THE PIGEON FAIRY (1906)
aka La fee aux pigeons
Article 4701 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 12-6-2014
Directed by Gaston Velle
Cast unknown
Country: France
What it is: Decorative trick short

A beautiful woman performs magic with pigeons.

This is an example of what I’ve come to call the “decorative trick short”. These are short special effects extravaganzas that seem primarily intended to display a series of pretty images rather than to show off the effects or tell a story. The scenes break into roughly four sections. In the first, she calls pigeons to herself through the use reversing the film. She then turns the pigeons into a flurry of feathers, transforms into a winged creature, and then into a statue. It’s pretty enough, though it’s hardly compelling. Apparently, the short is occasionally mistakenly believed to have been directed by Segundo de Chomon.