THE MAGIC BOOK (1900)
aka Le livre magique
Article 4193 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 4-1-2013
Directed by Georges Melies
Cast unknown
Country: France
What it is: Magic trick short

An old magician makes characters drawn in a big book come to life. However, when he brings forth a beautiful woman, they all begin courting her, and he must find a way to get rid of his creations.

This is, in some ways, a typical example of Melies’s magic trick shorts. This one is a bit novel in that it at least has some semblance of a plot, thin as it is. His way of disposing of his characters is to have them go back into the book, but at least one of the characters (the clown, wouldn’t you know?) gives him a lot of trouble in this regard. It’s a simple but fun short from Melies.