Gaston Velle

The first cinematographic adaptation of the infamous Count Cagliostro.

After a quarrel Pedro walks out of the cafe leaving his fiancée (Stacia Napierkowska) alone. Heartbroken, she visits the flower garden and there, flowers metamorphose into women and begin to dance.

This is an incomplete fragment of a longer film, so doesn’t make much sense, but it’s very beautiful and colourful with plenty of fireworks, flames and fountains as well as the customary fairies, magic and dancing.

A boy is put to bed by his mother, but when she leaves the room, he pulls out a book. Dropping off to sleep, he begins to dream. The wall behind him transforms into a screen, with a portrait of Jules Verne. The boy imagines the starry night sky, with comets shooting by. The gondola of a balloon parks outside his window. He climbs aboard, ascending over a skyline and harbor.

The town-crier summons the inhabitants of the town and they read a manifesto which is posted on a wall announcing the fact that at 4 o'clock on that day the Lord Mayor will receive bids for the building of a town clock.

A beautiful seductive fairy makes gentle winged creatures appear.

An Italian movie about Othello.

An old astronomer named Nigadimus has been transfixed by a star for a long time. He had but one thought: to travel to it, to declare his love for it! But how? A simple but ingenious solution-- A giant bubble. An Italian production, this is Velle's longer version of his own film for Pathé, released the same year-- On the same date. Uses many of the same sets, but different props, as well as a different ending.

An old astronomer has been transfixed by a star for a long time. He had but one thought: to travel to it, to declare his love for it! But how? A simple but ingenious solution-- A giant bubble. Velle remade the film for Italian studio Cines in the same year.

Short film showcasing a circus clown act.

A young woman becomes pregnant and attempts to provide for her child after the father leaves her.

An evil magician visits the rajah's palace to perform his magic tricks, but he also steals a valuable casket making his getaway aboard a dragon. The rajah pursues the wizard to a subterranean cavern.

A trick film by Gaston Velle

Gaston Velle's 'Les Fleurs Animées' was screened by the Australian-based Corrick Family Entertainers as part of their variety act. In their advertising the Corricks described the detailed, hand-coloured production as 'The finest "Color" Film of the Twentieth Century'. Simple camera tricks create a magic fairy story in this tale of angry flowers exacting revenge on a man who has wantonly destroyed their garden.

An entomologist guilty of trying to capture rare insects is condemned to be pinned on a giant cork.

A scientist concocts a potion that can turn people invisible for short periods of time. Two crooks steal the potion and go on a crime spree.

A fire on a boat requieres the assistance of some sailors

A gentleman returns to his home office to find that the porter is smoking his cigars and has the housemaid on his knee.

This has more of a clear narrative than most of the films in the set although it’s still quite odd and random compared to today’s films. There are some effectively surreal and creepy sequences in this imaginative short, such as the devil’s face appearing in an egg and spewing coins as well as the finale where our protagonist is sent to an egg-filled hell.

A little flower film by Gaston Velle.

This is in poor condition and the hand colouring is a little rough around the edges compared to the others, but it contains some impressive ‘appearing’ effects as pieces of paper from a giant book turn into people and then back to paper in the punchline. It’s repetitive, but enjoyably trippy.

A drunk staggers into his apartment and falls asleep. He dreams he climbs to the top of a building and flies to the moon, then falls back to earth. When he wakes, still drunk, he is in his apartment.

Short Pathe Brothers film

A devil puts a woman into a boiling cauldron in a fiery cave.

A man hides his valuables under his mattress before going to sleep, blissfully unaware of the two burglars on his roof.

A couple performs the Ruffian's Dance.

A couple perform a acrobatic dance.

This Gaston Velle movie from 1904 was a fairly venturesome piece of film-making for the era. First, its credits include Jules Verne: his second after the Méliès TRIP TO THE MOON a couple of years earlier. Second, it uses a dozen cuts, irised lenses -- the balloonists' views through their telescope -- panning shots, combined images and tints. The tints were standard for the era, but everything else had to be achieved with great difficulty. In an era when most movies still lasted a minute with a stationary camera and a single set-up, this was pretty much state of the art.

This Gaston Velle movie from 1904 was a fairly venturesome piece of film-making for the era. First, its credits include Jules Verne: his second after the Méliès TRIP TO THE MOON a couple of years earlier. Second, it uses a dozen cuts, irised lenses -- the balloonists' views through their telescope -- panning shots, combined images and tints. The tints were standard for the era, but everything else had to be achieved with great difficulty. In an era when most movies still lasted a minute with a stationary camera and a single set-up, this was pretty much state of the art.

This is a mesmerising little short that employs a peculiar bird’s eye view of a mischievous devil who dances around, performing strange tricks and making sexy ladies appear out of nowhere. The colourful visual effects are very impressive for the time.

The stages that a caterpillar goes through, from larvae to chrysalis, to become a butterfly.

A Japanese-set magic show. There is a lot of visual trickery on display, ending with an amazing effect using reverse footage and superimposing/projecting images on top of one another.

A magician and some assistants put up a series of posters of music hall acts in a frame. Then the magician brings each poster to life.

A magician and some assistants put up a series of posters of music hall acts in a frame. Then the magician brings each poster to life.

A prestidigitator, one of the best, is about to perform a number of illusions and brings to his aid a pack of playing cards. He selects the King of Spades, endows him with life and seats him at the table with himself, and they proceed to play a game of cards. The King of Spades shows a disposition to be ugly and is immediately squelched. This is a remarkably good picture, interesting from start to finish.

Under cover of a disguise, Santa approaches Saint-Anthony's hut and, via various tricks, sets out to try his faith. Will good triumph over evil?

A merchant is giving a demonstration of his lifelike automatons to a bedazzled customer. Could these "larger than life" clockwork figures look too good to be true?

Inside an operating room, a surgeon performs several procedures of "modern" surgery.

A woman, in her bedroom, is putting her jewelry away. Alarmed by strange noises at her door, she hides behind her bed. A burglar enters the room and steals her jewelry box. The woman calls for help, a police officer steps in and starts to chase the thief.

Harlequin is walking in a garden with Columbine. As he moves away to the distance and leaves her on her own, Mephisto appears, from inside a well, and tries to woo her. Will Harlequin get back in time and rescue her?

A woman, who tried to smuggle goods under her clothes, is brought to an excise duty office for further inspection.

A gentleman having lunch at a hostelry experiences all kinds of mishaps.

Two housemaids, arguing, start to fight : a houseboy steps in to separate them, and in doing so becomes their target and is literally torn apart. Alarmed by the quarrel, a policeman intervenes. Will order finally be restored?

Pierrot woos Columbine, who abandons Harlequin. An old witch hands Harlequin a magical flute that will make his wishes come true, whenever it is played. It is now time for Harlequin to play his tricks.

A magician enters a café and sets about introducing his act, but a waiter interferes and throws him out the door. Disgruntled, the magician decides to take revenge, and he has more than one trick up his sleeve.

A magician performs various tricks.

A cook mistakenly throws his kitchen boy into a huge pot while preparing a stew. Distraught, he attempts to make up for his mistake. Alas, Mephisto decides to get involved.

A sorcerer conjures an old witch and instructs her to seek a maiden. Said maiden is assigned with the task to lure a young traveler inside the castle. Upon his arrival, said traveler is exposed to all sorts of unpleasant surprises. Trouble ensues.