Georges Méliès makes his Cinema
Georges Méliès is born on December 8th, 1861 in Paris. His father is a riche wealthy shoe manufacturer and his mother is the daughter of the bootmaker of the Netherlands' Queen. During his studies at Louis Le Grand high school in Paris (France), he displays a gift for drawing and painting. He obtains his high school diploma in 1880 and he joins the family business.
In 1884, his father sent him to London to learn about sales techniques and practice English. He takes the opportunity to become a magician.
In 1885, He marries Eugénie Génin, a wealthy heiress, who will bear him two children.
Under the pseudonym Doctor Mélius, he occurs as illusionist with Grévin' Museum and Vivienne' Gallery.
Birth of his daughter Georgette in 1888 who will later assist him as a cinema operator and theater director. He buys the Robert-Houdin theater of magic, 8 boulevard des Italiens (Paris-France) and becomes its director.
He founds the Académie de Prestidigitation in 1891.
1895, first public performance of the Lumière brothers at the Grand Café, inventors fo the Cinematograph. Georges Méliès is invited by Antoine Lumière their father.
He takes the opportunity of this invention for the purpose of enhancing the illusions in his show in his theater Robert-Houdin. He manufactures his own filming device the Kinetograph, and record his first films in April 1896. His first film using "trick" cinematography is "Escamotage d'une dame chez Robert-Houdin" is produced the same year. Over the year, he invents the set of cinema tricks known today as "Special Effects".
In 1897, he ordered the construction of his own Studio A, the first in the world dedicated to the cinema, in the vegetable garden of his property in Montreuil-sous-Bois (suburb of Paris).
The film "A trip to the Moon" in 1902 achieves worlwide succes and is widely copied in the USA. Georges Méliès sends his brother Gaston over there to protect his interests and establish his business on the American market.
The financial crisis and the beginning of the first World War forced him to close his theater. With the help of his family, he modified one studio to a variety theater in order to present a vast number of shows as from 1915 to 1923.
But in 1923, Méliès must to sold his Montreuil property. Georges Méliès is bankrupt. Of anger and despite, he burned himself his stock of negative he stored in his studio.
With his new wife, Jehanne d'Alcy (one of his former performers), marries in 1925, he currently runs a store selling toys and candy in the concourse of Montparnasse Station in Paris.
In December 16th, 1929, Georges Méliès is honored at a Gala event held at the Pleyel hall, Paris.
Louis Lumière, himself, presents him with the Cross of the Legion of Honor, in 1931.
1932, France is experiencing a serious economic crisis, and the toy store is not making enough profits. Georges Méliès and his wife must to close the store. They are invited with his grand-daughter Madeleine to live at Orly Castle, which belongs to the Mutuelle du Cinéma.
Georges Méliès dies in Paris on January 21st 1938.