A Mesmerian Experiment

(1905)

3:10 minutes

Fantasy / Musical / Silent

Le Baquet de Mesmer directed by Georges Méliès. Méliès directed 555 films between 1896 and 1914.

This magical silent film centers on a wizard and his helpers filling up several buckets of water. The wizard uses his magical powers to start a fire in the barrel which removes many dresses, which his helpers string in the background. The women put on the dresses and do a small dance. Another woman appears after the wizard throws another dress. He then makes the women disappear and places the dresses into the barrel. When he turns the barrel over, ducks fall out instead of dresses.