The Legend of Rip Van Winkle (1905)

Pioneer filmmaker Georges Melies tells his version of the famous Washington Irving story of a man who takes a nap and wakes up 20 years later.

Director:

Georges Méliès

Writer:

Washington Irving

Stars:

André Méliès, Georges Méliès

Cast

Credited cast:
André Méliès	...	Child Carrying Lantern
Georges Méliès	...	Rip Van Winkle

Storyline

In this loose adaptation of American writer Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" original story and French composer Robert Planquette's famous 1882 operetta, the indefatigable director, Georges Méliès, unfolds an enchanting woodland fantasy in seventeen vibrant scenes. Incorporating strong elements of ingenious stage tricks and theatrics, mechanical devices, cinematic special effects, and gradual dissolves between tableaux to move from stark reality to rich phantasmagoria, the unsuspecting Rip's ordeal begins shortly after his escape to the mountains to flee the local authorities' wrath. However, in the seemingly safe woods, a captivatingly eerie and haunting dream sequence will condemn our hero in a profound and almost mystical twenty-year slumber. Will the world be the same after two decades of deep sleep?

---

Plot Keywords:

1900s | 900s | adaptation | theatre play | operetta | 

---

Genres:

Short | Drama | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

25 November 1905 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Legend of Rip Van Winkle

Filming Locations:

Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Georges Méliès,Star-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

10 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Color (hand-tinted) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

A Méliès Take on the Rip Van Winkle Legend

This Georges Méliès adaptation of the legend of Rip Van Winkle is certainly interesting, if not always successful. It is a relatively lavish production for its time, with detailed sets and hand-tinted color in the final print. It changes the story considerably in order to allow for some of Méliès's special camera effects, yet there are several stretches of the movie in which the camera tricks take a back seat to slapstick or exposition.

While it keeps the basic character and some of the story developments of the tale as it is usually told (from Washington Irving and earlier legends such as Peter Klaus), it also changes quite a bit. Rip's domineering wife is replaced by other problems, and the dream that Méliès imagines for him takes center stage.

There are certainly many Méliès touches, in the interesting details and in the special effects, but overall, it doesn't have as many high points as do his best features. Aside from his adaptations of Jules Verne, he was usually at his best when coming up with his own ideas. Nevertheless, this is a watchable adaptation, and the changes to the story make it unpredictable even if you are well familiar with the original story.