La legende de Rip Van Winkle (1905)
Article 5643 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 3-6-2019
Directed by Georges Melies
Featuring Georges Melies, Andre Melies
Country: France
What it is: Another version of the Washington Irving story

Rip Van Winkle goes out to the woods and has a dream.

Melies marched to the beat of his own drummer, so I’m not really surprised that this version of the Washington Irving story only partially follows the original story; after all, he wasn’t particularly faithful to his other literary adaptations. So, instead of bowling dwarfs, we’re treated to that Melies favorite – tumbling imps. Rip Van Winkle also fights a giant snake and meets a gaggle of ghosts (if that is the correct term for a group of ectoplasms). Nevertheless, this isn’t one of his stronger works; Melies didn’t always know how to keep things consistently interesting, and so we get a few dull scenes here and there, such as one long sequence where a group of people carrying lanterns journeys through the woods, an event which brings the plot (such as it is) to a screaming halt. Still, it has its moments, and the color brightens the proceedings.