Review by JoeytheBrit

This is a typical example of the filmed stage shows Melies made in abundance. The short film is lively and energetic and the breathless enthusiasm of Melies for his art is evident in every shot, but by 1905, with an increasing number of films telling stories, these kind of filmed magic shows were already beginning to look a little tired and passe. In this one Melies produces clothes and a woman from a glass box. He then dresses a mannequin in more clothes produced from the glass box and transforms it into a living woman. Then, after a couple of men carry a hansom cab onto the stage Melies places one woman in the cab and places a sheet over the other before magically making them swap places. It's all seamlessly done, but it's not magic it's trick photography - which pretty much makes the act redundant when you think about it.