| The Living Playing Cards | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Georges Méliès |
| Starring | Georges Méliès |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 2.6 minutes at 16fps[1] |
| Country | France |
| Language | Silent |
The Living Playing Cards (French:Les Cartes vivantes) is a 1905 French silenttrick film directed byGeorges Méliès.
A magician enters a stage set on which a large white screen has been placed. Taking a deck of playing cards, he shows one to the camera, makes it grow larger, and finally throws it upon the screen, creating a gigantic reproduction of the card. He does the same with two face cards, a queen and king, each of which comes to life and steps out of the card. The king chases the magician off the stage, before ripping off his disguise to reveal the magician himself.
The film is based on astage magic act performed at Méliès's theatre of illusions, theThéâtre Robert-Houdin in Paris. In the stage version, the magician wasGaston Velle, who would himself later become a director of Méliès-liketrick films forPathé Frères.[1] In the film version, Méliès himself plays the magician. The special effects used aresubstitution splices anddissolves.[2]
