This is a brief but enjoyable tale from that great French film-making pioneer, Georges Méliès. As usual, there are no title cards, and the camera sits so far from the actors you might feel like you're watching from the mezzanine of a theater, but this short is a treat anyhow. The plot is easy to follow and the various effects are highly amusing. The narrative concerns a witch's revenge on a man who refuses to give her a hand-out. When he scorns her, and turns his attention to drawing water from a well, he encounters snakes, demons, flame, and other signs of the witch's displeasure. It's basically a horror story, though not especially scary unless you're frightened by sock-puppets and men dressed as enormous frogs. Buffs will recognize the "Méliès dragon" which pops up in other films, such as his Palace of the Arabian Nights.
My only problem with this film is the poor condition of the image. In surviving prints (or at least the one I've seen) the picture is grainy and badly washed-out, but once you've had a moment to adjust it's all right. After the Méliès operation went out of business during the Great War all his original negatives were scattered, literally hundreds of films lost, and it was many years before attempts were made to rescue and restore the survivors. Too bad, but the spirit behind these delightful works comes across, and we can still enjoy what's left.
My only problem with this film is the poor condition of the image. In surviving prints (or at least the one I've seen) the picture is grainy and badly washed-out, but once you've had a moment to adjust it's all right. After the Méliès operation went out of business during the Great War all his original negatives were scattered, literally hundreds of films lost, and it was many years before attempts were made to rescue and restore the survivors. Too bad, but the spirit behind these delightful works comes across, and we can still enjoy what's left.
