For a good chunk of his output in 1899, Georges Méliès committed himself to creating a series of short films detailing the events of the Dreyfus Affair political scandal, which was still progressing in France as the series was made. The serial, centering around Capt. Alfred Dreyfus who was accused of writing treasonous letters and discharged as a result, flared up the public which had already been divided into two groups: the Dreyfusards and the Anti-Dreyfusards (Méliès was one of the former). In the end, censorship was the answer--theater owners couldn't handle the disputes that the serial caused during showings. Thus, "The Dreyfus Affair" is now considered the first censored political movie.
"The Fight of Reporters" is interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, there's the chaotic, un-staged mess of action. The reporters are shown in the Lycee du Rennes, where Dreyfus's second trial is to take place, gathering information from the officials. Being on both sides of the affair, an argument breaks out and results in violence before the courtroom is cleared. The reason I say un-staged is that little planning as to onscreen action appears to have taken place (which John Frazer helpfully points out in an analysis of the serial in "Artificially Arranged Scenes"). While the courtroom is cleared there are interesting close looks at the reporters and gendarmes as they rush on towards the camera. It's certainly rare as a closeup view, and something you aren't going to catch Méliès doing in his later years.
Of course, the acting is very bad compared to the realistic acting of the earlier installments. The reporters' smiling faces as they come up close to the camera are clearly the performances of amateurs. But it's a very interesting segment even so, as in a way being a reflection of audiences' initial reactions to the serial when it was shown in France back in 1899.
"The Fight of Reporters" is interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, there's the chaotic, un-staged mess of action. The reporters are shown in the Lycee du Rennes, where Dreyfus's second trial is to take place, gathering information from the officials. Being on both sides of the affair, an argument breaks out and results in violence before the courtroom is cleared. The reason I say un-staged is that little planning as to onscreen action appears to have taken place (which John Frazer helpfully points out in an analysis of the serial in "Artificially Arranged Scenes"). While the courtroom is cleared there are interesting close looks at the reporters and gendarmes as they rush on towards the camera. It's certainly rare as a closeup view, and something you aren't going to catch Méliès doing in his later years.
Of course, the acting is very bad compared to the realistic acting of the earlier installments. The reporters' smiling faces as they come up close to the camera are clearly the performances of amateurs. But it's a very interesting segment even so, as in a way being a reflection of audiences' initial reactions to the serial when it was shown in France back in 1899.
