Category: Futurism
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The Conquest of the Pole
(6/10) Georges Méliès’ last science fiction film, released in 1912, was a magnificent swansong for an era of filmmaking. Perhaps his most accomplished film technically, but the polar adventure rehashes too many old ideas and formats, and Méliès had simply grown out of touch with cinematic progress. The Conquest of…
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The Automatic Motorist
(4/10) In 1911 British film pioneer Walter R. Booth updated his five years old film The ‘?’ Motorist with better effects, more outer space madness and a robot. Technically brilliant, the six minute short still feels anachronistic in an age where feature films were making their entrance. The Automatic Motorist.…
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The Pirates of 1920
(7/10) Pirates of the air get more than they bargained for when they kidnap a resourceful damsel in this well-made British short feature film from 1911. And there’s an interesting historical link to Katy Perry’s eyelashes. The Pirates of 1920. 1911, UK. Directed by David Aylott & A.E. Coleby. Cinematography:…
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Police in the Year 2000
(4/10) In the year 2000 police officers will be catching criminals with giant grapplers from the deck of their airship, according to this 1910 short from Gaumont. Notable for starring two comedy legends of early cinema. Police in the Year 2000 (La police en l’an 2000). 1910, France. Starring: Eugène…
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The Aerial Submarine
(4/10) A man and his daughter are kidnapped by pirates in a flying submarine in this 1910 British action adventure. Walter R. Booth’s story is too ambitious for its budget, and even a great cinema pioneer like he can’t work miracles with plywood and cardboard. The Aerial Submarine. 1910, UK.…
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Long Distance Wireless Photography
(5/10) A fun and well-made 1908 short by Georges Méliès about a fantastic camera projecting images in real time of the subjects’ real selves, this French one-reeler mostly rehashes old in-camera film tricks, betraying the director losing the creativity that once made him the greatest fimmaker in the world. Long…
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The Electric Hotel
(8/10) Stop-motion animation with live actors has probably never been done as well as in Segundo de Chomon’s 1908 film The Electric Hotel. But this tale of a tourist couple getting pampered by an automated hotel room doesn’t transcend the novelty of the trick. The Electric Hotel (El hotel eléctrico/Hôtel…
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An Excursion to the Moon
(6/10) In 1908 Spanish master filmmaker Segundo de Chomon directed a carbon copy of Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon. The result is professional, but uninspired. An Excursion to the Moon (Excursion dans la lune). 1908, France. Directed by Segundo de Chomon. Inspired by novels by Jules Verne and…
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A Little Jules Verne
(4/10) Gaston Velle’s 1907 film is a fairly entertaining underwater fantasy short, made hastily to cash in on Georges Méliès epic Under the Seas. Velle directs the imitation professionally, but without enthusiasm. A Little Jules Verne (Un petit Jules Verne). 1907, France. Directed by Gaston Velle. Inspired by Jules Verne’s…
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
In search of a lost epic – whatever happened to Wallace McCutcheon’s ambitious first ever adaptation of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? The American 1905 answer to Georges Méliès’ fantastic voyages has been lost in time – as if it was never even made. 20,000 Leagues Under the…
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The ‘?’ Motorist
(6/10) Walter R. Booth’s short film is a subversive and funny trick film about a couple of mad motorists that speed through the British streets, toppling police officers, riding up store fronts and finally circling the rings of Saturn. Inspired by Méliès, but with a creativity of its own. The…
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The Twentieth Century Tramp; or, Happy Hooligan and His Airship
(3/10) The first American science fiction film was made in 1902 is shows the comic book character Happy Hooligan flying a balloon-bicycle over New York. A crude and technically inferior imitation of a French film, but noteworthy since it was directed by legendary Edwin S. Porter. The Twentieth Century Tramp;…
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Gugusse and the Automaton
No rating, film lost. The world’s first film featuring a robot was a short one-reeler made by Georges Méliès in 1897. It is considered a lost film, and there probably isn’t a single person alive who has seen it. We’ll try our best to recreate it in our minds nonetheless.…
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The Flying Machine
(7/10) Movie pioneer Ferdinand Zecca rides his steampunk bike over Paris in this short, but beautifully filmed trick film from 1901, marking France’s first science fiction movie. The Flying Machine (À la conquête de l’air). 1901, France. Directed by and starring Ferdinand Zecca. Produces for Pathé. IMDb score: 6.6/10. Tomatometer:…
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The Mechanical Butcher
(5/10) The first science fiction film in history was made by movie pioneer Louis Lumière in 1895, and depicts a futuristic machine turning a live pork into sausages and ham at lightning speed. The Mechanical Butcher (La Charcuterie Mecanique). 1895, France. Directed, filmed and produced by Louis Lumière for Lumière. …
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