Under the Seas

1907 French film

Deux Cents Mille Lieues sous les mers ou le Cauchemar du pêcheur

A scene from near the end of the film

Directed by| Georges Méliès
Based on| Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
by Jules Verne

Release date

* 1907 (1907)

Running time

| 286 meters/930 feet[1]
14 minutes
Country| France
Language| Silent
Under the Seas (1907) by Georges Méliès

Under the Seas (French: Deux Cents Mille Lieues sous les mers ou le Cauchemar du pêcheur)[2][a] is a short silent film made in 1907 by the French director Georges Méliès. The film, a parody of the 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne,[4] follows a fisherman who dreams of traveling by submarine to the bottom of the ocean, where he encounters both realistic and fanciful sea creatures, including a chorus of naiads.[4]

## Plot

[edit]

Yves,[b] a fisherman, comes home after a tiring day of fishing and soon falls asleep. The Fairy of the Ocean appears to him in his dream and directs him to a submarine. After being promoted to Lieutenant-in-Command, Yves departs on a submarine expedition.

A panorama of undersea views follow, including shipwrecks, underwater grottoes, huge shellfish, Nereids (sea nymphs), sea monsters, starfish, mermaids, and a ballet of naiads. The ballet is interrupted by Yves, whose inexperience with submarines leads him to run his craft aground on a rock. Yves leaves the wrecked submarine and chases after the departing naiads, but is attacked by huge fish and crabs. He escapes and travels past further underwater marvels, including underwater caves, anemones, corals, giant seahorses, and an octopus that attacks him. However, in vengeance for all the fish Yves has caught in his career, goddesses of the sea trap the fisherman in a net and let him fall into a gigantic hollow sponge, from which he struggles to escape.

Waking up from the dream, Yves realizes that he has fallen from his bed into his bathtub, and is entangled in his own fishing net. His neighbors and friends free him from the confusion, and he treats them all to drinks at the nearest café.[c]

## Production and release

[edit]

The actor Manuel, who had appeared in Méliès's 1906 drama A Desperate Crime and who would go on to direct some films for Méliès's studio in 1908,[7] plays Yves the fisherman;[6] the chorus of naiads are played by dancers from the Théâtre du Châtelet.[4] The ballet in the film was choreographed by Madame Stitchel, the director of the Châtelet corps de ballet; Stitchel also choreographed dances for other Méliès films, including The Chimney Sweep.[8] Méliès's design for the film includes cut-out sea animals patterned after Alphonse de Neuville's illustrations for Verne's novel.[4]

It was released by Méliès's Star Film Company and is numbered 912–924 in its catalogues,[1] where it was advertised as a grande féerie fantaisiste en 30 tableaux.[6] Like at least 4% of Méliès's entire output,[9] some prints of the film were hand-tinted frame by frame by female factory workers[10] and sold at a higher price.[5]

The film survives as an incomplete fragment; some scenes are presumed lost.[6]

## See also

[edit]

* 1907 in science fiction
* List of underwater science fiction works

## Notes

[edit]

### Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ These are the original English and French titles, respectively, as listed in the earliest available Méliès catalogues. The film is also known as Deux cent mille lieues sous les mers ou le cauchemar d'un pêcheur[1] and as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.[3]
2. ^ The fisherman's name is Yves in Méliès's French synopsis of the film.[4] For the English-language synopsis in Méliès's American catalogues, the name was spelled Ives.[5]
3. ^ Since only a fragment of the film survives,[6] this plot summary is based on the synopsis offered in Méliès's American catalogue.[5]

### References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Hammond, Paul (1974). Marvellous Méliès. London: Gordon Fraser. p. 145\. ISBN 0900406380.
2. ^ Malthête, Jacques; Mannoni, Laurent (2008). L'oeuvre de Georges Méliès. Paris: Éditions de La Martinière. p. 351\. ISBN 9782732437323.
3. ^ Young, R. G. (1997). The encyclopedia of fantastic film: Ali Baba to Zombies. New York: Applause. p. 154\. ISBN 1557832692. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
4. ^ a b c d e Hammond 1974, p. 64
5. ^ a b c Méliès, Georges (1905), Complete Catalogue of Genuine and Original "Star" Films, New York: Geo. Méliès, pp. 123–128, doi:10.7282/T3CR5TJ3, retrieved 13 February 2014
6. ^ a b c d Malthête & Mannoni 2008, p. 215
7. ^ Malthête & Mannoni 2008, p. 196
8. ^ Malthête & Mannoni 2008, p. 332
9. ^ Yumibe, Joshua (2012). Moving Color: Early Film, Mass Culture, Modernism. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. p. 73\. ISBN 9780813552965. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
10. ^ Barnwell, Jane (2004). Production design: architects of the screen. Wallflower Press. p. 106\. ISBN 1-903364-55-8.

