A young enslaved chimney sweep named Jack finds a box of jewels in a chimney which restores his well-being.A young enslaved chimney sweep named Jack finds a box of jewels in a chimney which restores his well-being.A young enslaved chimney sweep named Jack finds a box of jewels in a chimney which restores his well-being.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIncluded in the "Georges Melies: First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)" DVD collection, released by Flicker Alley.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Locke & Key: Alpha & Omega (2021)
Featured review
Ten-Minute Fragment by Méliès
Though many consider "Chimney Sweep" to be a complete drama film by the French Cinemagician filmmaker Georges Méliès, what we have now is apparently, according to the description in Méliès's Catalogue of Genuine and Original Star Films, an exceptionally long fragment of an original sixteen-minute work. There is plenty of evidence: at the opening of the print there's a trace of a dissolve from another scene just disappearing, and the ending is also missing as it concludes unexpectedly in the midst of some action. Undoubtedly, it is sad the beginning sections and ending sections are gone because as one of Méliès's longer movies it deserves recognition, and evidently has not received this recognition probably due to the later year and less fantastic plot.
The film is about a boy named Jack who is kidnapped and made into a chimney sweep by his rather cruel boss, although the kidnapping was apparently never a scene from the film according to the Star Film Catalogue. At night he dreams about being made king and having people dance for him--which is where the remaining fragment kicks in--but this comes to an end after being roughly woken up early in the morning for work. Then, whilst climbing a chimney, he finds a treasure hidden beneath the rock which is rightly his, and a comedic chase for the valuables ensues with some nice outdoor scenery unusual for the director.
Considering the short is fragmentary, it's hard to say anything about it due to around six minutes of the original currently missing. I suppose if it was all there the film would be an interesting example of Méliès's development into slapstick, but as the other reviewer said, it's hard to see what the director was trying to do here because the fragment goes nowhere and ends on a cliffhanger. Nonetheless, as pointed out by Cineanalyst, the chase scene and the generally more dramatic story show how Méliès was trying to change with the times, and the dream sequence was no doubt the director trying to refreshingly make use of his lovely sets and add his distinguishing trademark. In the end, it probably isn't worthwhile for anybody except Méliès enthusiasts because the story simply isn't complete without the beginning and end, although is interesting historically as showing the filmmaker's progression into slapstick and drama.
The film is about a boy named Jack who is kidnapped and made into a chimney sweep by his rather cruel boss, although the kidnapping was apparently never a scene from the film according to the Star Film Catalogue. At night he dreams about being made king and having people dance for him--which is where the remaining fragment kicks in--but this comes to an end after being roughly woken up early in the morning for work. Then, whilst climbing a chimney, he finds a treasure hidden beneath the rock which is rightly his, and a comedic chase for the valuables ensues with some nice outdoor scenery unusual for the director.
Considering the short is fragmentary, it's hard to say anything about it due to around six minutes of the original currently missing. I suppose if it was all there the film would be an interesting example of Méliès's development into slapstick, but as the other reviewer said, it's hard to see what the director was trying to do here because the fragment goes nowhere and ends on a cliffhanger. Nonetheless, as pointed out by Cineanalyst, the chase scene and the generally more dramatic story show how Méliès was trying to change with the times, and the dream sequence was no doubt the director trying to refreshingly make use of his lovely sets and add his distinguishing trademark. In the end, it probably isn't worthwhile for anybody except Méliès enthusiasts because the story simply isn't complete without the beginning and end, although is interesting historically as showing the filmmaker's progression into slapstick and drama.
helpful•00
- Tornado_Sam
- Apr 25, 2017
Details
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Chimney Sweep
- Filming locations
- Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France(Interior & exterior shots)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime10 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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