Georges Méliès, a pioneering French director, created a silent short film in 1897 that had been lost to the public for over a century. Titled “Gugusse et l’Automate” or “Gugusse and the Automaton,” this 45-second slapstick film features a magician and a Pierrot-styled robot engaging in a comical battle.
While Méliès is most famous for his 1902 film “A Trip to the Moon,” where astronomers land on the moon, “Gugusse et l’Automate” was a long-lost addition to his fantastical and science fiction works.
Recently, the film resurfaced when Bill McFarland brought a collection of reels belonging to his great-grandfather, William Delisle Frisbee, to the Library’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia. Frisbee used these reels as part of his traveling showbusiness, where he screened early “moving pictures” accompanied by music from a phonograph in towns across western Pennsylvania.
According to the library, McFarland’s copy of “Gugusse et l’Automate” is a duplicate several times removed from the original. Library technicians spent over a week scanning and stabilizing the film into a digital format, now available for viewing online in 4K resolution.
In addition to Méliès’ film, the collection also included “The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match” and parts of Thomas Edison’s “The Burning Stable.” The conservators’ process of unraveling these films can be seen on Instagram.
The rediscovery of “Gugusse et l’Automate” sheds light on the early works of Georges Méliès and adds to the legacy of one of cinema’s visionary pioneers. This find highlights the importance of preserving and showcasing these historical gems for future generations to enjoy.
