''The Laboratory of Mephistopheles'' (french: Le Cabinet de Méphistophélès), initially released in Britain and America as ''Laboratory of Mephistopheles'' and also known as ''The Cabinet of Mephistopheles'', ''The Devil's Laboratory'', ''Faust's Laboratory'', and ''The Laboratory of Faust'', was an 1897

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

directed by

Georges Méliès Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès (; ; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French illusionist, actor, and film director. He led many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. Méliès was well known for the use of ...

, loosely inspired by the Faust legend.

Plot

Mephistopheles Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles in t ...

, the

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

who appears in the Faust legend, disguises himself as an old man and waits on customers in his laboratory. As the customers prepare to leave, however, Mephistopheles mystifies them with various magical pranks and cavorts under several animal disguises, taunting them with a beautiful vanishing lady and trapping them briefly in a cage. One of the customers, noticing a sword on the wall, manages to cut Mephistopheles's head off, but it remains alive and eventually reattaches itself to its body. Finally, to the great relief of the customers, Mephistopheles himself ends up trapped in his own cage.

Release and reception

''The Laboratory of Mephistopheles'' was released by Méliès's

Star Film Company The Manufacture de films pour cinématographes, often known as Star Film, was a French film production company run by the illusionist and film director Georges Méliès. History On 28 December 1895, Méliès attended the celebrated first publi ...

and is numbered 118–120 in its catalogues. It was shown at Méliès's own Paris theatre of illusions, the

Théâtre Robert-Houdin The Théâtre Robert-Houdin, initially advertised as the Théâtre des Soirées Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin, was a Paris theatre dedicated primarily to the performance of stage illusions. Founded by the famous magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin ...

, in early October 1897, along with four other new Méliès films: ''

The Barber and the Farmer ''The Barber and the Farmer'' (french: Figaro et l'Auvergnat) is an 1897 French short silent film by Georges Méliès. It was sold by Méliès's Star Film Company and is numbered 121 in its catalogues. Long presumed lost, a single deteriorated ...

'', '' The Charcoal Man's Reception'', ''

The Bewitched Inn ''The Bewitched Inn'' (French: ''L'auberge ensorcelée'') is an 1897 French short silent trick film directed by Georges Méliès. It was released by Méliès's Star Film Company and is numbered 122–123 in its catalogs. Plot A traveler arrive ...

'', and ''

A Hypnotist at Work ''Le Magnétiseur'', sold in the United States as ''A Hypnotist at Work'' and in Britain as ''While Under a Hypnotist's Influence'', was an 1897 French short silent film by Georges Méliès. It was sold by Méliès's Star Film Company and is numbe ...

''. The newspaper ''

Le Journal ''Le Journal'' (The Journal) was a Paris daily newspaper published from 1892 to 1944 in a small, four-page format. Background It was founded and edited by Fernand Arthur Pierre Xau until 1899. It was bought and managed by the family of Henri ...

'' reported that the films were novel and received with much success. In February 1898, the magician

David Devant David Devant (22 February 1868 – 13 October 1941) was an English magician, shadowgraphist and film exhibitor. He was born David Wighton in Holloway, London. He is regarded by magicians as a consummate exponent of suave and witty presentation ...

toured British towns with the film as part of his act, advertising it under the titles ''The Laboratory of Faust'' and ''Faust's Laboratory''. The film has been cited both as the first Faustian film and as Méliès's first

literary adaptation Literary adaptation is the adapting of a literary source (e.g. a novel, short story, poem) to another genre or medium, such as a film, stage play, or video game. It can also involve adapting the same literary work in the same genre or medium ju ...

, and is believed to be the first film in which Méliès experimented with the special effect of multiple exposure. It is currently presumed

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

References

External links

* Films directed by Georges Méliès Lost French films 1897 films French silent short films French black-and-white films Works based on the Faust legend 1890s lost films 1897 short films 1890s French films Demons in film {{1890s-France-film-stub