Satan s’amuse (1907)
Article 5651 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 3-15-2019
Directed by Segundo de Chomon
Featuring Julienne Mathieu
Country: France
What it is: Trick film

A skeletal Satan keeps himself amused by performing magic tricks. However, he keeps being interrupted by a female rival also adept at magic.

What we have here is Chomon doing his version of one of Melies’s favorite themes – the magic trick show. This one is somewhat longer than similar movies by Melies, but he does hold the interest by coming up with a few types of tricks that Melies didn’t do (Chomon occasionally liked to bring the action forward for close-ups, for one thing), and by adding a rival female magician, he added a smidgen of plot to the mix. It’s not bad, but it’s hardly one of Chomon’s better efforts; the magic trick format only has so much appeal, and there are so many similar films. Still, it’s good to know Satan has a hobby.