THE LUNY MUSICIAN (1906)
aka Le maestro Do-mi-sol-do
Article 4192 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 3-31-2013
Directed by Georges Melies
Cast unknown
Country: France
What it is: Comic trick short

A composer attempts to play a piece he has written, but finds that the various pieces of musical paraphernalia he has handy aren’t being cooperative.

The said musical paraphernalia includes music stands that change heights, instruments that turn into other instruments, pianos that move around of their own accord; in other words, they do the sorts of things that you expect of objects in a Melies film. One would feel sorry for the poor composer if it weren’t for the fact that he seems to be crazy; he assaults anyone who enters his studio, for example. Of course, his problem could be that he is a clown, which could explain the heavy make-up job. At any rate, this is one of Melies’s more frantic shorts, and it’s a bit more desperate than funny. However, I was amused by one touch; anyone who knows what a spit valve is for will appreciate a gag involving a bucket and a tuba, and I also liked that the bucket comes back into play in a later gag when the piano is on fire.