Movies based under the depths of the sea were hokey stuff before the brothers George and Ernest Williamson invented underwater photography for Universal's adaptation of Jules Verne's work, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1916). Méliès' films were often aimed towards children and the otherwise inclined to playful humor, so there's really nothing anymore fake or silly about Méliès having a man, with no underwater gear on, fighting creatures on the seafloor, than there is with characters on the Moon, in outer space, Hell and elsewhere in his other fantasy-adventure films. On the other hand, perhaps this one makes more nonsense than usual, and that's why it's framed as a dream.
Two superior underwater early films are Méliès's own "The Kingdom of the Fairies" (Le royaume des fees) (1903) and Pathé's "Down in the Deep" (Le pêcheur de perles) (1907). Pathé's film is especially similar to "Under the Seas" in that there's a man underwater encountering much nonsense, but Pathé's film includes more-cinematic effects, including some of the tricks Méliès had been using for years to better effect in other movies.
(Note: The print available from the Flicker Alley DVDs is in very bad shape--having a bleached look that makes it difficult to view. Some other prints on these DVDs include severe bleeding of the filmstrip and still others only exist as fragments of their originals. I say this as a compliment to those behind the collection of Méliès DVDs--allowing those interested to become near-completists of the cinema magician's existing oeuvre.)
Two superior underwater early films are Méliès's own "The Kingdom of the Fairies" (Le royaume des fees) (1903) and Pathé's "Down in the Deep" (Le pêcheur de perles) (1907). Pathé's film is especially similar to "Under the Seas" in that there's a man underwater encountering much nonsense, but Pathé's film includes more-cinematic effects, including some of the tricks Méliès had been using for years to better effect in other movies.
(Note: The print available from the Flicker Alley DVDs is in very bad shape--having a bleached look that makes it difficult to view. Some other prints on these DVDs include severe bleeding of the filmstrip and still others only exist as fragments of their originals. I say this as a compliment to those behind the collection of Méliès DVDs--allowing those interested to become near-completists of the cinema magician's existing oeuvre.)