Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:00,794 --> 00:00:04,172
An Homage to
GEORGE MÉLIÈS (1861-1938)
2
00:00:04,339 --> 00:00:08,009
Artistic Director
of the Théâtre Robert-Houdin
3
00:00:08,134 --> 00:00:11,805
Artist, Actor,
Set Designer, Director
4
00:00:11,930 --> 00:00:14,683
Innovator
of Modern Special Effects
5
00:00:14,808 --> 00:00:17,352
Creator
of Cinematic Entertainment
6
00:00:33,410 --> 00:00:36,663
Featuring
MADAME GEORGE MÉLIÈS
7
00:00:36,996 --> 00:00:40,750
and ANDRÉ MÉLIÈS
in the Role of His Father
8
00:01:25,420 --> 00:01:29,382
In this building, home to a few
retired film professionals,
9
00:01:29,591 --> 00:01:34,179
my grandfather, Georges Méliès,
spent his final days.
10
00:02:06,336 --> 00:02:08,755
G. MÉLIÈS
2ND FLOOR
11
00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:14,928
Madame Georges Méliès,
my grandmother.
12
00:02:18,723 --> 00:02:20,850
“Vivons heureux,”
13
00:02:20,975 --> 00:02:23,645
a waltz my grandfather
composed for her
14
00:02:23,770 --> 00:02:25,772
a long time ago.
15
00:02:26,981 --> 00:02:29,776
“Far from the crowds,
my lovely
16
00:02:31,986 --> 00:02:35,114
Let me see myself
in your eyes
17
00:02:36,616 --> 00:02:38,743
Ardent is my love
18
00:02:42,997 --> 00:02:46,334
What matters
are the crazy things we devise
19
00:02:48,503 --> 00:02:51,005
Let's forget life's troubles
20
00:02:55,009 --> 00:02:57,178
Think of them no more
21
00:02:59,848 --> 00:03:02,517
Far from the crowds,
my lovely
22
00:03:03,977 --> 00:03:06,104
Let us live happily evermore”
23
00:03:08,857 --> 00:03:12,026
Mismatched mementos
of a once-renowned life
24
00:03:12,735 --> 00:03:15,029
that was filled
with kindness and generosity
25
00:03:15,572 --> 00:03:18,616
and that shouldn't
have ended this way.
26
00:03:24,038 --> 00:03:27,709
Magician and groundbreaking
force in cinema,
27
00:03:27,834 --> 00:03:30,378
Georges Méliès,
forgotten after the Great War,
28
00:03:30,503 --> 00:03:34,048
resurfaced in 1928
at the Montparnasse train station,
29
00:03:34,173 --> 00:03:36,801
where he had a toy shop.
30
00:04:10,209 --> 00:04:13,379
The creation of several thousand
poetic and magical films
31
00:04:13,504 --> 00:04:16,257
had swallowed up all his wealth
32
00:04:16,382 --> 00:04:18,718
except for his most precious
assets that he saved
33
00:04:18,843 --> 00:04:21,220
from unscrupulous businessmen:
34
00:04:21,346 --> 00:04:25,224
his love of children,
and his fondness for illusions,
35
00:04:25,350 --> 00:04:30,021
which reminded him of magical evenings
at the Théâtre Robert-Houdin.
36
00:05:34,752 --> 00:05:38,006
He enjoyed practicing
his illusionist's tricks.
37
00:05:38,423 --> 00:05:41,009
He'd steal coin purses,
38
00:05:41,175 --> 00:05:43,469
but he always gave them back,
39
00:05:43,594 --> 00:05:46,472
with plenty of candy
to ease the shock.
40
00:06:53,247 --> 00:06:54,707
FORTY YEARS EARLIER
41
00:06:54,832 --> 00:06:56,584
AT THE THÉÂTRE ROBERT-HOUDIN...
42
00:07:01,964 --> 00:07:06,594
Ladies and gentlemen,
you have the honor of applauding...
43
00:07:07,637 --> 00:07:10,807
in his show
of phantasmagorical illusions,
44
00:07:10,932 --> 00:07:12,975
Mr. Méliès!
45
00:07:13,101 --> 00:07:14,769
Act one:
46
00:07:14,894 --> 00:07:17,105
prestidigitation, sleight of hand,
47
00:07:17,271 --> 00:07:19,982
streamers, and flying pigeons!
