Film Review
Believe it or not, all those boxing themed comedies of the 1920s and '30s - such as Buster Keaton's
Battling Butler (1926)
and Harold Lloyd's
The Milky Way (1936) -
had their origins in this early short film from Georges Méliès.
Nouvelles luttes extravagantes is a non-stop slapstick tour de force
in which the director is at his funniest and most inventive, delivering
a film that is every bit as funny and likeably zany as his previous comedy
offerings
Un homme de têtes (1898) and
L'Homme orchestre (1900).
This is a brilliant send-up of a sport that was, at the time,
phenomenonally popular in France. Gratuitous knockabout 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.
Méliès not only wrote and directed the film he also takes
the lead, starring alongside his future wife, Jeanne d'Alcy. Significantly,
the former magician's stage assistant, d'Alcy 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's most entertaining and memorable films. No falls,
no submissions - just a quick dizzying round of comedy mayhem.
© James Travers 2003
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Georges Méliès film:
Barbe-bleue (1901)
Film Synopsis
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.
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.