Georges Méliès was one heckuva filmmaker. Sure, the plots were simple. The movies were silly. But the effects were the first of their kind. Despite their flaws, I still enjoy seeing some of his old films, keeping in mind the time in which they were made.
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I remember reading somewhere that one of the greatest early breakthroughs in special effects was the result of a breakdown with a camera. Some filmmaker was outside just getting first-round his city when the camera stopped. It took a few minutes to get it working again, and he then continued filming.
After processing the film, he played it back. That was when he saw an ambulance magically transform into a hearse. Inspiration struck, and suddenly people started to use the camera to do tricks.
Shel Silverstein, author and songwriter, was born September 25, 1930. Here’s the late, great Glenn Yarbrough singing a song that Shel wrote about falling in love with a mermaid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3-NfdYyf0M
The best thing about Méliès was that very early in the history of movies, he was using the technology to create illusions that could not be created in person, on stage. I think that’s his true genius.
The shark still looks fake.
Maybe the shark looked fake, but I still add a cupful of shark repellent to the bathtub.