Melies discusses Magic Tricks, Magicians and Writing

Fine. Melies writes to Auguste Drioux (1884.1937), a fellow magician and founder of the quarterly magazine for magicians Revue Passez Muscade. Autograph Letter Signed, in French, on one folded 8vo sheet, Paris, June 14, 1929.He gives details about the distribution of "Passe Muscade" magazine which dedicated a special issue to Melies. He then refers to a possible contribution to the "Forum of Magicians." "I have my own idea, all worked out...I'll give them some inoffensive chronicles about...bad presentations, etc., and I will make sure not to supply them any explanation nor drawing on anything touching on the great tricks, or even those tricks that are (truncated) specific to the Robert Hoyden theater which will be exclusively reserved to 'Passed Muscade' [magazine]. This way no one will be hurt...." He explains that he has no time now for more articles because he is working on a project with another publisher to produce articles "with documents, pictures and engravings about my career in the movies and as an inventor...." He mentions toward the end of the letter that he wants to take a month of vacation and finally gives news of his daughter convalescing in a hospital. The magician, film inventor and director and occasional actor signed his long letter, "G. Melies." Six months after he wrote our letter, Melies was honored with a major retrospectives in December 1929.

Melies has long been recognized for his significant and far reaching influence on film making including the use of special effects, camera tricks and fantastical subject matter. (Inventory #: 5056)