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
SMU Libraries
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
