Top 10 Films of 1902

1. "Le Voyage dans la Lune" (Georges Méliès, France)

2. "Par le trou de serrure" (Ferdinand Zecca, France)

3. "How To Stop A Motor Car" (Percy Stow, UK)

4. "The Little Match Seller" (James Williamson, UK)

5. "L'Homme mouche" (Georges Méliès, France)

6. "Sage femme de première classe" (Alice Guy, France)

7. "Jack And The Beanstalk" (George S. Fleming, Edwin S. Porter, Edison)

8. "La Fee Printemps" (Segundo de Chomon, France)

9. "Fun In A Bakery Shop" (Edwin S. Porter, Edison)

10. "Les Chiens savants" (Alice Guy, France)

Weak shorts of 1902:

La Clownesse fantôme (France)
La Danseuse microscopique (France)
La Douche du colonel (France)
L'Equilibre impossible (France)
Foxy Grandpa And Polly In A Little Hilarity
Le Sacre d'Édouard VII (France)
Les Trésors de Satan (France)
Uncle Josh At The Moving Picture Show
Le Voyage de Gulliver à Lilliput et chez les géants (France)

Uncle Josh At The Moving Picture Show (1902) **

A country bumpkin thinks what he sees on the movie screen is real. He even jumps out of his seat to try to stop a kissing scene. Directed by Edwin S. Porter for the Edison Company.

Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902) ****

Impressive science-fiction epic about a trip to the Moon. Georges Méliès' most famous film. Length: 8 minutes.

The Little Match Seller (1902) ***

Profoundly sad tale of a match vendor dying in the cold. Adapted from a short story by Hans Christian Andersen. Directed by James Williamson.

La Fee Printemps (1902) ***

Segundo de Chomon's film debut.

Les Chiens savants (1902) ***

A sexy dog trainer.

Fun In A Bakery Shop (1902) ***

 

Comedy set in a bakery.

How To Stop A Motor Car (1902) ***

A cop tries to stop a car.

Par le trou de la serrure (1902) ***

A voyeur peeps through several key holes. One of the earliest films to use POV shots. Directed by Ferdinand Zecca and produced by Pathé.

Jack And The Beanstalk (1902) ***

The famous fairy-tale has been brought to life by George S. Fleming and Edwin S. Porter. Produced by Thomas Edison.

Les Trésors de Satan (1902) **

Satan and his treasure.

Foxy Grandpa And Polly In A Little Hilarity (1902) *

Polly and Foxy Grandpa perform a vaudeville style dance on a small stage in a ragtime rhythm. Produced by American Mutoscope & Biograph.

Le Sacre d'Édouard VII (1902) *

The crowning of Edward VII in 1902. It's not a documentary of the actual event, but a theatrical reconstruction with hired actors.

L'Homme mouche (1902) ***

This is how the film was described in its promotional material: "This is a moving picture that moves. Positively the greatest magical picture ever offered. A Hindoo magician appears and dances for the entertainment of six pretty maidens. Then, to the astonishment of all, he runs up the wall, dances and turns handsprings in mid-air, introducing many tricks that are entirely new in animated photography. The most puzzling of all (in) the mystical series". The illusion of a person walking on walls was achieved by filming from the ceiling. Directed by Georges Méliès.

L'Equilibre impossible (1902) *

Short film about acrobats (all played by the same person). Directed by Georges Méliès.

Le Voyage de Gulliver à Lilliput et chez les géants (1902) *

Very unimpressive adaptation of Swift's classic.

La Clownesse fantôme (1902) *

Vaudeville actors clowning on stage.

La Danseuse microscopique (1902) *

A magician and a tiny balerina.

La Douche du colonel (1902) *

A colonel and a bucket of paint.

Sage femme de premiere classe (1902) ***