Méliès, Georges

Born Dec. 8, 1861, in Paris; died there Jan. 21, 1938. French actor, director, magician and theater and film entrepreneur.

Méliès was one of the founders of French and world cinema. He invented the basic techniques of modern trick photography and produced ingenious film fantasies, including A Trip to the Moon (1902), The Voyage Across the Impossible (1904), 200,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1907), and The Conquest of the Pole (1912), and screen adaptations of actual events of his time, including Sea Battle in Greece (1897) and The Coronation of Ed-ward VII (1902). Méliès made approximately 400 films. The term “Méliès tendency”in film studies refers to a vivid film production whose principal merit lies in the cinematographer’s ability to transform reality.