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Georges Méliès

Georges Méliès

Director & actor · born 8 December 1861 · Paris, France

Georges Méliès (December 8, 1861 - January 21, 1938), full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French illusionist and filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. One of the first filmmakers to use multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, tracking shots, dissolves, and hand-painted color in his work, Méliès pioneered effects that would define cinematic special effects for decades to come.  A prolific innovator in the use of special effects, Méliès accidentally discovered the substitution stop trick in 1896, a method of creating seamless disappearing and/or appearing effects used throughout both films and television for decades to come.  Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform reality through cinematography, Méliès is sometimes referred to as the first "Cinemagician".

Two of his best-known films are A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904). Both stories involve strange, surreal voyages, somewhat in the style of Jules Verne, and are considered among the most important early science fiction films, though their approach is closer to fantasy. Méliès was also an early pioneer of horror cinema, which can be traced back to his Le Manoir du diable (1896).  

Where to start: A Trip to the Moon (1902).

As director 353

As actor 146

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Georges Méliès movie?

By viewer score, A Trip to the Moon (1902) at 7.9/10.

What are Georges Méliès’s most popular movies?

A Trip to the Moon, A Trip to the Moon, The Astronomer's Dream.

How many movies has Georges Méliès made?

499 films on TMDB, 353 as director, 146 as actor.

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