LES PAPILLONS JAPONAIS (1908)
aka Japanese Butterflies
Article 4719 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 12-26-2014
Directed by Segundo de Chomon
Cast unknown
Country: France
What it is: Magic trick short

A Japanese magician performs a series of tricks, some of which involve butterflies.

Yes, it’s another “magic trick” short, but this one is from Segundo de Chomon, so that gives it a different feel. For one thing, the magician is more likely to leave the screen to let certain transitions and tricks move on their own, as he does here when a drawn cocoon develops into a color-changing butterfly. There are some nice touches here; I like the trick where the Japanese dancers disappear behind their twirling umbrellas, as well as the color-changing butterfly mentioned above. This is a fairly decent example of the “magic trick” film.