Le manoir du diable
Le manoir du diable è un film diretto da Georges Méliès della durata di 3 minuti in bianco e nero. È spesso citato come il primo film horror, anche se le scene del film muto sono caratterizzate da numerosi elementi di pantomima, la cui funzione era quella di far divertire il pubblico piuttosto che spaventarlo.
Trama
Un enorme pipistrello vola all'interno di un castello di epoca medioevale. Una volta all'interno, prima di trasformarsi in Mefisto, il pipistrello girerà in cerchio lentamente agitando le sue mostruose ali. Dopo aver preparato un calderone, il demone incomincia a forgiare scheletri, fantasmi e streghe dalla ribollente miscela. Dopodiché un gruppo di suore con delle lenzuola in testa comincia a girare intorno, finché queste non si rannicchiano tutte quante e scompaiono senza motivo. Il cavaliere con la spada le guarda perplesso, saluta il pubblico e incontra uno strano individuo vestito di nero (il diavolo); gli mostra una croce di legno, lui si spaventa e perde lo scontro, indietreggiando.Distribuzione
Le manoir du diable fu proiettato la prima volta la vigilia di Natale del 1896 al teatro Robert Houdin, al numero 8 del boulevard des Italiens, a Parigi. Fu questo il primo film, seppur della durata di tre minuti, a dare il via alla storia del cinema horror.Questo film è anche conosciuto nel mondo anglosassone con diversi altri titoli:
- The Haunted Castle
- The Devil's Manor
- Manor of the Devil
- The Manor of the Devil
Méliès, Le manoir du diable (1896) The Haunted Castle
Le Manoir du diable or The House of the Devil, released in the United States as The Haunted Castle and in Britain as The Devil's Castle, is an 1896 French short silent film directed by Georges Méliès. The film, a brief pantomimed sketch in the style of a theatrical comic fantasy, tells the story of an encounter with the Devil and various attendant phantoms. It is intended to evoke amusement and wonder
from its audiences, rather than fear. However, because of its themes
and characters, it can technically be considered the first horror film (and, because it includes a transformation involving a bat, it has even been called the first vampire film). The film is also innovative in length - its running time of over three minutes was ambitious for its era.
Plot
The film opens with a large bat flying into a medieval castle. The bat circles the room, before suddenly changing into the Devil. Mephistopheles produces a cauldron and an assistant, who helps him conjure a woman from the cauldron.The room is cleared shortly before two cavaliers enter. The devil's assistant pokes their backs before instantaneously transporting to different areas of the room, confusing the pair and causing one to flee. The second stays and has several other tricks played on him, such as furniture being moved around and the sudden appearance of a skeleton. The cavalier is unfazed, using a sword to attack the skeleton, which then turns into a bat, then into Mephistopheles, who conjures four spectres to subdue the man. Recovering from the spectres' attack, the man is visibly dazed and is brought the woman from the cauldron, who impresses him with her beauty. Mephistopheles then turns her into a withered old crone in front of the man's eyes, then again into the four spectres.
The second cavalier returns and after a brief show of bravery, flees again, this time by leaping over the balcony's edge. After the spectres disappear, the cavalier is confronted face-to-face by the Devil before reaching for and brandishing a large crucifix, which causes the devil to vanish.
Production
The Haunted Castle was filmed outside in the garden of Méliès's property in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, with painted scenery.In Méliès's era, film actors performed anonymously and no credits were provided. However, it is known that Jehanne d'Alcy, a successful stage actress who appeared in many of Méliès's films and later became his second wife, plays the woman who comes out of the cauldron. The film historian Georges Sadoul hypothesized that the Devil in the film was played by Jules-Eugène Legris, a magician who performed at Méliès's Thêatre Robert-Houdin in Paris and who later made an appearance in Méliès's famous 1902 film A Trip to the Moon.
The film was released by Méliès's studio, commonly known as the Star Film Company, and numbered 78–80 in its catalogues. It remains unknown whether the film was either released at the end of the year 1896 or at the beginning of 1897, but it should not be confused with Le Château hanté, made by Méliès later in 1897 and also released as The Haunted Castle.
Rediscovery
The film was presumed lost until 1988, when a copy was found in the New Zealand Film Archive.The Haunted Castle
The full film
| Directed by | Georges Méliès |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Georges Méliès |
| Starring |
|
Production
company |
Star Film Company
|
Release date
|
Winter 1896–1897 |
Running time
|
60 meters (3 min) |
| Country | France |
| Language | Silent |
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