''L'Antre des esprits'', released in the United States as ''The Magician's Cavern'' and in the United Kingdom as ''The House of Mystery'', is a 1901 French
silent comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
trick film
In the early history of cinema, trick films were short silent films designed to feature innovative special effects.
History
The trick film genre was developed by Georges Méliès in some of his first cinematic experiments, and his works remain th ...
, directed by
Georges Méliès. It is listed as numbers 345–347 in
Star Film Company's catalogues.
Synopsis
A man enters his "cavern," and uses a human skeleton to do magic tricks. He first turns the skeleton into a scantily-clad woman carrying a shield. He then transforms her into a well-dressed lady, whom he makes levitate. The magician proceeds to turn the woman back into a skeleton, and make the body dance. He dances with the skeleton, then takes him off screen. He then uses magic to move a table around the room, then levitates a stool, resting it upon the table.
The magician continues his show, attempting to catch four dancing spirits on his stage. He proceeds to make more furniture dance, before casting it all aside and flying through the ceiling. The man reappears, then tears off his clothes to reveal a fancy suit, before lighting a smoke and exiting the stage.
External links
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Full video on YouTube
Films directed by Georges Méliès
French silent short films
French black-and-white films
Films about magic and magicians
French comedy short films
1901 comedy films
1901 short films
Silent French comedy films
1900s French films
Trick films
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