The Magic Roses (1906)

Jun 2, 2016



A film by the pioneering Spanish film director and cinematographer Segundo Chomón. With his innovative use of early splice-based tricks and a penchant for optical illusions he is often compared to the slightly earlier Georges Méliès, and indeed has been dubbed "The Spanish Méliès" by some. Though the similarities are clear, Chomón departs from Méliès in his variety of subjects and his use of animation, an art form he played a key role in developing. In this beautifully coloured short (using Pochoir, a type of stencil process), originally titled Les Roses Magique, a bouquet of roses gives birth to a whole unexpected world, played out against a wonderful floral backdrop.