48
00:09:22,063 --> 00:09:23,564
Act two:
49
00:09:23,689 --> 00:09:27,652
in the crystal ball,
a crowned head's past and future.
50
00:10:52,528 --> 00:10:55,531
And now, some images
whose artistic quality
51
00:10:55,656 --> 00:10:58,492
and historical value
you will appreciate.
52
00:10:58,617 --> 00:11:02,872
Masers de Latude, for offending
Mme de Pompadour, spent 35 years
53
00:11:02,997 --> 00:11:07,043
in the cells of Charenton,
Vincennes, the Bastille, and Châtelet.
54
00:11:07,168 --> 00:11:09,003
Take him away!
55
00:11:10,963 --> 00:11:13,883
These drawings,
projected from behind the screen,
56
00:11:14,008 --> 00:11:16,844
were the first steps
toward the cinematic entertainment
57
00:11:17,011 --> 00:11:19,847
that Georges Méliès
would create.
58
00:11:20,264 --> 00:11:23,601
Napoleon, at the pyramids,
to a deaf and dying grenadier:
59
00:11:23,726 --> 00:11:25,895
“Soldier, I'm proud of you!”
60
00:11:26,103 --> 00:11:28,105
No answer.
61
00:11:28,522 --> 00:11:31,734
Abdelkader surrenders
to General de Lamoricière,
62
00:11:31,859 --> 00:11:34,528
and we get a glimpse
of the fool's errand...
63
00:11:35,279 --> 00:11:37,615
that began in 1847
64
00:11:37,740 --> 00:11:40,284
and continues today.
65
00:11:40,993 --> 00:11:44,246
The gendarme is a figure
of little importance,
66
00:11:44,705 --> 00:11:47,291
but he always has
the last word.
67
00:12:02,556 --> 00:12:04,934
One evening in 1895,
68
00:12:05,059 --> 00:12:08,896
strolling along the boulevard -
a favorite pastime for a Parisian -
69
00:12:09,063 --> 00:12:11,440
Méliès stopped
before a poster
70
00:12:11,565 --> 00:12:15,444
advertising a demonstration
of the Lumière Cinématographe.
71
00:12:26,747 --> 00:12:30,251
Sensing a special event,
he entered the Grand Café
72
00:12:30,418 --> 00:12:35,506
where Louis Lumière was showing
the first films shot with his invention.
73
00:12:45,057 --> 00:12:49,103
Méliès glimpsed the possibilities
of the Cinématographe
74
00:12:49,228 --> 00:12:51,939
in short, simple films like
75
00:12:52,064 --> 00:12:55,651
L'Arroseur arrosé,
L'Arrivée d'un train,
76
00:12:55,776 --> 00:12:59,363
Les mauvaises fréquentations,
and so on.
77
00:13:14,753 --> 00:13:16,505
After the show,
78
00:13:16,630 --> 00:13:20,217
Méliès and Lumière
had the following conversation:
79
00:13:21,260 --> 00:13:23,888
“It's extraordinary, Mr. Lumière.”
80
00:13:25,264 --> 00:13:29,477
“Mr. Méliès,
it's a mere scientific curiosity.”
81
00:13:30,227 --> 00:13:32,813
“I'd love to buy
one of your machines.”
82
00:13:34,064 --> 00:13:36,775
“My invention's not for sale.”
83
00:13:37,776 --> 00:13:40,029
"I'll give you 10,000 francs.”
84
00:13:40,154 --> 00:13:42,656
“Why bother, Mr. Méliès?”
85
00:13:43,824 --> 00:13:45,826
“Twenty thousand francs.”
86
00:13:47,411 --> 00:13:50,080
“I don't wish to ruin you,
Mr. Méliès.
87
00:13:50,206 --> 00:13:53,000
The Cinématographe
has no commercial future.”
88
00:13:53,167 --> 00:13:55,211
"No future?
89
00:13:55,336 --> 00:13:58,964
It brings the whole world
within reach!”
90
00:14:02,092 --> 00:14:04,512
But Lumière
was not to be swayed.
91
00:14:07,681 --> 00:14:10,893
A few months later,
Méliès managed to develop
92
00:14:11,018 --> 00:14:13,103
his own camera.
93
00:14:33,874 --> 00:14:35,501
That very day,
94
00:14:35,626 --> 00:14:39,088
he “cinématographed”
in his garden a magic trick
95
00:14:39,213 --> 00:14:42,758
from the Théâtre Robert-Houdin:
making a woman disappear.
