The Dancing Midget (1902) User Reviews

Like Babs Johnson, this guy loves eggs!

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 6 September 2020]

Georges Méliès stars in his film as a magician...something VERY common in his short films. The only thing quite unusual is the huge white wig an beard he sports as this magician...otherwise it's very familiar stuff.

The magician makes eggs appear on his assistant...pulling these eggs off one after another. Ultimately, he cracks the eggs into his top hat and dumps them on the assistant...where they became confetti. Then, the magician makes a huge egg appear and a small dancing ballerina appears from it. Later, she grows much larger and she and the assistant change places after the magician does his thing!

Making things eppear, disappear and change is the stuff of most of Georges Méliès' films. And, so is standing in front of the camera and doing a magic act. Quite enjoyable...but very familiar considering he did similar things at least 100 times during his decade and a half career in films.

A cruel fate.

[Kitahito · 5/10 · 24 March 2021]

Imagine this: You got dragged into existence by an illusionist (a.k.a. wannabe magician), just to help him move a table, a box, and also to be subject of a few humiliating tricks including mostly eggs. Then, when it's finally all over, he tosses you away like a used paper handkerchief, and leaves with the also-conjured woman! Such is life...

The New Magic

[boblipton · 7/10 · 14 March 2008]

Melies began as a stage magician and his movies always show this influence and technique. However, he was certainly not averse to using cinematic magic even when the stage magician knew how to make these illusions without a stopped or masked camera. In this film, he uses film techniques to make eggs come out of his assistant's mouth and to make people switch places. The use of these techniques and their apparent ease must have had more effect on the audience of his day. They are still a lot of fun.

This is one of the many previously lost or infrequently seen Melies pictures that have been made available by Serge Bromberg, David Shepherd and a myriad of other hands in the newly issued DVD set GEORGES MELIES: FIRST WIZARD OF CINEMA. Required viewing for anyone interested in the history of movies ..... and a lot of fun.

Dancing Midget, The

[Michael_Elliott · 1 April 2008]

Dancing Midget, The (1902)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

aka La Danseuse microscopique

A couple magicians (one played by Melies) come on stage and do a few magic tricks but their encore involved taking an egg and turning it into a midget woman and then making the woman normal size. This is a pretty standard film from the legendary director as it has some mild charm but none of the tricks are anything we haven't seen before. The actual dancing that goes on with the midget is mildly amusing as is the way she's brought to life but the effects are standard for the director.

One Good Egg Deserves Another

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 13 November 2017]

Two men come on stage. The one is a magician. He puts a table out with a little stand that hold eggs. He proceeds to get six eggs by patting him on the back, an egg coming out of his mouth. Six times and the stand is full. He then cracks the egg, putting them in his hat. He then turns the hat upside down on his friend. There are a couple of other egg- related events that take place, including a ballerina who comes out of a large egg.