The Laboratory of Mephistopheles
| The Laboratory of Mephistopheles | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Georges Méliès |
Production company | |
Release dates | 1897 |
Running time | |
| Country | France |
| Language | Silent |
The Laboratory of Mephistopheles (French: Le Cabinet de Méphistophélès),[2] initially released in Britain and America as Laboratory of Mephistopheles[3] and also known as The Cabinet of Mephistopheles and The Devil's Laboratory,[4] was an 1897 short silent film directed by Georges Méliès, loosely inspired by the Faust legend.[5] The film has been cited both as the first Faustian film[2] and as Méliès's first literary adaptation.[5]
In the film, Mephistopheles, the demon who appears in the Faust legend, cavorts under various disguises, and then shows his true form.[4] Mephistopheles also conjures up various magical effects.[1]
The Laboratory of Mephistopheles was released by Méliès's Star Film Company and is numbered 118–120 in its catalogues. It is currently presumed lost.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 Young, R. G. (1997), The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies, New York: Applause, p. 81, ISBN 1557832692
- 1 2 Hedges, Inez (2005), Framing Faust: Twentieth-Century Cultural Struggles, Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, p. 203
- 1 2 Malthête, Jacques; Mannoni, Laurent (2008), L'oeuvre de Georges Méliès, Paris: Éditions de La Martinière, p. 338, ISBN 978-2-7324-3732-3
- 1 2 Harty, Kevin J. (1999), The Reel Middle Ages: American, Western and Eastern European, Middle Eastern and Asian Films About Medieval Europe, Jefferson, NC: McFarland, p. 41
- 1 2 Frayling, Christopher (2005), Mad, Bad and Dangerous?: The Scientist and the Cinema, London: Reaktion, p. 49