Gaston Velle

The first cinematographic adaptation of the infamous Count Cagliostro. The alchemist Athlotas foretells that his student, Cagliostro, will meet a gypsy named Lorenza. After a duel over her, Cagliostro takes Lorenza home and uses her exceptional medium powers to achieve immense fame. At court, he reluctantly predicts Marie Antoinette’s execution. Subsequently arrested, his bitter rival, Chevalier d’Oisemont, accuses him of witchcraft, driving Cagliostro to poison himself in his cell.

A fairly venturesome piece of filmmaking for the era: Based on the Jules Verne story, the film utilizes a dozen cuts, irised lenses, panning shots and vivid tints to weave an intrepid and exciting story.

A Japanese-set magic show. There is a lot of visual trickery on display, ending with an amazing effect using reverse footage and superimposing/projecting images on top of one another.

A man hides his valuables under his mattress before going to sleep, blissfully unaware of the two burglars on his roof.

An entomologist guilty of trying to capture rare insects is condemned to be pinned on a giant cork.

A charming example of the Pathe stencil system of colour films, also using superimposition.

This has more of a clear narrative than most of the films in the set although it’s still quite odd and random compared to today’s films. There are some effectively surreal and creepy sequences in this imaginative short, such as the devil’s face appearing in an egg and spewing coins as well as the finale where our protagonist is sent to an egg-filled hell.

A magician and some assistants put up a series of posters of music hall acts in a frame. Then the magician brings each poster to life.

Fantastic Flowers is a compilation of short silent films produced between 1906 and 1920, displaying amazing colours that were applied to each frame using the Pathécolor process, or other similar stencilling techniques. Bonsoir – La Fée aux fleurs (1906) / [Bloemenvelden Haarlem] (1909) / Les Chrysanthèmes (1907) / Le Chrysanthème, roi de l’automne (1914) / [Les Tulipes] (1907) / Les Fleurs dans les jardins (1914) / L’Après-midi d’une japonaise (1920) / The Beauty Thief ([1920]) / La Fée printemps (1906) / [Het schoonste uit de natuur] (1912?) / La Culture du dahlia (1911) / [Hollandse Tulpen en Klompen] (1920?) / Fabrication des fleurs artificielles (1911) / [Bonsoir tableau] (1906)

A little flower film by Gaston Velle.

An old astronomer has been transfixed by a star for a long time. He had but one thought: to travel to it, to declare his love for it! But how? A simple but ingenious solution-- A giant bubble. Velle remade the film for Italian studio Cines in the same year.

A beautiful seductive fairy makes gentle winged creatures appear.

The town-crier summons the inhabitants of the town and they read a manifesto which is posted on a wall announcing the fact that at 4 o'clock on that day the Lord Mayor will receive bids for the building of a town clock.

Short film showcasing a circus clown act.

A magician shows tricks with money.

A couple performs the Ruffian's Dance.

The stages that a caterpillar goes through, from larvae to chrysalis, to become a butterfly.

A young schoolboy sneaks into his father's study while he is out. He discovers a deck of transparent cards and holds some of them up to the lamp, one at a time, and through each one he admires the most suggestive poses of a pretty socialite and witnesses all the charming surprises of a graceful woman's undress.

A prestidigitator, one of the best, is about to perform a number of illusions and brings to his aid a pack of playing cards. He selects the King of Spades, endows him with life and seats him at the table with himself, and they proceed to play a game of cards. The King of Spades shows a disposition to be ugly and is immediately squelched. This is a remarkably good picture, interesting from start to finish.

A group of naughty boys steal a bird's nest and are pursued by game wardens.

As soon as his back is turned, Columbine is making out with Harlequin. So when he catches them at it, Gaston Séverin as Pierrot strikes her as Harlequin flees. Of course, he's terribly sorry when he thinks she's dead, and drinks.

A devil puts a woman into a boiling cauldron in a fiery cave.

A gentleman having lunch at a hostelry experiences all kinds of mishaps.

We see busy bees flying around the hive. Suddenly a dancer appears on the scene, and we enjoy a dance, executed by six dancers. The Queen gets tired, and while resting, a large spider tries to catch her, but her friends rescue her.