O Reino das Fadas

Following on the heels of his hugely important A Trip to the Moon, Georges Méliès directed this feature. Like its predecessor it was another narrative film. It was one of several that the director made that fell into the fairy tale category. A princess is abducted by a witch and a gallant prince embarks on quest to save her. His adventure takes him to the ocean floor where he encounters fairies from the court of Neptune and is subsequently taken on a journey inside a giant whale. He then battles the witch and her minions in the final conflict.

There is a lot of great imagery here and it exists in a great colour tinted print. The fantastical underwater world is particularly nice. There are a lot of different sets for a film of this age. Many of them are quite elaborate and detailed. Like other films of the time it has no inter-titles, so it wouldn't be very easy knowing exactly what is going on without a narrator. Fortunately there are versions of this with a voice-over, which was how the feature was meant to be presented in any case. But even without this it is consistently very interesting visually and is a great little fantasy adventure. Méliès was easily the most important director of the earliest years of cinema and this feature quite clearly indicates why.

One of Melies' elaborate story productions, ranking with VOYAGE TO THE MOON, using camera tricks, sleight of hand, elaborate costumes and interesting model work. Technically it will look primitive to the modern eye -- the sets are clearly sets, the models clearly models -- but it is all done with Melies' verve and dedication. Certainly, the grotto and underwater sets are beautiful; he knew how to draw stonework.

Melies, I feel, remains the most accessible of the oldest directors, in large part because of the sheer sense of showmanship and joy that is evident in these works. His scenes, when they are not sleight-of-hand magic, are essentially tableaux, punctuated by acrobats. His tableaux are much more elaborate than other directors who use the form, providing a feast for the eye. Working, as he does in this movie, with familiar images, he elaborates them, whereas in VOYAGE TO THE MOON, he invents them and suggest them. The effect is -- there is no other word for it -- magical.

Georges Méliès was a marvelous filmmaker who brought movies many innovations and tricks. However, over time his films have become mostly forgotten and many seem very outdated and quaint today. But, if you are patient, they are most enjoyable when you realize how different and innovative they were for the turn of the century. And, a few, like "Fairyland" are true classics.

When the story begins, some prince (Georges Méliès) becomes engaged to a princess. But an evil witch sneaks into the palace with her imps and kidnaps the woman. So it's up to the prince to go on a grand adventure to find his betrothed and teach the wicked witch a lesson. To help him are some fairies and even King Neptune!

This is a cute and clever movie...made better by some gorgeous hand-painted cels. The overall effect is really nice and the 17 minute story seems more like a full-length movie (which it was back in 1903) than a quick short film. Well worth seeing and among the filmmaker's best.

This is a great old short. The backgrounds are very intricate, fun and colorful. This is a perfect double feature with A Trip to the Moon (1903), especially if you're the kind of person that likes watching these extremely old films on youtube, like me.

This is another epic on the scale of Melies' earlier Voyage to the Moon but which lacks the iconic images of that film which is perhaps why it is now relatively unknown. Without a doubt it is every bit as interesting and fantastic as Voyage with elaborate sets and costumes and typically exuberant performances from the actors. One thing about Melies' films is that everyone up there on the screen looks like they're having a whale of a time - a fact which adds to the viewers' enjoyment. The story is a typical fairy tale with a noble prince braving all manner of obstacles to save his beloved from the clutches of a wicked witch. The acting is of the 'hands in the air to express surprise/shock/fear' variety, but in this case that just adds to the enjoyment.