Deux cents milles sous les mers ou le cauchemar du pêcheur

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Deux cents milles sous les mers ou le cauchemar du pêcheur (English: 200,000 Leagues Under the Sea or The Fisherman's Nightmare ) is a 1907 film by Georges Melies, making it the first film adaptation of Jules Verne's adventure novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea .

action

Yves, a fisherman, comes home after a hard day of fishing and soon falls asleep. In his dream he is visited by the fairy of the ocean who leads him to a submarine. Yves is made first lieutenant and goes on a submarine trip. This is followed by a panorama with underwater views including shipwrecks, underwater grottos, giant shellfish, sea nymphs, sea monsters, starfish, mermaids and a ballet with naiads. The ballet is interrupted by Yves, whose inexperience with submarines causes his vehicle to run aground on a rock. Yves leaves the destroyed submarine and chases after the departing naiads, but is attacked by huge fish and crabs. He escapes and travels past more underwater wonders, including underwater caves, anemones, corals, giant seahorses, and an octopus attacking him. In revenge for all the fish that Yves caught in his career, goddesses of the sea trap the fisherman in a net and drop him into a huge hollow sponge, from which it is difficult to escape.

Yves wakes up from the dream to find that he has fallen from his bed into his bathtub and is caught in his own fishing net. His neighbors and friends clear the confusion and he spoils them all with drinks in the nearest café.

Production and age rating

The actor Manuel, who appeared in Méliès 'drama Histoire d'un Crime in 1906 and directed several films for Méliès' studio in 1908, plays Yves, the fisherman, the choir of the naiads is dancers from Madame Stitchel, the director of the Théâtre du Châtelet , choreographed. Stitchel has also choreographed dances for other Méliès films, including Jack le Ramoneur . Méliès' draft for the film contains cut-out marine animals that were patterned after Alphonse de Neuville's illustrations for Verne's novel.

It was published by Méliès' Star Film Company and is numbered 912-924 in its catalogs, where it was advertised as the Great Fairy Tale in 30 tableaus. Like at least 4% of Méliès' total production, some prints of the film were hand-toned, frame by frame, by female factory workers and sold at a higher price.

The film was preserved as an incomplete fragment.

Sic!

Verne's requirement for the film title was consciously increased tenfold.