A Miracle Under the Inquisition (1904) User Reviews

A very violent one from Georges Méliès

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 10 September 2020]

"A Miracle of the Inquisition" is a film about the famous Inquisition that took place in the 16th and 17th centuries. Heretics (in essence anyone who did not agree 100% with the Church) were tortured and killed...particularly in Spain and France.

This Georges Méliès film begins with a woman being taken to the dungeon and burned at the stake. She burns up amazingly quickly and then returns as an angel to punish the man who lit her ablaze...with the help of her female friend. It's all amazingly dark...and realistic when the folks are set alight! And, because it's so dark and violent, I must admit it kept my attention and is worth seeing!

A Moral Tale

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 15 November 2017]

A monk brings in a woman and charges her with witchcraft. She is bound to a post and ignited. She burns so thoroughly that all that is left is the post. The evil monk falls asleep satisfied that he has done well. She comes back as an angel and he now becomes the object of the inquisition. This is good storytelling. The pyrotechnics come off quite well and he gets his just desserts.

Better than most Méliès

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 2 August 2015]

Some of the French filmmaking pioneer Georges Méliès' films are really only short stage shows where he shows us some magic tricks. This one is a nice alteration as it not only shows us the concept of legally burning people, but also has some smart fantasy elements such as the angel-like creatures. I must say this was pretty well done. It certainly helps that Méliès sometimes has supporting players in his films. Apart from that, here he plays once again a character who is actually older than himself, a lot probably. Méliès was in his early 40s when he made this 2.5-minute movie 110 years ago. The setting was also nice, something you do not see in every Méliès film. I liked his work here and recommend this film. One of my favorites from the master of early silent black-and-white film.

Miracle Under The Inquisition

[Michael_Elliott · 24 July 2008]

Miracle Under The Inquisition, A (1904)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

aka Un Miracle sous l'Inquisition

Mildly entertaining film from the French filmmaker has a woman being burned to death because she was found guilty of being a witch. Afterward the woman reappears as an angel and seeks revenge. The woman turning into an angel and then seeking revenge doesn't seem to go together too well but even with that said this is a fairly entertaining movie. The special effects of the burning were nicely done as was the ending, which is sure to get a laugh. Nothing here is too overly impressive so I'd rank this as a middle ground for the director.