wes-connors Review of The Conjuring of a Woman at the House of Robert Houdin

The Conjuring of a Woman at the House of Robert Houdin (1896)

The Lady Vanishes

[6/10 · 22 July 2012]

Magician and filmmaker Georges Melies enters stage right and introduces fashionably dressed Jeanne d'Alcy. He puts a newspaper on the floor. On the newspaper, Mr. Melies places a chair. He invites Ms. D'Alcy, who is standing patiently, to sit on the chair. She complies comfortably and begins to fan herself. Melies throws a cloth over the woman. A slip second later, he removes the cloth and the woman has disappeared. But bringing her back is not a simple as it looks. In the end, the cast takes a bow. Forgetting his chair enables Melies to take a curtain call. He deserves one; this short film is never boring.

****** Escamotage d'une dame au theatre Robert Houdin (1896) Georges Melies ~ Georges Melies, Jeanne d'Alcy