  The Eclipse, or The Courtship Of The Sun And Moon (1907). All
images courtesy of Flicker Alley, LLC. Bookmark and Share  What
do the following have in common: magic tricks, science fiction,
ghosts, oversized insects, space aliens, vampires, the Devil,
fairy tales, color, product placement, historical re-enactments,
docu-drama, animation and pornography? The twofold answer is
that they are all common elements in contemporary movies—and
they were all first rendered in motion pictures by one
remarkable man, French magician-turned-filmmaker Georges Melies.
cover art  Georges Melies: First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)
(US DVD: 11 Mar 2008)  Melies is the most important filmmaker
you’ve (probably) never seen, or at least, haven’t seen enough
of. Considering his importance, he remains surprisingly little-
known, even to avowed film buffs. In a breathtakingly short span
of 16 years, from 1896 to 1912, he made more than 500 movies, an
extraordinary output of productivity.  Admittedly, many of these
movies were a me