Different trappings, same gags

Writing about White Dog, Armond White suggested that no film can be defined as simply ahead of its time, just ahead of cultural gatekeepers. It's a notion brought to mind by Melies, whose innovations in brief stints like Le thaumaturge chinois hint at the delicious potential of a medium still so fresh - like cutting, pacing, visual storytelling. It's understandable to call him a visionary, though anything made in 1904 is bound to feel somewhat light.

Feels very much like a magician's stage show, but of course that right up Melies' alley.