Summary
The wealthy Lord Bluebeard has had seven wives - all have died in mysterious circumstances.
Despite his great age, he decides to marry an eighth time and invites many nobles to his
court to present their daughters to him. A young woman is selected and the marriage
ceremony hastily conducted. After their lavish wedding feast, Bluebeard tells his
new bride that she can enter any room in his castle except for one, which she must always
avoid. Curious, Bluebeard’s wife enters the forbidden room whilst her husband is
away and is horrified to see the corpses of his seven former wives hanging from a beam...
Review
In this early short film, Georges Méliès uses his extraordinary range of
talents to create a work of art which is both entertaining and, for its time, a huge technical
achievement. This is Méliès’ first attempt at making a film with the
narrative structure of a play and should be considered as the earliest example of the
kind of plotted film we are familiar with today. The multi-talented Méliès
had a hand in every part of his film - including conception, set design, acting, direction
and editing. The result is a work that has stood the test of time remarkably well
and is considered one of best adaptations of the Bluebeard story.
What makes this a particularly rewarding cinematic treat are Méliès imaginative
surreal embellishments - in particular the startling dream sequence in which Bluebeard’s
wife is tormented by the spirits of his former wives and an array of giant keys.
As with much of Méliès’ output, ‘masterpiece’ somehow seems to be too small
a word to describe such a great piece of work, particularly when you consider the technology
at the great man’s disposal and the fact that he was constantly pushing against the boundary
of a new art form. Méliès was ahead of his time in more ways than
one: watch out for the first example of product placement in cinema history as a giant
bottle of Mercier champagne makes a surprising appearance in one scene.
© James Travers 2003
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