Ali Baba

Three fantasies. In film-historical circles fantasy films refer to those in which special effects are used to suggest enchanting effects, the magic arts or superior conjuring tricks. The first and greatest master of the fantasy genre was Georges Méliès, but in the early days of cinema there were other virtuoso film conjurers working to put the most amazing images onto the silver screen. Gaston Velle, Gabriel Moreau and Segundo de Chomón did not acquire the fame of Méliès, but their films are no less worthwhile. In fantasy film everything seems possible: dancers appear and disappear through mirrors, people change into animals (like the chicken who lays golden eggs) or end up in the world of 1001 nights. These three examples are from the collection of the Netherlands Film Museum in Amsterdam, that pays great attention to little jewels like this in its conservation policy and restores them to their original coloured beauty.