Another episode with the detachable heads. This time a chef is hiding in a closet and his superior reaches in and pulls off his head. It is then bandied around like a soccer ball. Other than lots of sight gags, there is no real plot. Then again, it is an entire minute long. The head is returned, by the way.
4 Reviews
The Cook's Revenge
Michael_Elliott28 March 2008
Cook's Revenge, The (1900)
*** (out of 4)
aka La Vengeance du gate-sauce
Delightful film from Melies has a cook's assistant dropping a pan, which sets off the owner. The owner accidentally cuts off the cook's head and is in a mad dash to hide it but the head keeps coming back. This is another classic from the director as the special effects are top notch and the overall story is quite good. There are several decapitations shown and the highlight has to be the cook's revenge when he goes crazy and throws the owner's body around the shop. There are plenty of laughs throughout.
*** (out of 4)
aka La Vengeance du gate-sauce
Delightful film from Melies has a cook's assistant dropping a pan, which sets off the owner. The owner accidentally cuts off the cook's head and is in a mad dash to hide it but the head keeps coming back. This is another classic from the director as the special effects are top notch and the overall story is quite good. There are several decapitations shown and the highlight has to be the cook's revenge when he goes crazy and throws the owner's body around the shop. There are plenty of laughs throughout.
Nothing great here....
planktonrules10 September 2020
"The Lilliputian Minuet" is a short film by the French filmmaker, Georges Méliès. And, like most of his films, he uses camera tricks to achieve results which wowed audiences back in the day. And, like about a hundred or more of these films, he stands in front of the camera performing his tricks like a stage magician...which he was before he turned to films.
This one is less enjoyable than most for two main reasons. First, the superimposition of images is sloppier than usual and you can see seams in the picture which take you out of the effect of these tiny people up on stage. Second, the film lacks the sense of humor and awe you'd see in most. A second-rate magic act in this one...worth seeing if you are a devoted fan only.
This one is less enjoyable than most for two main reasons. First, the superimposition of images is sloppier than usual and you can see seams in the picture which take you out of the effect of these tiny people up on stage. Second, the film lacks the sense of humor and awe you'd see in most. A second-rate magic act in this one...worth seeing if you are a devoted fan only.
Another movie in Méliès's "Dismembered Heads" series
Tornado_Sam15 October 2018
This is an utterly crazy and bizarre one-minute short by filmmaker Georges Méliès which once again uses advanced special effects, such as superimposing and film edits, to create a humorous atmosphere. This time, there is not only a plot of sorts (unlike the magician shorts), but it's also a hilariously crazy one guaranteed to make people laugh because of the absurdity of the set-up.
From 1898 to later on in his career, dismembered heads were an important theme for Méliès, and it's unclear to me exactly why. It's possible he felt dark humor such as this movie contains was a staple element for comedy; maybe the idea of the disembodied was merely an excuse to use his effects for fantastical purposes. Either way, it's a theme the great Cinemagician reused in quite a few films of his career (which had begun with "The Four Troublesome Heads" of 1898). In this case, a cook causes a disaster in the kitchen and must hide from the manager to escape punishment, in a wooden cupboard. The absurdity then grows, as the manager accidentally chops off the head of the cook, so that when he realizes the seriousness of his crime and attempts to burn to head to hide the proof, it keeps coming to life. No doubt superimposing was probably used for the living head, because of the black backgrounds it appears against which were necessary for the effect, but for the fireplace bit someone could have easily hid below the camera's view and puppeteered it to create an "alive" effect. Either way, the end is shockingly brutal though harmless and does a very good job at lightheartedly depicting violence.
Despite my ability to correctly identify the roles the director plays in his films, it's unclear in this case which role he takes on--the cook or the manager. Both characters contain his exuberant charm in the parts they play and both look facially similar to Méliès. Either way, "The Cook's Revenge", while not revolutionary when compared to later shorts, works quite well on its own and regardless of when it was made has aged very well. Certainly one for fans of dark humor.
From 1898 to later on in his career, dismembered heads were an important theme for Méliès, and it's unclear to me exactly why. It's possible he felt dark humor such as this movie contains was a staple element for comedy; maybe the idea of the disembodied was merely an excuse to use his effects for fantastical purposes. Either way, it's a theme the great Cinemagician reused in quite a few films of his career (which had begun with "The Four Troublesome Heads" of 1898). In this case, a cook causes a disaster in the kitchen and must hide from the manager to escape punishment, in a wooden cupboard. The absurdity then grows, as the manager accidentally chops off the head of the cook, so that when he realizes the seriousness of his crime and attempts to burn to head to hide the proof, it keeps coming to life. No doubt superimposing was probably used for the living head, because of the black backgrounds it appears against which were necessary for the effect, but for the fireplace bit someone could have easily hid below the camera's view and puppeteered it to create an "alive" effect. Either way, the end is shockingly brutal though harmless and does a very good job at lightheartedly depicting violence.
Despite my ability to correctly identify the roles the director plays in his films, it's unclear in this case which role he takes on--the cook or the manager. Both characters contain his exuberant charm in the parts they play and both look facially similar to Méliès. Either way, "The Cook's Revenge", while not revolutionary when compared to later shorts, works quite well on its own and regardless of when it was made has aged very well. Certainly one for fans of dark humor.
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