1912 in Movies

Movie reviews for movies (shorts) released theatrically in 1912.

 

1. “The Conquest of the Pole,” directed by Georges Melies (8/10)

This is, by the length, the most ambitious film Melies ever made. However, it bears a huge resemblance to his most famous film, “Voyage to the Moon.” Much of the time, it feels like he is almost copying himself outright. The production values are, of course, significantly higher. The backgrounds are better, the props are better. But the film is much longer and sustains about the same amount of plot (give or take a bit). Some of the set pieces are pretty cool. I feel like it’s still way better than much of what was being made at the time, though I don’t know better.

 

2. “Knight of the Snow,” directed by Georges Melies (7/10)

This benefits by a somewhat different story and higher production values. Some other unusual (for Melies) camera effects make this worth watching.

 

3. “Cinderella,” directed by Georges Melies (6/10)

A mildly amusing interpretation of the story that lacks much of Melies’ signature moves.