L'abeille et la rose (1908)
** (out of 4)
This French film isn't that well known today but it will mainly appeal to those film buffs with a thing for early cinema or those wanting to see some fantasy sequences but those there will probably be disappointed. The film runs just a few seconds short of four minutes as several women are dressed up as bees dancing around their hive. The "Queen Bee" goes to take a nap and she's attacked by a spider. The spider sequence is what gets this film a mention by fantasy fans but sadly this scene takes place around the 3:13 mark and lasts just a few seconds. I'm really not sure why they wouldn't have had the spider bit run a tad bit longer and especially after you sit through the first three minutes and realize that nothing really happens and the dancing doesn't add anything to the film or the plot. The special effects are certainly a long way from Georges Melies but I thought they were good enough and that includes the spider. The best thing about the movie were the sets, which looked quite creative.