Georges Melies' animated reproduction of de Neuville's painting of an incident from the Franco-Prussian war. Fairly sophisticated for the time.
6 Reviews
The Last Cartridges review
JoeytheBrit22 April 2020
A Valiant Defense
Hitchcoc9 November 2017
We really aren't given much information, other than the fact that some soldiers are cooped up in a ruin. They try to fight off an unseen foe. Some sort of shell falls on them and there are some clouds of dust. But they go on and engage in a smaller way. It appears to be a commentary on an unpopular war. It would be interesting to find out how this was received initially.
Based on De Neuville's painting
Tornado_Sam22 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Georges Melies not only invented many of the special effects used today, he also achieved filming a variety of amazingly impressive reconstructed newsreels of popular events. This short is one of three war reconstructed newsreels that he made in 1897, and of all three, this one and "The Surrender of Tournavos" are at a tie for being the very best. If I hadn't known, I honestly would have guessed this to be movie footage of the actual event. The 1-minute movie, based on an Alphonse de Neuville painting (described in the Star Film catalogue as being an "animated reproduction") takes place in an abandoned building, where some soldiers fight against an unseen enemy force before one of them is injured when he gets hit by a bomb. Considering the time period, you would expect it to look rather silly and badly staged, but the crazy thing is, it's not. In fact, the set and the action is so shockingly convincing that one can't help but be impressed at all the work Melies must have put into it. The flat painted cardboard door was the only blatantly fake part and the level of realism is astounding for the nineteenth century...action films did not get any better than this in the 1800s. I suppose no one should be surprised Melies could make it this good, but even so he really outdid himself this time.
Very early war film from Georges Méliès
jamesrupert201426 February 2020
Soldiers enter a demolished home and search the dead for ammunition before continuing to fight an unseen enemy. Men are killed and eventually a nurse (nun?) enters to assist the wounded. This very early cinematic depiction of combat and death in battle, inspired by the homonymous painting by Alphonse de Neuville of the 1870 defence of a house during the Franco-Prussian War, must have been shocking to audiences in 1897. The film is shot on a single stage with painted backdrops and includes some limited pyrotechnic special effects. Not as imaginative as Méliès' more fanciful works but historically interesting.
Great for 1897....
planktonrules21 July 2011
Georges Méliès was a genius. When other film makers (like Edison and the Lumiere Brothers) were filming the most mundane situations (babies being fed, trains arriving, employees leaving work, etc.), he was telling stories and creating the first special effects in the history of cinema. So, if you decide to watch a few of his films, try some of the competition first--and you'll be amazed at the difference.
This one recreates a scene from the Franco-Prussian War. I was actually surprised he chose this, as the French were totally embarrassed in their very quick loss to what amounted to only a portion of what later became Germany. Regardless, the film is set in a set painted like a building in ruins and men are huddled up trying to hold off the Hun. It looks a bit lame by today's standards but is actually very nice for 1897.
This one recreates a scene from the Franco-Prussian War. I was actually surprised he chose this, as the French were totally embarrassed in their very quick loss to what amounted to only a portion of what later became Germany. Regardless, the film is set in a set painted like a building in ruins and men are huddled up trying to hold off the Hun. It looks a bit lame by today's standards but is actually very nice for 1897.
Impressive Action Scene
Michael_Elliott25 August 2011
Bombardement d'une maison (1897)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
aka The Last Cartridges
French master Georges Melies re-creates a scene from the Franco-Prussian War, which is a little strange considering the French were embarrassed. One has to wonder how well this thing went over in France at the time of release. With that said, this is an incredibly good-looking little gem that manages to be incredibly entertaining through it's rather short running time. At just over a minute no one should be expecting some sort of story but I must admit that the action was great and the set was too. The men are basically hold up in a building in ruins that has been torn apart due to the gunshots and various battles. We see the men take aim and try to protect themselves. That's pretty much all that happens but one can't help but be extremely impressed with the director who shows a lot of imagination for the action scenes and especially how the building slowly starts to fall apart. I thought the actors did a good job especially considering most people just jumped in from of the camera and moved around like jello. Fans of Melies will certainly be entertained by this one.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
aka The Last Cartridges
French master Georges Melies re-creates a scene from the Franco-Prussian War, which is a little strange considering the French were embarrassed. One has to wonder how well this thing went over in France at the time of release. With that said, this is an incredibly good-looking little gem that manages to be incredibly entertaining through it's rather short running time. At just over a minute no one should be expecting some sort of story but I must admit that the action was great and the set was too. The men are basically hold up in a building in ruins that has been torn apart due to the gunshots and various battles. We see the men take aim and try to protect themselves. That's pretty much all that happens but one can't help but be extremely impressed with the director who shows a lot of imagination for the action scenes and especially how the building slowly starts to fall apart. I thought the actors did a good job especially considering most people just jumped in from of the camera and moved around like jello. Fans of Melies will certainly be entertained by this one.
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