Le spectre rouge (1907)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Directors:

Segundo de Chomón (co-director)
Ferdinand Zecca (co-director)

Writer:

Segundo de Chomón (writer)

Release Date:

August 1907 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Fantasy | Horror

Plot:

A demonic magician attempts to perform his act in a strange grotto, but is confronted by a Good Spirit who opposes him.

Plot Keywords:

Bottle | Skeleton | Cavern | Good Versus Evil | Devil

Also Known As:

The Red Spectre (USA)

Runtime:

France:9 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Pathé Frères

Movie Connections:

Edited into Scream Greats, Vol. 2: Satanism and Witchcraft (1986)

A fascinating, bizarre, and beautiful little film

The first decade of the twentieth century saw the production of dozens of brief "trick films" which pushed the boundaries of the new medium, and France seemed to be the capital of this activity. Georges Méliès is the best known creator of these films, but THE RED SPECTRE, which was produced at the Pathé Studio by Méliès' fellow pioneer Ferdinand Zecca, is perhaps the most bizarre and fascinating of them all-- or at least, allowing for the fact that many of these films are lost, it is certainly among the very best of the survivors. It is better seen than described, genuinely dreamlike in its images and transitions, and deeply strange, but deeply satisfying as well. The movie lasts only about 8 or 9 minutes, but when it's over you feel as if you've been permitted to visit another world. When THE RED SPECTRE was first shown the original black & white footage was hand-colored to produce a dazzling effect, and happily, colored prints survive today, and have been preserved.

The setting is a mysterious underground grotto, and our "host" is a demonic magician who seems to be toying with the souls or spirits of several captive women. He causes them to levitate, then burst into flames; he captures their ashes in bottles, brings them back to life in miniaturized form, etc. The magician is opposed throughout by a Good Fairy who resembles Peter Pan (portrayed by a woman, as Peter traditionally is on stage). The action is difficult to follow at times, but at the heart of it all is the struggle between the forces of Good and Evil.

One effect is especially notable: when the wicked magician produces three glass bottles, each holding a tiny woman prisoner, and brings them downstage to allow for a close-up, the scene instantly reminds latter day viewers of a similar sequence in THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935). Did James Whale see this earlier film, or is the similarity a coincidence? Notable, too, is the depiction of a device very much like television-- strongly suggested by the evil conjurer's magic screens, each of which depicts a changing series of moving images. This film not only predicts the coming of T.V., but attributes its invention to a demon!