![]() While special effects are liberally employed, the camera remains stationary and at a polite “show us their toes” distance. As was standard practice in his films, Méliès does not engage in camera trickery of the non-magical variety. The Monster does require a sympathetic audience to appreciate its message but it does hold many fascinating layers for any viewer willing to go that extra mile. Does the monster of the title refer to the skeleton or to the priest? And now the skeleton’s horrifying dance and transformation, the prince’s eagerness to kiss the revitalized young women, his anger at the priest when his wife is snatched away again… it all makes sense. Here is the key story detail: the mummy that the prince hopes to revive is that of his own wife. (The Flicker Alley release of The Monster contains this narration.) So, watching a Méliès picture silent or with just music does not always provide the whole story and such is the case with The Monster. You see, many of the films Méliès released were meant to be seen with spoken narration in lieu of the title cards that are synonymous with silent films. We are fortunate that the filmmaker’s catalogs contained lengthy and detailed descriptions of the plots of his films. Chances are if you’ve just seen this film on YouTube, you might be thinking the same thing.Īs is often the case in a Méliès film, the real story is deeper. Or perhaps it is just meant to symbolize frustrated male desire as the man never does get his beautiful living mummy. The Monster has been described as having no plot, a slightly macabre confection designed to entertain us for a few minutes and no more. You had one job!Īh! But you know there’s more. Méliès had performed the woman-to-skeleton-to-woman trick before and the way the characters are standing, the film is set up as a magic show before an audience. Before the prince can steal a kiss, the priest turns her back into a skeleton. Then its body stretches and distorts before it is turned into a beautiful woman. At first it is just a skeleton but then it is wrapped in fabric and performs a weird dance. An Egyptian prince sits and watches while a priest revives a dead body. The Monster lasts just a couple of minutes and seems straightforward on the surface. Many modern viewers, though, are becoming acquainted with the darker, deeper side of Méliès and realizing that there was more to the gentleman than just butterflies and top hats does much to increase respect for his talents. ![]() A wizard who sent rockets to the moon and featured hand-painted dancers twirling. When featured in History of Film documentaries, Georges Méliès’s films are often portrayed as light, even cuddly entertainment. Home Media Availability: Released on DVD.
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