Gaston Velle

Gaston Velle

출생 : 1868-12-24, Rome

사망 : 1953-01-08

약력

Gaston Velle was a French silent film director and pioneer of special effects, who was prominent in early French and Italian cinema during the first two decades of the 20th century.

프로필 사진

Gaston Velle

참여 작품

Cagliostro, aventurier, chimiste et magicien
Director
The first cinematographic adaptation of the infamous Count Cagliostro.
Le Charme des fleurs
Director
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.
The Fairies and the Faun
Director
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.
Petit Jules Verne
Director
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 Clock-Maker's Secret
Director
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.
The Pigeon Fairy
Director
A beautiful seductive fairy makes gentle winged creatures appear.
Otello
Director
An Italian movie about Othello.
Un viaggio in una stella
Director
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.
Voyage autour d'une étoile
Director
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.
The Riderless Bicycle
Director
Short film showcasing a circus clown act.
A Tragic Wedding
Director
A young woman becomes pregnant and attempts to provide for her child after the father leaves her.
The Rajah's Casket
Director
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.
The Phantom Guard
Director
A trick film by Gaston Velle
Living Flowers
Director
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.
Tit-for-Tat
Director
An entomologist guilty of trying to capture rare insects is condemned to be pinned on a giant cork.
The Invisible Men
Director
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.
Un drame en mer
Director
A fire on a boat requieres the assistance of some sailors
Les cartes lumineuses
Director
A gentleman returns to his home office to find that the porter is smoking his cigars and has the housemaid on his knee.
The Hen That Laid the Golden Eggs
Director
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.
Flower Fairy
Director
A little flower film by Gaston Velle.
The Wonderful Album
Director
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.
Dream of the Moon
Director
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.
Marvelous Beehive
Director
Short Pathe Brothers film
L’antre infernal
Director
A devil puts a woman into a boiling cauldron in a fiery cave.
Burglary at Night
Director
A man hides his valuables under his mattress before going to sleep, blissfully unaware of the two burglars on his roof.
La danse des apaches
Director
A couple performs the Ruffian's Dance.
Danses plastiques
Director
A couple perform a acrobatic dance.
Drama in the Air
Writer
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.
Drama in the Air
Director
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.
The Devil's Dance
Director
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.
Metamorphosis of a Butterfly
Director
The stages that a caterpillar goes through, from larvae to chrysalis, to become a butterfly.
Japanese Varieties
Director
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.
Barnum's Trunk
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.
Barnum's Trunk
Director
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.
Métamorphose du roi de pique
Director
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.
Tentation de Saint-Antoine
Director
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?
Les poupées
Director
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?
Chirurgie mécanique
Director
Inside an operating room, a surgeon performs several procedures of "modern" surgery.
Le cambrioleur
Director
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.
Arlequin et Méphistophélès
Director
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?
Une scène à l'octroi
Director
A woman, who tried to smuggle goods under her clothes, is brought to an excise duty office for further inspection.
Le repas fantastique
Director
A gentleman having lunch at a hostelry experiences all kinds of mishaps.
Le gendarme et les domestiques
Director
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 et la flûte enchantée
Director
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.
Le prestidigitateur au café
Director
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.
Substitutions
Director
A magician performs various tricks.
La marmite diabolique
Director
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.
Le château hanté
Director
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.