The Fantastic Films of Georges Méliès
If you discovered Méliès via Hugo and wished you could see more, get to the Paramount.
By Seattle Mag June 20, 2012
This article originally appeared in the July 2012 issue of Seattle magazine.
Anyone who saw Martin Scorsese’s recent movie, Hugo, understands the particular joys elicited by the silent films of Georges Méliès. The turn-of-the-century French artist’s work was groundbreaking in its use of special effects, as well as its surreal approach to visual storytelling. Considered to be some of the most important and influential science fiction movies ever made—whose 1900s subject matter included rocket ships and space travel, submarines and ocean exploration—Méliès’ films radiate an inventive charm, a tangible sense of wonder that can only be the result of an artist (and illusionist and toymaker) who believed he was making magic happen.
If you were one of many who discovered Méliès via Hugo and wished you could see more, you’re in luck: This month, the Paramount is screening four of his short films—including his most famous titles, A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904)—in a new lunchtime matinee series. The Méliès shorts are paired with classic silent shorts by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, and all are accompanied by local organist extraordinaire Jim Riggs, who will play live soundtracks on the Mighty Wurlitzer. Skip the mundane sandwich scramble at lunch and instead, reengage with your sense of limitless possibility.
Mondays, 7/9–7/30. Noon. $5. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St.; 206.682.1414; stgpresents.org