Le Phénix (1905)
- Original title
- Le Phénix ou le coffret de cristal
- Directed by
- Georges Méliès
- Genre
- short film, fantasy film, comedy film, silent film
- Country
- France
- Runtime
- 2 min
- Rating
- 4.7 of 10 from 12 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
A magician performs a series of stage tricks with a growing die. His assistant appears and disappears from the die in surprising ways.
whimsicalplayfulinventivefast-pacedtheatricalcharmingfantasticallighthearted
What happens
The Crystal Casket (French: Le Phénix ou le Coffret de cristal), also known as The Magic Dice, is a 1905 French silent trick film by Georges Méliès. It was sold by Méliès's Star Film Company and is numbered 686–689 in its catalogues. Méliès is the magician in the film, which is based on a famous stage magic act, "Le Dé Grossissant", conceived by the illusionist Buatier de Kolta. De Kolta made a die grow before the audience's eyes, then made his wife appear out of it. The tricks in Méliès's version are carried out using a combination of stage machinery and substitution splices. A fragment of the film still exists, and has been released on home video. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
The Lilliputian Minuet (1905)
The Untamable Whiskers (1904)
The Fugitive Apparitions (1904)
The Living Playing Cards (1904)
The Four Troublesome Heads (1898)
The Imperceptible Transmutations (1904)
The Shadow Lady (1904)
Tit for Tat (1904)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.