Though hardly one of the best or most interesting Méliès features, this short feature has, as most of his movies do, some visual effects that demonstrate creativity and technical skill. The material itself is only mildly interesting at best, so the main reason for watching it would be to look at a small sample of the kinds of camera tricks used by the great cinema pioneer.
The story simply shows a conjurer, who is demonstrating a magical folding fan to an appreciative audience. The visual tricks are a little uneven, but the best of them are done nicely. When Méliès's ideas work, they are more convincing and interesting than the kind of computer-generated imagery that is so overused at the present. It's not really all that hard to tell when an image has been generated with real objects, and when it was done by a computer trick.
This feature would not be among the Méliès films most worth seeking out, and it would only be worth seeing for those who already take a real interest in the pioneers of cinema. But for those who are interested, it can be rather entertaining just to rummage through even the less impressive of Méliès's shorts.
The story simply shows a conjurer, who is demonstrating a magical folding fan to an appreciative audience. The visual tricks are a little uneven, but the best of them are done nicely. When Méliès's ideas work, they are more convincing and interesting than the kind of computer-generated imagery that is so overused at the present. It's not really all that hard to tell when an image has been generated with real objects, and when it was done by a computer trick.
This feature would not be among the Méliès films most worth seeking out, and it would only be worth seeing for those who already take a real interest in the pioneers of cinema. But for those who are interested, it can be rather entertaining just to rummage through even the less impressive of Méliès's shorts.