George Méliès

film 43 of 70

Alcofribas, the Master Magician

Film Review by Dean Duncan Jun 19, 2015

Familiar stunts, but this grotto setting features not only stalactites, but some outer space-looking rectillinders. More than that, Méliès is really pulling out the stops and upping the ante with the special effects. He’s using a few stills now, and multiple superimpositions, distributed across different sections of the frame. There’s a close up, even, of a lovely smiling French lady. I note with pleasure that the eponymous magician is also the film’s director. My viewing companions and I were relieved to see that some demons show up at the end.