THE BEWITCHED INN (1897)
aka L’Auberge ensorcelee
Article 2531 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 3-10-2008
Posting Date: 7-17-2008
Directed by Georges Melies
Cast unknown, but that sure looks like Melies himself
Country: France

A man is plagued by strange events at an inn, where inanimate objects vanish and reappear, and his own clothes take on a life of their own.

I had already consigned this to my unfound list when the long-awaited appearance of a comprehensive Melies collection finally brought it to light. It’s an amusing little short, though a bit obvious nowadays, as the effects have been repeated many times since, and only recently I saw THE BEWITCHED TRAVELER, which owes something to this one. Still, I marvel at the gusto of Melies’s acting, and the comic effectiveness and timing of the various effects; though he had many imitators, there was no early filmmaker quite as fun as Melies.

As you might guess, I’m going to spend the next couple of weeks on reviews from this set, as many of these shorts have been on my hunt list for years. Viva Melies!