96
00:14:42,883 --> 00:14:45,344
He made sure to conceal
97
00:14:45,469 --> 00:14:48,556
the trick part of the set
from the viewer.
98
00:16:20,022 --> 00:16:22,816
But the weather
didn't always cooperate...
99
00:16:44,254 --> 00:16:47,800
Anxious to work year-round
yet be protected from the weather,
100
00:16:48,175 --> 00:16:52,054
Méliès created
the world's first film studio.
101
00:17:27,923 --> 00:17:30,592
Here we see Cinderella's castle.
102
00:17:43,689 --> 00:17:46,066
The princess's boudoir.
103
00:17:49,778 --> 00:17:54,533
To allow his scenes to expand
beyond the limits of the stage,
104
00:17:54,658 --> 00:17:58,537
Méliès used scrolling backgrounds
behind his actors and objects.
105
00:17:58,662 --> 00:18:02,833
This balloon soars through the sky
thanks to a special mechanism
106
00:18:02,958 --> 00:18:07,254
perfect for celestial voyages
and apotheoses.
107
00:18:11,592 --> 00:18:15,888
The background could be moved
both horizontally and vertically.
108
00:18:16,096 --> 00:18:20,476
Méliès's artistic expression
was still rooted in the theater.
109
00:18:20,601 --> 00:18:23,771
Shooting at Place de l'Opéra,
a problem with the camera
110
00:18:23,937 --> 00:18:28,442
led to an important discovery
for the future of cinema:
111
00:18:28,567 --> 00:18:31,278
the substitution shot.
112
00:18:31,403 --> 00:18:34,239
However, the footage involved
has been lost.
113
00:18:40,329 --> 00:18:44,583
But in 1901, in
The Man With the Rubber Head,
114
00:18:44,708 --> 00:18:48,128
Méliès combines studio effects
115
00:18:48,295 --> 00:18:52,216
with his new system of masks
and black backdrops.
116
00:18:52,341 --> 00:18:54,968
This technique allows him
to present in one image
117
00:18:55,093 --> 00:18:56,970
two or more shots
118
00:18:57,095 --> 00:18:58,806
filmed separately.
119
00:18:59,431 --> 00:19:00,974
First shot:
120
00:19:01,099 --> 00:19:03,519
The cart moves
toward the camera,
121
00:19:03,644 --> 00:19:06,313
making Méliès's head
appear to grow larger...
122
00:19:08,774 --> 00:19:12,110
while the solid black background
123
00:19:12,236 --> 00:19:15,280
eliminates
any sense of movement.
124
00:19:33,173 --> 00:19:37,511
The second shot is of the set
surrounding the black backdrop
125
00:19:37,678 --> 00:19:39,847
and shows Méliès
inflating his own head.
126
00:19:40,973 --> 00:19:43,600
SCORE FOR
THE MUSIC LOVER
127
00:19:43,725 --> 00:19:45,853
Screened
at the Théâtre Robert-Houdin,
128
00:19:45,978 --> 00:19:49,022
The Music Lover is
an unmatched technical triumph
129
00:19:49,147 --> 00:19:52,276
in the service
of pure imagination.
130
00:19:57,114 --> 00:20:00,367
THE MUSIC LOVER
Presented by Mr. MÉLIÈS
131
00:20:02,870 --> 00:20:06,373
Though he gave cinema
all its basic special effects,
132
00:20:06,540 --> 00:20:10,377
Méliès didn't always reveal
the technical secrets of his black backgrounds,
133
00:20:10,502 --> 00:20:14,798
perhaps to protect
the charm of his creations.
134
00:20:42,951 --> 00:20:47,623
C - C - D - B - C - D
135
00:20:50,083 --> 00:20:52,586
D - C - B - C
136
00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:08,602
THE FOLLOWING YEAR
AT THE FOIRE DU TRÔNE CARNIVAL
137
00:21:27,079 --> 00:21:30,123
A Trip to the Moon.
Step fight up!
138
00:21:30,248 --> 00:21:33,085
THE ARIZONA SIDEWINDER
139
00:21:33,210 --> 00:21:35,796
SHOOTING GALLERY
140
00:21:35,921 --> 00:21:37,965
Right this way, ladies and gents!
141
00:21:38,131 --> 00:21:42,427
NEW! SENSATIONAL!
