| A Moonlight Serenade | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Georges Méliès |
| Starring | Georges Méliès |
Production company | |
Release date |
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| Country | France |
| Language | Silent |
Au clair de la Lune ou Pierrot malheureux, sold in the United States asA Moonlight Serenade, or the Miser Punished and in Britain asPierrot and the Moon, is a 1903 Frenchsilenttrick film byGeorges Méliès. It was sold by Méliès'sStar Film Company and is numbered 538–539 in its catalogues.[1]
Méliès plays the miser in his film, one of several of his in which theMoon plays a large part. As in hisThe Astronomer's Dream (1898),A Trip to the Moon (1902), andThe Dream of an Opium Fiend (1908), the Moon appears in two personifications: the clownlike face of theMan in the Moon, and the classical Moon goddessPhoebe, in that order.[2]
The character ofPierrot had previously appeared in Méliès'sDislocation Extraordinary (1901), where he was played byAndré Deed. The Pierrot inA Moonlight Serenade has the same costume and appearance as Deed's version, though the actor is unidentified. The film's special effects were created withstage machinery (including horizontally rolling scenery), an extremecloseup,substitution splices,multiple exposures, anddissolves.[2]
