Michael_Elliott

Justinian's Human Torches (1908) ** (out of 4) aka Les torches humainesThis film from French master Georges Melies isn't going to rank well against his best work but fans of his will still want to check it out. Set during what appears to be a Roman party, three men are wrapped up and placed on a stake where they are set on fire. As you can see, it's easy to see where the title comes from. This film clocks in at just four-minutes and it's pretty pointless all the way up until the ending when the men are finally set on fire. I'm not sure what the director was going for here because this certainly doesn't work as a comedy and I wouldn't call it a "trick" film either. I guess Melies just wanted to appeal to some people's dark side by showing some people set on fire. Again, this is certainly nothing special and will mainly appeal to those who must see everything available by the director.

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