A TRIP TO THE MOON
142
00:21:42,719 --> 00:21:45,055
Despite
the loudmouthed barker
143
00:21:45,180 --> 00:21:47,099
and eye-catching poster,
144
00:21:47,224 --> 00:21:49,309
the public was skeptical.
145
00:21:53,146 --> 00:21:56,733
“Is this Méliès
some kind of charlatan?
146
00:21:56,984 --> 00:21:59,486
How could he have
filmed on the moon?”
147
00:22:00,821 --> 00:22:02,572
They didn't yet realize
148
00:22:02,698 --> 00:22:05,325
that the director of
A Trip to the Moon
149
00:22:05,450 --> 00:22:08,078
was endowed
with such daring imagination
150
00:22:08,203 --> 00:22:10,998
that, by means of
ingenious special effects,
151
00:22:11,123 --> 00:22:13,583
he kept his promise -
later his slogan -
152
00:22:13,709 --> 00:22:16,670
of “The Whole World
Within Reach.”
153
00:22:17,087 --> 00:22:20,632
Méliès showed the film for free.
154
00:22:20,757 --> 00:22:24,344
The carnival vendor
had refused to buy a magical film
155
00:22:24,511 --> 00:22:26,430
of a completely new genre
156
00:22:26,555 --> 00:22:30,058
whose success was,
in his opinion, uncertain.
157
00:23:20,233 --> 00:23:22,486
The young officer is me.
158
00:23:22,611 --> 00:23:26,907
I had the honor of commanding
the 1st Screen Girl Battalion.
159
00:24:49,948 --> 00:24:53,201
These images obtained
by double exposure,
160
00:24:53,326 --> 00:24:55,912
substitution shots,
and moving sets
161
00:24:56,037 --> 00:24:58,915
enchanted the public.
162
00:25:34,868 --> 00:25:38,705
And the carnival vendor
revised his opinion.
163
00:26:13,865 --> 00:26:18,328
Ladies and gents,
come see A Trip to the Moon!
164
00:26:19,454 --> 00:26:22,749
This 1902 screening
165
00:26:22,874 --> 00:26:26,002
would ensure Méliès's fame
166
00:26:26,127 --> 00:26:28,755
yet also set the stage
for his downfall.
167
00:26:29,923 --> 00:26:32,050
Innovator, poet,
168
00:26:32,175 --> 00:26:34,094
and mediocre businessman,
169
00:26:34,261 --> 00:26:37,222
Méliès would create
the celestial carriage ride
170
00:26:37,347 --> 00:26:39,766
in The 400 Tricks of the Devil.
171
00:26:40,016 --> 00:26:42,560
This masterpiece,
like A Trip to the Moon,a
172
00:26:42,686 --> 00:26:45,981
was widely copied
in France and abroad.
173
00:26:46,606 --> 00:26:48,775
Exploited by imitators...
174
00:26:49,609 --> 00:26:51,820
and finished off by the war,
175
00:26:51,945 --> 00:26:53,780
Méliès the Great,
176
00:26:53,947 --> 00:26:57,492
perhaps in a moment
of rage and exasperation,
177
00:26:57,617 --> 00:27:00,620
threw most of his treasures
into the fire,
178
00:27:01,454 --> 00:27:03,915
the final tragic farce
179
00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:06,960
from the world's first filmmaker.
180
00:28:25,580 --> 00:28:28,958
Grandmother is now 89.
181
00:28:29,959 --> 00:28:33,171
Sometimes she returns
to the Montparnasse train station
182
00:28:33,296 --> 00:28:36,549
where Georges Méliès
had his toy store.
183
00:28:37,050 --> 00:28:41,346
It's as if he turned his magician's
hoops and paper flowers
184
00:28:41,471 --> 00:28:43,473
into a gorgeous display
185
00:28:43,598 --> 00:28:45,725
of real flowers.
186
00:29:17,048 --> 00:29:18,716
For 15 years now
187
00:29:18,842 --> 00:29:21,386
he's rested in peace
at Père Lachaise cemetery,
188
00:29:21,511 --> 00:29:24,180
he who never liked cemeteries.
189
00:29:24,305 --> 00:29:27,559
He found them rather macabre.
190
00:29:27,684 --> 00:29:31,104
He said they didn't suit
his fanciful
191
00:29:31,229 --> 00:29:33,440
and always kindly disposition.
192
00:29:42,157 --> 00:29:45,118
But he loved flowers so!
16147
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.