We know the Greek myth that "My Fair Lady" was based on. A lonely sculpture creates a beautiful woman in marble and then falls in love with her. She is eventually made into a real woman. In this comic piece, the statue wants nothing to do with Pygmalion. She kicks him, moves around, and disappears, only to reappear in a different place. It's pretty frantic and has little to do with the original.
4 Reviews
Reaching for Jeanne D'Alcy
boblipton29 March 2017
This Melies trick film turned up recently on Youtube; since Melies descendants lost control of his films, a lot more have been turning up.
The copy that I looked at was not in the best of condition. It wants some repair and image stabilization. What there is shows the sculptor grabbing for his freshly animated statue, and she evading his grasp -- alas, when he prayed to the gods for her to be a real woman, this was not the result he had envisioned.
Although restoration of this would be a good thing, it's also a very good thing to see another formerly missing Melies film turn up. Although Melies film grammar is not our own, enough of his tricks survive in modern techniques to make each a fascinating find in film archaeology.
The copy that I looked at was not in the best of condition. It wants some repair and image stabilization. What there is shows the sculptor grabbing for his freshly animated statue, and she evading his grasp -- alas, when he prayed to the gods for her to be a real woman, this was not the result he had envisioned.
Although restoration of this would be a good thing, it's also a very good thing to see another formerly missing Melies film turn up. Although Melies film grammar is not our own, enough of his tricks survive in modern techniques to make each a fascinating find in film archaeology.
Too short to be particularly enjoyable.
planktonrules10 September 2020
"Pygmalion et Galathée" is based on the story of Pygmalion from Greek mythology. The artist creates a gorgeous female statue (Galatea) and falls in love with it. And, when he touches and kisses it, the statue comes to life.
Unfortunately, this Georges Méliès short is REALLY short...and my summary is much longer than the film...which lasts well under a minute! What he did here was pretty good but not enough to make the film one you ought to see. Only mildly interesting and not a film which shows the filmmaker's genius.
Unfortunately, this Georges Méliès short is REALLY short...and my summary is much longer than the film...which lasts well under a minute! What he did here was pretty good but not enough to make the film one you ought to see. Only mildly interesting and not a film which shows the filmmaker's genius.
Now, at least I know the basic idea of the myth!
Tornado_Sam16 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I actually didn't know the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea when viewing this film, but it's not hard to understand here. While this short film really only gives the basic idea of the story, it also includes all that Méliès mayhem that makes it enjoyable. And, reportedly the surviving print was found in an Attic in Barcelona; it has yet, however, to be added to a DVD collection.
Pygmalion, completing his statue of Galatea, is in love with it and begs for it to come to life. It does, but Galatea seems to be playing hard to get. The print I've seen of this film was, I must admit, very shakey and the speed of the frames wasn't always accurate, making it harder to enjoy. At least I can say it's good to see Méliès adding a plot to his trick films now, not just having a magician perform them, and the narrative is easy to follow.
Pygmalion, completing his statue of Galatea, is in love with it and begs for it to come to life. It does, but Galatea seems to be playing hard to get. The print I've seen of this film was, I must admit, very shakey and the speed of the frames wasn't always accurate, making it harder to enjoy. At least I can say it's good to see Méliès adding a plot to his trick films now, not just having a magician perform them, and the narrative is easy to follow.
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