Nouvelles luttes extravagantes (1900) - film review

Two attractive young women are transformed into two male wresters who begin an extravagant wrestling match with relish.  One combatant throws his opponent into the air and, when he recovers, the second wrestler knocks the first over and pulls off his arms and legs.  Once the first wrestler has been reassembled, the two men bow and another pair of wrestlers – one fat, the other thin – take the stage.   The fat wrestler falls onto his thinner opponent, squashing him flat.   The thin wrestler springs back to life and kicks the fat man into the air, before jumping on his body, causing his arms and legs to fall off.  The fight ends amicably with the two wrestlers restored to their former selves.

This film is nothing less than ninety seconds of pure high-grade slapstick – a daring piece of surreal comedy which brilliantly satirises what was, at the time, a popular sport in France.  Gratuitous violence is taken to its extreme limits as two able bodied men literally knock the stuffing out of each other in the name of entertainment.  Georges Méliès stars in the film with his future wife, Jeanne d’Alcy, the former magician’s stage assistant who is credited as the first film star.  Thanks to its impressive special effects, energy and sheer manic sense of fun, this has to be one of Méliès’ most entertaining and memorable films.

© James Travers 2003

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