By 1907 in the career of the French filmmaker Georges Méliès, a variety of factors had shifted since the late 1890's and early 1900's, which were now serving as the boundaries of the great Cinemagician's success. Years before, the fantasy setting and dream sequence that he was experienced at would have been an innovative factor, displaying a substantial amount of creativity on the part of the director; now, such films had more or less lost a good amount of their popularity, and the stagy theatricality and lack of shooting on location was becoming less and less desired. Méliès, despite his tendency to only be skillful in this craft, did however try to change with the times, creating such films as "A Desperate Crime", "Chimney Sweep" (both 1906) and "Robert McCaire and Bertrand" (1907), all of which featured shooting on location and chase scenes - elements that were showing popularity through companies such as Edison and Pathé. However, even "Chimney Sweep" despite its serious subject matter included a theatrical dream sequence inconsequential to the plot, while "Robert McCaire and Bertrand" featured numerous elements of the fantastic. The director simply couldn't give up his craft, which was further demonstrated in later years such as 1908 and 1909 (although 1908 did see him trying to adapt without success).
"Under the Seas" is then a little late for 1907, considering its fantasy setting (mixed with elements of science-fiction) yet for any Méliès fan, it certainly lives up to its potential. Of course, despite the title, there is little to connect this short to the Verne novel "20,00 Leagues Beneath the Sea", which, despite my not having read, is no doubt more involved plot-wise. In fact, considering the narrative of the film, it appears to have a connection in title only, which is then used to give Méliès an excuse to show off his effects in yet another filmic journey (this time being in the ocean). In the end, it comes off as a quaint yet charming film, which continues to show the imagination of cinema's first true auteur.
In "Under the Seas", the story centers on Ives, a fisherman (played by the Méliès actor and production assistant Manuel) who dreams he is given an opportunity to go on an expedition in a submarine under the sea. Once at the bottom, a series of bland sequences that mainly serve to show off the filmmaker's extraordinary creatures follow. There is a lengthy and unrelated scene in which some mermaids and nymphs dance around a star (choreography courtesy of Mme. Stitchel) as well as a stagy long shot in which Ives wanders around the set, studying ocean life which constantly fights back at him. Curiously enough, the fisherman isn't wearing a diving suit at all, adding an element of science-fiction to the movie.
What must unfortunately be said is that, as other reviewers have pointed out, the surviving print is clearly in a very poor, washed-out state to where the entire film appears to have been shot through fog. Contrasts are high in both light and dark areas, and as such the ability to enjoy the array of interesting imagery that is on display is limited to the audience. Not only this, and unlike most reviewers believe, the original film was indeed around thirteen minutes (according to the Star Film Catalogue numbers) and survives as a fragment, with the opening scene in which Ives enters his shack, falls asleep and is visited by a fairy currently considered lost. The majority remains, which at least gives us most of the story and makes the ending come as a surprising cliche due to no previous setup. Generally speaking, it overall is not as good as many previous fantasy films of Méliès, but would no doubt be much more enjoyable had the surviving fragment been in better shape.
"Under the Seas" is then a little late for 1907, considering its fantasy setting (mixed with elements of science-fiction) yet for any Méliès fan, it certainly lives up to its potential. Of course, despite the title, there is little to connect this short to the Verne novel "20,00 Leagues Beneath the Sea", which, despite my not having read, is no doubt more involved plot-wise. In fact, considering the narrative of the film, it appears to have a connection in title only, which is then used to give Méliès an excuse to show off his effects in yet another filmic journey (this time being in the ocean). In the end, it comes off as a quaint yet charming film, which continues to show the imagination of cinema's first true auteur.
In "Under the Seas", the story centers on Ives, a fisherman (played by the Méliès actor and production assistant Manuel) who dreams he is given an opportunity to go on an expedition in a submarine under the sea. Once at the bottom, a series of bland sequences that mainly serve to show off the filmmaker's extraordinary creatures follow. There is a lengthy and unrelated scene in which some mermaids and nymphs dance around a star (choreography courtesy of Mme. Stitchel) as well as a stagy long shot in which Ives wanders around the set, studying ocean life which constantly fights back at him. Curiously enough, the fisherman isn't wearing a diving suit at all, adding an element of science-fiction to the movie.
What must unfortunately be said is that, as other reviewers have pointed out, the surviving print is clearly in a very poor, washed-out state to where the entire film appears to have been shot through fog. Contrasts are high in both light and dark areas, and as such the ability to enjoy the array of interesting imagery that is on display is limited to the audience. Not only this, and unlike most reviewers believe, the original film was indeed around thirteen minutes (according to the Star Film Catalogue numbers) and survives as a fragment, with the opening scene in which Ives enters his shack, falls asleep and is visited by a fairy currently considered lost. The majority remains, which at least gives us most of the story and makes the ending come as a surprising cliche due to no previous setup. Generally speaking, it overall is not as good as many previous fantasy films of Méliès, but would no doubt be much more enjoyable had the surviving fragment been in better shape.