This early version of Jack and the Beanstalk may look, to the modern eye, as if it is a simple stage play, but it is hardly that. In reality it mixes grammars from three different forms of entertainment: the stage, Georges Melies' film grammar (which at this stage used a good deal of stage techniques, but also included stopping the camera to allow things to appear and disappear) and magic lantern grammar.
Notice how the story is structured so that some of the visions appear as a circle in the center of the screen. That is straight out of standard magic lantern productions, which were still enormously popular in this period. Indeed, this particular bit of magic lantern grammar survives in occasional use today. I have noticed it most recently in Jeunet's A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT, in which the main action appear over most of the screen, but thoughts of the lost love appear in the upper righthand corner.
Films were just starting to find their way at this point. It was an enormously exciting period in the movies as many techniques were tried out.
Notice how the story is structured so that some of the visions appear as a circle in the center of the screen. That is straight out of standard magic lantern productions, which were still enormously popular in this period. Indeed, this particular bit of magic lantern grammar survives in occasional use today. I have noticed it most recently in Jeunet's A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT, in which the main action appear over most of the screen, but thoughts of the lost love appear in the upper righthand corner.
Films were just starting to find their way at this point. It was an enormously exciting period in the movies as many techniques were tried out.