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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1071

The Temptation of Saint Anthony

Synopsis

Saint Anthony's prayers are interrupted by visions that make the objects in his cave unstable. Women appear where devotional images and a skull had stood, drawing his attention away from worship. An angel's arrival finally challenges the succession of temptations.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs
1:09
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

Inspirations

Georges Méliès transforms a familiar subject of religious art into a short display of stage-like illusions. Substitutions and multiple exposures allow temptation to emerge directly from Anthony's surroundings.

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.

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

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