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, […]
Under the Seas
NO RATING; FILM INCOMPLETE Georges Méliès third science fiction epic (1907) is the first film based on Jules Verne’s novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, even if it is rather […]
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 […]
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 […]
A Voyage Around a Star
∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗ (4/10) An astronomer travels to woo the lady in stars by enclosing himself in a soap bubble in this 1906 short film by Gaston Velle. A Voyage Around a […]
The Moon Lover
∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗ (7/10) A drunken romantic reaches for the moon in this warmly whimsical 1905 pseudo-sci-fi film by French trick filmer Gaston Velle. Clearly inspired by Georges Méliès, but with a […]
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 […]
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 […]
An Over-Incubated Baby
∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗ (5/10) Britain’s first sci-fi film features a marvelous incubator. The short comedy clip was directed by Walter R. Booth, early cinema’s most prolific science fiction director and the artistic […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Astronomer’s Dream
∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗ (7/10) Georges Méliès’ French short film was an important step in the development of the science fiction movie, even if it should probably be categorised as a fairy-tale. The […]
The Invisible Thief
∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗ (8/10) The first film based on H.G. Wells novel The Invisible Man is a 5 minute short with stunning special effects and superb acting, directed by Segundo de Chomon […]
Frankenstein 1, 2 and 3
The supposedly first Frankenstein movie of 1910 turns the monster metaphysical rather than physical, but the gruesome special effects in the creation scene is fleshy enough. We also take a […]
The Airship Destroyer
An action-packed British short from 1909 depicting future warfare with missiles and airships. Walter Booth directs with typical energy and audacity and some of the physical effects are very impressive […]
scifist 2.0 