Like many of the films of Georges Méliès, the director himself is the star of this little silent film. He is an artist who draws pictures on a chalk board. Then, moments later, he magically is transformed into the image on the board! It's all cute fun and shows Méliès roots as a stage magician. While the film isn't as outrageous, complex or original as his more famous works (such as Le Voyage Dans le Lune), it is still head and shoulders above other films of the time. In general, his competitors (such as Lumiere and Edison) were filming very mundane scenes from real life (sort of like short and boring home movies). Georges Méliès storytelling and creativity make this film transcendent of the age and well worth seeing even today.
If you want to see this film online, go to Google and type in "Méliès" and then click the video button for a long list of his films that are viewable without special software.
If you want to see this film online, go to Google and type in "Méliès" and then click the video button for a long list of his films that are viewable without special software.