's Secret
1909
China Versus Allied Powers
1900
The Knight of Black Art
1907
Jack Jags and Dum Dum
1903
Mishaps of the New York-Paris Auto Race
1908
A Maiden's Paradise
1901
A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself
1904
Pranks With a Fake Python
1908
A Mesmerian Experiment
1905
The Temple of the Sun
1901
The Tramp and the Mattress Makers
1906
A Soldier's Unlucky Salutation
1896
Fun in Court
1901
The Lilliputian Minuet
1905
Jack the Chimney Sweep
1906
An Extraordinary Dislocation
1901
Carrefour de l'opéra
1898
Le conférencier distrait
1899
A Fantastical Meal
1900
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
1900
Chopin's Funeral March Burlesqued
1907
The Fairy Dragonfly
1908
The Living Doll
1908
A Mix-Up in the Gallery
1906
The Chloroform Fiends
1905
Méliès: Tales of Terror
2021
Arrival of a Train at Vincennes Station
1896
The Coup of Pere Francois
1900
The Helping Hand
1908
The Mysterious Box
1903
The Diabolical Church Window
1911
Les malheurs d'un photographe
1908
A Forester Made King
1907
A Lover's Hazing
—
A Spiritualist Photographer
1903
The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head
1900
The Magician's Cavern
1901
Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid
1903
Humanity Through the Ages
1908
The Invisible Siva
1904
The Tower of London
1905
The Impossible Dinner
1904
Simple Simon's Surprise Party
1904
The Bewildering Cabinet
1907
The Voyage of M. Bourrichon
1913
Cabinet Trick of the Davenport Brothers
1902
The Rajah's Dream or The Bewitched Wood
1900
Comical Conjuring
1903
Wine Cellar Burglars
1902
Drunkard and Inventor
1902
The Stick
1900
The Shadow Lady
1904
The Angler's Nightmare, or A Policeman's Troubles
1905
Incident from Don Quixote
1908
The Court Martial at Rennes
1899
Oriental Black Art
1908
The Drawing Lesson
1903
A Serpentine Dance
1896
The Animated Costumes
1904
Dreyfus Put in Irons
1899
Punch and Judy
1906
The Wonderful Living Fan
1904
The Luny Musician
1906
Lightning Change Artist
1899
Murder Will Out
1899
Beelzebub's Daughters
1903
The Barber of Seville
1904
Life-Saving Up-to-Date
1905
Drink! A Great Temperance Story
1907
A Spiritualist Meeting
1906
A Fake Diamond Swindler
1908
The Forester's Remedy
1908
Hypnotist's Revenge
1908
On the Roof
1897
Sideshow Wrestlers
1908
The Venetian Looking-Glass
1905
Crying and Laughing
1900
The Cook's Revenge
1900
The Enchanted Well
1903
The Magic Dice
1905
A Woman Surprised
1898
The Flea
1900
The Bath
1900
Bakers in Trouble
1907
The Little Peace Maker
1908
The Mystery of the Garrison
1908
Two Talented Vagabonds
1908
Le Théâtreux joué
1908
Honeymoon in a Balloon
1908
A Funny Mahometan
1897
Dreyfus Leaving the Lycée for Jail
1899
The Human Fly
1902
Robert Macaire and Bertrand
1906
In the Bogie Man's Cave
1907
Les Mousquetaires de la reine
1903
Uncle Rube's Birthday
1904
Up-to-Date Clothes Cleaning
1908
Hunting the Teddy Bear
1908
The Duke's Good Joke
1908
The Sacred Fountain
1901
Old and New Style Conjurers
1906
Who Looks, Pays!
