Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

BallWubba Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

He_who_lurks Because many of the first films by french pioneer Georges Méliès are presumed lost, we are extremely lucky that the first film by the master survived at all. Even if their is no movie magic that he was known for I actually find this movie a lot of fun. It's enjoyable, good-natured, and energetic. This isn't just a mundane static scene about guys playing cards, it's a cheerful, fun look into a bygone era.At the beginning of Méliès's career, he had no movie magic. He still had yet to discover the film edit. So his earliest films basically were just remakes of the Lumière Brothers' movies, which basically showed people mounting horses, eating dinner, trains arriving in stations, and gentlemen playing cards. (This movie is a remake of the Lumiere Bros' "Card Party"). Only seven films made by Méliès in 1896 survive. Many of his early actualities do not, which is a shame and many of them are largely forgotten. This film has no real significance except for the fact it was the director's first. It is still an interesting watch, despite lack of special effects. On a side note, this is also one of the somewhat rare instances where almost all the actors in the film are identified. Two of the card players are Méliès himself and his brother Gaston; the girl is Méliès's daughter Georgette; the waitress is the Méliès family maidservant, Octavie Huvier. Only the third card player remains unidentified.

wes-connors Two men are playing cards while a third man is more interested in reading the newspaper. The man in the middle appears to be distracting the other two from the card game, but all are having a real good time. Apparently, alcohol is being consumed, as the middle man asks a little girl to have an older woman bring the trio a bottle. She brings the ordered alcohol and the men drink. The woman retrieves the fallen newspaper and smiles directly at the camera. In the end, the man in the middle seems to have captivated his companions attention. He should, he's Georges Melies. Presently, this is the renown filmmaker's first film.***** Une partie de cartes (1896) Georges Melies ~ George Melies, Gaston Melies, Georgette Melies

st-shot You have to start somewhere and given that this is one of the first fictional films in moving picture history still surviving it is a privilege and required viewing for both film historians and fans of The Belle Epoque. Granted it may well be what the quartet of characters do on an everyday basis but once they are given direction it's documentary status is nullified.A one minute simple scene of three men reading, playing cards and drinking with a barmaid in attendance. There's a fractured image of what looks like a well cut poodle moving through the background. Two of the three men overact, the third is shy, the barmaid displays a warm good natured smile. The moment is sublime. This is one of film pioneer George Melies earliest works and its warm open air B&W moving impressionist piece wrinkled by age remains a timeless if unremarkable document of two histories.

Michael_Elliott Playing Cards (1896) ** 1/2 (out of 4)aka Une Partie de cartes This here was the first film ever directed by Georges Melies and it runs just over a minute and the title pretty much tells you all you need to know when it comes to the story. Three men sit around playing cards and ordering drinks. The magic that Melies brought to the screen can't be spotted here as this short is pretty much like countless others of the era as it just shows you brief things being done and in this case it's card playing. The camera stays put the entire film as the action takes place in front of it. This certainly isn't classic Melies but everyone had to start somewhere.