Georges Méliès Photo

Georges Méliès

Directing

0.5 Popularity Dec 09, 1861 (76 years old) Paris, France

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 photogr...

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.  

Filmography 595

2023
A Trip to the Melisverse Movie

as Archivo de imagen

2021
Méliès: Tales of Terror Movie

as The Melomaniac

2021
2021
2021
The Méliès Mystery Movie

as Self (archive footage)

2019
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese Movie

as Magician (archive footage from "The Vanishing Lady")

2014
El hombre que quiso ser Segundo Movie

as Self (archive footage)

2012
The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès Movie

as Self (archive footage)

2011
The Extraordinary Voyage Movie

as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

1997
The Magic of Méliès Movie

as Self / Various Roles (archive footage)

1979
Cinematógrafo 1900 Movie

as Self (archive footage)

1979
ORG Movie

Thanks

1978
Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma TV

as Self (archive footage)

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An Angelic Servant Movie

Director

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A Mistaken Identity Movie

Director

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A Lover's Hazing Movie

Director

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Life in Jaffa Movie

Director

1939
Violons d'Ingres Movie

as Himself (archive footage)

1939
Violons d'Ingres Movie

Additional Photography

Photos 3

Georges Méliès Photo
Georges Méliès Photo
Georges Méliès Photo

Personal Details

Known For Directing
Gender Male
Birthday December 09, 1861 (76 years old)
Died January 21, 1938
Place of Birth Paris, France
Also Known As Жорж Мельес, 조르주 멜리에스, Marie Georges Jean Méliès and 2 more
Years Active 1901 - 2024
Popularity 0.5
Career Stats
595 Total Credits
146 Movie Roles
1 TV Roles
3 Photos