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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1435

The Human Fly

19022 minFrance

Synopsis

A dancer appears to escape the ordinary limits of gravity. The performance becomes an illusion in which the body's relationship to the surrounding surface is transformed by the camera's viewpoint.

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Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs: 1:48
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

DirectorsGeorges Méliès

Behind the scenes

Méliès films down toward the floor and adds substitutions and multiple exposure. The unusual vantage point helps turn a horizontal performance into an apparently impossible feat.

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 reference Wikidata — 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 16, 2026.

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