The Vanishing Lady (1896)
by popegrutch
Once more we have an example of something that may or may not be the first surviving “horror film.” This one is cataloged as #70 in the Méliès company catalog, which would put it after “A Terrible Night” (if the movie we have access to is the right one) and before 1896’s “The Haunted Castle.” Like the others, it is short, and not very scary.
In this case we see Georges Méliès walk onto stage in his role as a performing magician. He places newspaper on the floor and a chair on top of that, demonstrating that there is no trap door beneath which opens during the trick. He then calls his assistant out and has her sit in the chair, and covers her with a sheet. Voila! She has vanished. When he tries to make her come back, a skeleton sits in her place (this is the only real horror element). He again covers the skeleton, and the lady reappears. They take a bow and exit.
This is identified as the first of Méliès’s “trick films,” in which he used the “stop trick” (seen previously in Edison’s “Mary Queen of Scots”) to perform magic on screen. This was one of his most important camera techniques, and to some degree defines the rest of his career as a filmmaker. Because it allows “supernatural” events to be portrayed, it is also undeniably important to the development of horror movies. Indeed, the mysterious appearance of skeletons due to occult forces would be a key element in the 1942 Bela Lugosi movie, “Night Monster,” although I doubt if its makers had this parallel in mind.
Alternate Title: Escamotage d’une dame chez Robert-Houdin, The Conjuring of a Lady at the House of Robert-Houdin
Director: Georges Méliès
Camera: Unknown
Starring: Georges Méliès, Jehanne d’Alcy
Run Time: 1 Min
You can watch it for free: here.
Century Film Project 
[…] (2015). ‘The Vanishing Lady (1896)’, Century Film Project, 2 October. Available at: https://centuryfilmproject.org/2015/10/02/the-vanishing-lady-1896/ [Accessed: 23 December […]
I am currently writing a short piece on this film for my blog and discovered that there is a section almost verbatim from this on a blog published 2 years later: http://goodbadcritic.blogspot.com/2017/03/review-885-vanishing-lady-1896.html
“The Vanishing Lady is commonly identified as Melies first “Trick film”. In this he used the “stop trick” (seen previously in Edison’s “Mary Queen of Scots”) to perform magic on screen. This was one of his most important camera techniques, and to some degree defines the rest of his career as a filmmaker.”
Maybe it’s another blog by yourself but just thought I’d give you a heads-up!
Thank you, and thank you also for doing the right thing and citing me as a source on your blog.
Hi! So this is going to sound strange:
1. I didn’t think of looking at the comments of my blog until today! I noticed you wrote a cpmment in December & I clicked the link.
2, Honestly, I found inspiration to do the review from Movies Silently’s review (https://moviessilently.com/2021/08/23/the-vanishing-lady-1896-a-silent-film-review/)
When I feel like reviewing a silent movie I go to his site and scroll until I find something that interests me. I read the review, watch the movie (usually Youtube) & write my review. I am careful not to plagiarize from him.
He wrote his review Aug 2021
I wrote my review Dec 2021
The plagiarism is completely coincidental! I’ve never seen your writing until now.
Though I 100% understand if you don’t believe it. I am surprised too.
I can certainly change the paragraph so it doesn’t look like I stole it verbatim & cite you as a source.
It does sound strange, but it’s not worth creating “bad blood” over a stray sentence. Leave it as is, and link to me if you feel your readers would be interested. (By the way, Fritzi at Movies Silently is a “she”).