National Silent Movie Day – September 29:

The Mermaid (1904)

a.k.a. La sirène
Directed by Georges Méliès.
 
Cast: Georges Méliès.

French 4-minute silent.

A magician sees a mermaid appear in what was an empty tank.
Is she real, or one of his staged illusions?

The zoom effect was achieved by simply moving the tank up to the camera.

On this day in movie history - A Trip to the Moon (1902)

A Trip to the Moon

French title: Le Voyage dans la Lune,

directed and written by Georges Méliès,

was released in France on September 1, 1902.

13-minute silent movie.

Inspired by the novels:

From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon, by Jules Verne,

and The First Men in the Moon, by H. G. Wells.

Cast:

Georges Méliès, Bleuette Bernon, François Lallement, Henri Delannoy, Jules-Eugène Legris, Victor André, Delpierre, Farjaux, Kelm, Brunnet, Ballet of the Théâtre du Châtelet, Acrobats of the Folies Bergère.