The Crystal Casket
| The Crystal Casket | |
|---|---|
Surviving footage from The Crystal Casket | |
| Directed by | Georges Méliès |
| Based on | "Le Dé Grossissant" by Buatier de Kolta |
| Starring | Georges Méliès |
Production company | |
Release date |
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| Country | France |
| Language | Silent |
The Crystal Casket (French: Le Phénix ou le Coffret de cristal),[1] also known as The Magic Dice,[2] is a 1905 French silent trick film by Georges Méliès. It was sold by Méliès's Star Film Company and is numbered 686–689 in its catalogues.[1]
Méliès is the magician in the film, which is based on a famous stage magic act, "Le Dé Grossissant", conceived by the illusionist Buatier de Kolta. De Kolta made a die grow before the audience's eyes, then made his wife appear out of it.[3] The tricks in Méliès's version are carried out using a combination of stage machinery and substitution splices.[3]
A fragment of the film still exists, and has been released on home video.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Malthête, Jacques; Mannoni, Laurent (2008), L'oeuvre de Georges Méliès, Paris: Éditions de La Martinière, p. 349, ISBN 9782732437323
- ^ a b Méliès, Georges (2008), Georges Méliès: First Wizard of Cinema (DVD; short film collection), Los Angeles: Flicker Alley, ISBN 978-1893967359
- ^ a b Essai de reconstitution du catalogue français de la Star-Film; suivi d'une analyse catalographique des films de Georges Méliès recensés en France, Bois d'Arcy: Service des archives du film du Centre national de la cinématographie, 1981, pp. 217–18, ISBN 2903053073
External links
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