The Black Imp (1905)

Really Surprised!

Better than most people think

A lot of fun.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

"The Black Imp" of the title is man dressed from top-to-toe in a devilish black costume. He seems happy in a room with a bed, bureau, two tables and a chair. Apparently, this is a room for rent. A tenant is brought by the building's owners (or managers) as the imp disappears in the bureau. The new arrival begins to get comfortable, but the imp has other plans. Furniture begins to appear and disappear in the room. The new tenant becomes more and more frantic. Chairs appear to multiply, but he can't sit down. "The Black Imp" is happy having the room to himself, and wants to get rid of the tenant...***** Le diable noir (1905) Georges Melies ~ Georges Melies

Black Imp, The (1905) *** (out of 4)aka Le Diable noirAlso known as THE BLACK DEVIL, this here is another high point for director Melies. In the film a man checks into a hotel for some rest not knowing that he's about to be haunted by a demon living in the room. It starts off simple as the man can't seem to be able to hang his coat up but quickly turns to a chair disappearing below him and eventually the demon pops out for a quick scare. This is yet another film that Melies is best remembered for and it's funny to see how many times he actually did this story. There's no question he was a fan of checking in somewhere only to be haunted as it's a subject he'd use many times throughout his long career. The special effects with all the chairs and furniture are easy to spot but that really doesn't take away anything from the film because it's just so charming. You can't help but have a smile on your face as one item disappears after another and the man grows crazier and crazier.

Georges Méliès delighted in using mischievous black devils, or imps, to orchestrate the chaos of many of his short films. As we've already observed from his 1904 effort, 'Sorcellerie culinaire / The Cook in Trouble,' these imps were the perfect means to show off the cinematic magician's hectic but fun use of quick cuts and substitutions, usually at the expense of an unfortunate human (played by Méliès himself).In this film, a traveller seeking lodging at an inn inadvertently disgruntles a black imp who had hoped to have the bed all to himself. Using his mischievous powers, and to the traveller's utter dismay, the imp transports furniture across the room, chairs appear and disappear and, finally, the bed is inexplicably set alight. The owners of the room arrive just a moment after the imp abolishes any traces of his trickery, and the traveller is escorted out as though he is a crazy-man. Satisfied with his triumphant eviction of the man, the devious black devil settles back onto the bed and stretches out for a nap.Fast, frenetic and, most importantly, a load of fun, 'The Black Imp' is one of Georges Méliès' most entertaining shorts.

Director Georges Méliès was the greatest film maker of his day. Unlike the films of Lumiere and Edison, his films told complex stories and had a lot of very, very funny and amazing stunts--probably due to his earlier career as a magician.In this short film, a devil is shown bounding about an apartment--appearing and disappearing at will. Soon, a man enters and is soon tortured by the imp. First, furniture appears and disappears--chasing the man around his apartment. Then, when the devil appears, the man chases him and tries to hit him, but he keeps appearing and disappearing and it soon becomes obvious there is nothing he can do to stop him! This film is one stop-motion camera trick after another and is super high-paced and funny. Despite its age, it's well worth seeing.If you want to see this film online, go to Google and type in "Méliès" and then click the video button for a long list of his films that are viewable without special software.