1906
Acting · 150
A Trip to the Moon
1902
Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma
1978
Cinderella
1899
The Extraordinary Voyage
2011
The Impossible Voyage
1904
Gugusse and the Automaton
1897
Le manoir du diable
1896
The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès
2012
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
1907
The One-Man Band
1900
Naval Combat in Greece
1897
A Nightmare
1896
The Bewitched Inn
1897
Joan of Arc
1900
The Untamable Whiskers
1904
Playing Cards
1896
The Four Troublesome Heads
1898
Cleopatra's Tomb
1899
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon
1907
Long Distance Wireless Photography
1908
The Man with the Rubber Head
1901
The Mermaid
1904
The Dreyfus Affair
1899
Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus
1905
Jupiter's Thunderballs
1903
Bluebeard
1901
The Astronomer's Dream
1900
A Terrible Night
1896
The Good Luck of a 'Souse'
1907
The Méliès Mystery
2021
The Christmas Angel
1904
The Magician
1898
A Desperate Crime
1906
The Mysterious Retort
1906
The Merry Frolics of Satan
1906
Robinson Crusoe
1902
Between Calais and Dover
1897
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
1904
The Devil and the Statue
1901
The Christmas Dream
1900
Satan in Prison
1907
The Kingdom of the Fairies
1903
The Magic Lantern
1903
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
1905
The Mystical Flame
1903
The Clockmaker's Dream
1904
Going to Bed Under Difficulties
1900
Le château hanté
1897
The Magic of Méliès
1997
The Witch
1906
Whimsical Illusions
1909
Pygmalion and Galatea
1898
Dancing in a Harem
1897
The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
1900
The Vanishing Lady
1896
The Treasures of Satan
1902
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
1902
An Up-to-Date Conjurer
1899
The Temptation of St. Anthony
1898
The Ballet Master's Dream
1903
The Devil in a Convent
1899
The Infernal Cauldron
1903
Cinematógrafo 1900
1979
Faust and Marguerite
1897
Up-to-Date Spiritualism
1900
The Melomaniac
1903
The Pillar of Fire
1899
The Fortune Favors the Brave
1908
Apparitions
1903
Alcoléa & cie Documentary
2024
Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler
1908
The Prince of Magicians
1901
The Magic Book
1900
Tunneling the English Channel
1907
Rip's Dream
1905
The Diabolic Tenant
1909
Hat of Many Surprises
1901
Faust and Marguerite
1904
In the Barber Shop
1908
The Hilarious Posters
1906
The Cook in Trouble
1904
The Bridegroom's Dilemma
1898
El hombre que quiso ser Segundo
2014
Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter
1904
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
1905
The Terrible Turkish Executioner
1903
The Brahmin and the Butterfly
1901
Not Guilty
1908
The Infernal Cake-Walk
1903
Extraordinary Illusions
1903
The Indian Sorcerer
1908
The Black Imp
1905
The Famous Box Trick
1898
The Marvellous Wreath
1903
Sure Cure for Indigestion
1902
The King and the Jester
1907
French Cops Learning English
1908
A Midnight Episode
1899
Faust in the Underworld
1903
The Living Playing Cards
1905
The New Lord of the Village
1908
The Monster
1903
Delirium in a Studio
1907
The Oracle of Delphi
1903
Summoning the Spirits
1899
An Impossible Balancing Feat
1902
The Fugitive Apparitions
1904
The Triple Headed Lady
1901
A Moonlight Serenade
1903
The Imperceptible Transmutations
1904
Violons d'Ingres
1939
Tit for Tat
1904
Conjuring
1896
The Mysterious Portrait
1899
The Wandering Jew
1904
The Prolific Magical Egg
1902
The Dwarf and the Giant
1901
Misfortune Never Comes Alone
1903
The Conquest of the Pole
1912
The Enchanted Basket
1903
Good Glue Sticks
1907
The Human Pyramid
1899
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
1903
The Mysterious Knight
1899
Les infortunes des patineurs
1908
Satans Sacrilegious Saga
2025
The Artist and the Dummy
1900
The Devilish Plank
1904
Gala Méliès
1929
A Roadside Inn
1906
The Knight of the Snow
1912
The Firefall
1904
The Doctor's Secret
1909
A Maiden's Paradise
1901
A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself
1904
A Mesmerian Experiment
1905
The Temple of the Sun
1901
The Lilliputian Minuet
1905
A Fantastical Meal
1900
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
1900
Méliès: Tales of Terror
2021
The Diabolical Church Window
1911
The Mysterious Box
1903
Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid
1903
The Magician's Cavern
1901
The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head
1900
The Wonderful Living Fan
1904
Beelzebub's Daughters
1903
A Funny Mahometan
1897
The Human Fly
1902