Segundo de Chomon continued his assault on the magic films of Melies, and with this one he manages to strip the magic out of it. Don't mistake me: it's a fine little film, clearly modeled on Melies' transformation movies -- here with a kitchen theme -- but instead of the now old-fashioned air of mystery and deviltry with its superhuman acrobats and sleight of hand -- with the magician often being Old Nick himself -- by the end of the movie all of these are reduced to a hyperkinetic dance of cooks, utensils and an enormous samovar.
This stripping of mystery from Melies' images was an important stage in th evolution of film grammar, as images lost their old context and could be inserted into novel ones. De Chomon experimented with his own grammar until about 1912, but it was, finally, a dead end. Still, the result here is visually exciting and weird.
This stripping of mystery from Melies' images was an important stage in th evolution of film grammar, as images lost their old context and could be inserted into novel ones. De Chomon experimented with his own grammar until about 1912, but it was, finally, a dead end. Still, the result here is visually exciting and weird.
