Because many of the first films by French film pioneer Georges Méliès are presumed lost, we are extremely lucky that the first film by the master survived at all. Even if there is none of the movie magic that he was known for, this movie remains lot of fun because of how the energetic, good-natured feel adds to it. This isn't just a mundane static scene about guys playing cards, it's a cheerful, enjoyable look into a bygone era.
At the beginning of Méliès's career, he had not yet innovated movie magic. He still had yet to 'discover' the film edit (which had already been innovated the year before by Alfred Clark). So his earliest films basically were just remakes of the Lumière Brothers' movies, which basically showed people mounting horses, people eating dinner, trains arriving in stations, and gentlemen playing cards. (This movie is a remake of the Lumiere Bros' "Card Party"). Only seven films made by Méliès in 1896 survive; many of his early actualities do not and are largely forgotten. Of course, because of how simplistic it is, this film has no real significance except for the fact it was the director's first. It is still an entertaining watch, despite the lack of special effects.
This short is also one of the somewhat rare instances where almost all the actors in the film are identified. Two of the card players are Méliès himself and his brother Gaston; the girl is Méliès's daughter Georgette; the waitress is the Méliès family maidservant, Octavie Huvier. Only the third card player remains unidentified.
At the beginning of Méliès's career, he had not yet innovated movie magic. He still had yet to 'discover' the film edit (which had already been innovated the year before by Alfred Clark). So his earliest films basically were just remakes of the Lumière Brothers' movies, which basically showed people mounting horses, people eating dinner, trains arriving in stations, and gentlemen playing cards. (This movie is a remake of the Lumiere Bros' "Card Party"). Only seven films made by Méliès in 1896 survive; many of his early actualities do not and are largely forgotten. Of course, because of how simplistic it is, this film has no real significance except for the fact it was the director's first. It is still an entertaining watch, despite the lack of special effects.
This short is also one of the somewhat rare instances where almost all the actors in the film are identified. Two of the card players are Méliès himself and his brother Gaston; the girl is Méliès's daughter Georgette; the waitress is the Méliès family maidservant, Octavie Huvier. Only the third card player remains unidentified.