L'Étoile du génie

Robert the Silent earned his nickname with his dejected and taciturn demeanor. One day, a run through the forest led him to a Gypsy encampment. He interrupted the dance of one of the Gypsy women, but she resumed her dance, and the Duke was captivated by her grace and charm. The following day, he invited her to his castle, which she accepted. When she arrived at the castle, the Duke had fallen asleep. So, while waiting, she practiced a few steps. In his dream, the Duke saw Gyska dancing the same dance before her family. A kiss awakened him, and he joyfully found her ready to give him her love. But as they made love, the bed curtain was drawn back by the Duchess, who summoned two guards and ordered them to seize the young woman and make her disappear. Then she appeared to the young Gypsy woman, who tried to leave. Arrested, she was thrown into a dungeon. Robert, learning the truth from his wife, tries to intervene but it is too late. So, beside Gyska's body, he drinks poison in one gulp.

A trick film using the reverse effect.

Ferdinand Zecca's remake of his own film "Plongeur fantastique" (The Fantastic Plunger, 1901) with the same premise, showing a diver with reverse motion editing for a curious effect

Apparently inspired by the antics of Harry Houdini, Slippery Jim opens in the office of a police commissioner to whom a rather cocky villain is presented. The commissioner orders the prisoner to be clapped in irons, but this proves to be easier said than done because our anti-hero - presumably the Slippery Jim of the title - proves to be an expert escapologist.

The story of the life and passion of Jesus Christ, from the proclamation of his birth to his ascension into heaven.

The story of the life and passion of Jesus Christ, from the proclamation of his birth to his ascension into heaven.

To the modern viewer, it may seem peculiar that there are several movies in which a man sneaks a kiss off a young woman in a darkened railway car, all produced in the first few years of the motion picture.

This is a compact telling of the Cinderella fairy tale and the film is elaborately staged.

A man in a suit and cap stops in front of the display of a bookseller, finds and flips… "Invisible Man" by H. G. Wells! Fascinated by the subject, he buys the book and goes home with the intention to test the invisibility formula described by the author…

An early hand-tinted adaptation of Ali Baba.

A magician is surprised when he attempts to transform a beetle.

A policeman spots a dog stealing a piece of meat from a butcher's shop, and gives chase. Soon several more policemen have joined the pursuit. But the chase does not turn out as the policemen expect.

It is the depths of winter, and the snow is falling. The desolate landscape casts a melancholic note over the scene. A poor peasant woman awaits her husband, who has gone to gather firewood in the forest. When he finally arrives, they lament their sad fate. If only they had a child! This wish has been granted by the Spring Fairy, who appears before them. With a wave of her magic wand, she transforms the scene into a cheerful, flowery landscape. They themselves are dressed in rich costumes. The fairy summons flowers, which flow into her hand to form a magnificent bouquet, instantly transformed into a beautiful pink baby, which she gives to them. Then she vanishes, leaving them overflowing with joy and longing. This film, tinted in Barcelona by Segundo de Chomón, is currently lost and should not be confused with the remake done by Vincent Lorant-Heilbronn in 1905, also tinted by Chomón in Paris, which is widely available to watch.

Georges Méliès's first attempt at Cinderella was in 1899. That film was extraordinary then for having multiple scenes and a semblance of a narrative; additionally, the use of dissolves as transitions in it influenced other filmmakers for years to do the same. Méliès was the cinema world's preeminent leader then. By 1912, however, that was no longer the case; frankly, as evidenced by this feature, his style had become dated. Moreover, Méliès had begun to adopt techniques from other filmmakers, such as direct cuts instead of dissolves, and there's even a match on action shot during the slipper trying-on scene.

During a strike, several workers are killed in a confrontation. The wife of one of them kills the factory owner. At her trial, the owner's son asks for mercy, knowing that his father was wrong. Because of that the wife is freed.

A convicted criminal dreams about his past the night before his execution.