La Clownesse fantome (Star Film's English title, The Shadow-Girl)
Rating
Title
La Clownesse fantome (Star Film's English title , The Shadow-Girl)
Creator
Melies-Star Films
Description
A lost Georges M?li?s production , or at least a well-preserved half of one , resurfaced in the Sulphur Springs discovery. Assisted by the costumed 'Imp ', the Magician makes a Woman materialize , disappear , and transform into a man , using a hoop , a barrel , and stop-camera effects. The long shot frontal view of an artificial painted backdrop with exposed beams evokes a theatrical setting for cinematic illusions M?li?s could not possibly have accomplished on stage. The restored print contains about half the film's advertised length of 100 ft. , which fortuitously retains a logical sense of closure. The Star Films ' catalog describes a levitation trick that originally concluded the film. Here, after M?li?s has turned the man back into the Woman , the three performers bow to the audience , then turn apparently to begin the levitation trick as the print stops. Duped by both Lubin and Edison , this print carries a faint Edison copyright notice at the head. The Wizard sold the film under the title The Magician and the Imp. (Worland , 1995 : http://www.fiafnet.org/pdf/uk/fiaf51.pdf)
Contributors
Worland, Rick
Original Date
1902
Original Format
35 mm nitrate film
Related Resources
Worland , R. 1995. The Sulphur Springs , Texas early films discovery. Journal of Film Preservation 51 : 54-64. http://www.fiafnet.org/pdf/uk/fiaf51.pdf (Note : go to page 56 in the.pdf file)
Item Number
SSM21
Type
Video
Digitization Date
Digitized for web: 2011
Digital Format
TRT 00:00:32.49 ; Archival File: Video: DV-NTSC, 640 x 480; Streaming File: Presented in Vimeo as 480 x 360
Digitization Process
Files were ripped from source DVD to create NTSC .mov master file. Utilized reverse-telecine using standard 2s3w pattern to create a 640x480, 23.98fps, square pixel master file. Uploaded .mp4 derivative to Vimeo.
Web Page
https://sites.smu.edu/cdm/cul/ssm/stream/SSM21_Stream.html
Related file(s)
ssm21_clownesse_up.mp4
Digital Collection
Sulphur Springs Collection of Pre-Nickelodeon Films
Part of
Sulphur Springs
Library
G. William Jones Film and Video Collection Hamon Arts Library
Publisher
Central University Libraries , Southern Methodist University
Rights
Please cite the G. William Jones Film and Video Collection, Southern Methodist University when using this file. For more information contact filmarchive@smu.edu.
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Sulphur Springs Collection of Pre-Nickelodeon Films
