L’obsession de l’or (1906)
Article 5915 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 12-30-2020
Directed by Segundo de Chomon and Lucien Nonguet
Cast unknown
Country: France
What it is: Not quite complete

An artist is in danger of losing his home when he can’t pay the rent. After he sends his female companion out to pawn her jewelry, he is visited by dancing money chests that offer him gold.

It’s a little difficult to make a judgment on this one, as it appears to be incomplete. It’s a fairly big jump from having a man glory in a fantasy about having tons of gold to hanging himself, and I suspect a chunk of plot is missing. It’s also a little on the disappointing side for Chomon; it’s a little too similar to the work of Melies and lacks Chomon’s individual touch that usually sets it apart; it even has the standard Melies dancing girls number. Maybe a version that isn’t missing footage would be better; as it is in this form, it’s not essential Chomon.