Playing Cards

director: Georges Méliès

original title: Une partie de cartes

country: France

year: 1896

running time: 1 min.

synopsis

This is one of the first films Méliès put in his sales catalogue. What we are watching, however, is essentially nothing more than a clever remake of a similar film by the Lumière brothers. Although we witness an elaborate mise-en-scene, its documentary nature is implicit in its intention to capture – in condensed form and as if incidentally – the ordinary behaviour of card players.

biography

Georges Méliès (1861-1938) is one of the first independent film directors whose work crystalised the early film genres. He worked on fantasy scenes, adaptations of literary works, fairy tales, as well as socio-critical and political films. His documentary filmmaking is less well known, as a lot of it has not been preserved.

more about film

director:

Georges Méliès

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