A conjurer, eager to impress the royal representative whom he is entertaining (from past experience, I'm assuming that Georges Méliès portrays one of these people, and I suspect that he is the conjurer), has a large box carried to the centre of the stage. Upon the box is written 'L'Eventail Magique / The Magical Fan.' At the wave of his hand, the box begins to mechanically disassemble itself, revealing a gigantic fan which spreads out and spans the entire screen. But the conjurer still has a few impressive tricks up his sleeve with another wave of his hand, the parts of the fan dissolve into seven women, and the magician is able to change their costumes and such.
Whilst undoubtedly an inventive little film, 'The Wonderful Living Fan' leaves much to be desired. Though only running for three or so minutes, the routine does get a bit dull and repetitive, lacking the enthusiastic energy of many of Méliès' other "stage act" shorts. It's difficult to believe that, in the same year that the filmmaker produced this film, he was also creating such timeless, endlessly imaginative films as the 24-minute long 'Le Voyage à travers l'impossible / The Impossible Voyage.'
Whilst undoubtedly an inventive little film, 'The Wonderful Living Fan' leaves much to be desired. Though only running for three or so minutes, the routine does get a bit dull and repetitive, lacking the enthusiastic energy of many of Méliès' other "stage act" shorts. It's difficult to believe that, in the same year that the filmmaker produced this film, he was also creating such timeless, endlessly imaginative films as the 24-minute long 'Le Voyage à travers l'impossible / The Impossible Voyage.'