Open ClassicCINEMA
Back to the collection

OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1106

The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon

19079 minFrance
ComedyScience fictionFantasy

Synopsis

An astronomy professor takes his students to observe an eclipse, only to discover a sky governed by desire rather than sober science. The Sun and Moon exchange suggestive gestures, and human figures appear among the heavenly bodies. The professor's astonishment eventually sends him tumbling from his observation point.

Watch the film ↓
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs
9:12
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Georges Méliès · Public domain

Cast

DirectorsGeorges Méliès

Behind the scenes

Méliès combines stage machinery, substitutions, superimpositions and moving scenery to animate the heavens. A mannequin substitutes for the professor during the fall, extending the visual joke back into the classroom world.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 15, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

  • Georges Méliès — Georges Méliès; Publicity materials for an exhibition at La Caixa Foundation: http://press.lacaixa.es/socialprojects/exhibiton-georges-melies-magic-of-cinema-caixaforum-barcelona-eng__816-c-17952__.html · Public domain

Audience rating

Loading ratings…

Keep exploring

Collection