SATAN IN PRISON (1907)
aka Satan en prison
Article 3166 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 2-13-2010
Posting Date: 4-15-2010
Directed by Georges Melies
Featuring Georges Melies
Country: France
What it is: Silent trick film with home furnishing subplot

An elegantly dressed man is thrown into a prison cell. He magically conjures up all the creature comforts of home, but the guards object, so he…

The Melies-a-thon continues, this time with a more elaborate variation of Melies’s “magic act” movies. Here, with the help of a white sheet, he conjures up chairs, a table, a fireplace, paintings for the walls, and even a beautiful woman to keep him company. The movie has a bit of a twist ending, but since the title gives it away, it’s really hard to call it a surprise. All in all, it’s an entertaining if minor entry into Melies’s oeuvre.