## External links

[edit]

* Under the Seas at IMDb
* Under the Seas at the Internet Archive (full length short film)

* v
* t
* e

Georges Méliès

Actualities|

* Actualities (1896–1900)
* Reconstructed actualities (1897–1902)

Films|

| 1896|

* Playing Cards
* Conjuring
* Watering the Flowers
* The Rag-Picker
* Post No Bills
* The Rescue on the River
* A Terrible Night
* Arrival of a Train (Joinville Station)
* A Lightning Sketch
* Conjurer Making Ten Hats in Sixty Seconds
* A Serpentine Dance
* Miss de Vère (English Jig)
* The Vanishing Lady
* The Haunted Castle
* Tom Old Boot

|

1897|

* A Nightmare
* Comedian Paulus Singing
* A Funny Mahometan
* An Hallucinated Alchemist
* The Haunted Castle
* On the Roofs
* D. Devant, Conjurer
* The School for Sons-in-law
* The Last Cartridges
* The Surrender of Tournavos
* Sea Fighting in Greece
* Gugusse and the Automaton
* Between Calais and Dover
* The Laboratory of Mephistopheles
* The Barber and the Farmer
* The Bewitched Inn
* A Private Dinner
* After the Ball
* A Hypnotist at Work
* Dancing in a Harem

1898|

* A Novice at X-Rays
* Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"
* The Magician
* The Famous Box Trick
* Pygmalion and Galatea
* Adventures of William Tell
* The Astronomer's Dream
* The Cave of the Demons
* The Four Troublesome Heads
* The Temptation of Saint Anthony

1899|

* A Dinner Under Difficulties
* Robbing Cleopatra's Tomb
* The Bridegroom's Dilemma
* An Up-to-Date Conjuror
* The Devil in a Convent
* The Pillar of Fire
* The Clown and Automobile
* A Mysterious Portrait
* Christ Walking on the Water
* Summoning the Spirits
* The Dreyfus Affair
* The Human Pyramid
* Cinderella
* The Snow Man
* The Mysterious Knight

1900|

* Addition and Subtraction
* The Miracles of the Brahmin
* The Cook's Revenge
* The Misfortunes of an Explorer
* Paris Exposition, 1900
* The One-Man Band
* Joan of Arc
* The Rajah's Dream
* The Two Blind Men
* The Artist and the Mannikin
* Thanking the Audience
* The Christmas Dream
* Crying and Laughing
* Coppelia, the Animated Doll
* Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
* A Fantastical Meal
* Going to Bed Under Difficulties
* The Doctor and the Monkey
* What Is Home Without the Boarder
* China Versus Allied Powers
* The Brahmin and the Butterfly
* The Triple-Headed Lady
* Dislocation Extraordinary
* Red Riding Hood

1901|

* The Magician's Cavern
* Excelsior!
* The Sacred Fountain
* Blue Beard
* The Man with the Rubber Head

1902|

* The Eruption of Mount Pelee
* The Catastrophe of the Balloon "Le Pax"
* A Trip to the Moon
* The Shadow-Girl
* The Coronation of Edward VII
* The Treasures of Satan
* The Human Fly
* Up-to-Date Surgery
* Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
* Robinson Crusoe
* The Marvellous Wreath

1903|

* Misfortune Never Comes Alone
* The Infernal Cake Walk
* The Mysterious Box
* The Queen's Musketeers
* The Enchanted Well
* The Inn Where No Man Rests
* The Drawing Lesson
* The Mystical Flame
* The Witch's Revenge
* The Oracle of Delphi
* A Spiritualistic Photographer
* The Melomaniac
* The Monster
* The Kingdom of the Fairies
* The Infernal Cauldron
* The Apparition
* Jupiter's Thunderbolts
* Ten Ladies in One Umbrella
* Jack Jaggs and Dum Dum
* Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid
* Extraordinary Illusions
* Alcofrisbas, the Master Magician
* Jack and Jim
* The Magic Lantern
* The Ballet-Master's Dream
* The Damnation of Faust
* The Terrible Turkish Executioner
* A Moonlight Serenade

1904|

* Tit for Tat
* A Wager Between Two Magicians, or Jealous of Myself
* Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter
* The Bewitched Trunk
* The Fugitive Apparitions
* The Untamable Whiskers
* The Clockmaker's Dream
* The Imperceptible Transmutations
* A Miracle Under the Inquisition
* Faust and Marguerite
* Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
* The Wonderful Living Fan
* The Cook in Trouble
* The Mermaid
* The Providence of the Waves
* The Barber of Seville
* The Wonderful Rose-Tree
* The Impossible Voyage
* The Firefall
* The Christmas Angel

1905|

* The Living Playing Cards
* The Black Imp
* The Crystal Casket
* The Lilliputian Minuet
* A Mesmerian Experiment
* The Venetian Looking-Glass
* The Palace of the Arabian Nights
* The Tower of London
* The Enchanted Sedan Chair
* An Adventurous Automobile Trip
* The Mysterious Island
* Unexpected Fireworks
* Rip's Dream
* The Scheming Gambler's Paradise
* The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship

1906|

* A Mix-up in the Gallery
* The Chimney Sweep
* The Tramp and the Mattress Makers
* The Hilarious Posters
* A Desperate Crime
* Punch and Judy
* A Roadside Inn
* Soap Bubbles
* The Merry Frolics of Satan
* A Seaside Flirtation
* The Mysterious Retort
* The Witch
* Robert Macaire and Bertrand

1907|

* Rogues' Tricks
* Under the Seas
* How Bridget's Lover Escaped
* Tunnelling the English Channel
* The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon
* Hamlet
* Shakespeare Writing "Julius Caesar"
* Sightseeing Through Whisky
* Good Glue Sticks
* Satan in Prison
* Delirium in a Studio
* The Knight of Black Art
* The Good Luck of a "Souse"

1908|

* Humanity Through the Ages
* The Genii of Fire
* Why That Actor Was Late
* The Dream of an Opium Fiend
* Long Distance Wireless Photography
* The Prophetess of Thebes
* In the Barber Shop
* A Fake Diamond Swindler
* The New Lord of the Village
* The Miser
* Sideshow Wrestlers
* The Broken Violin
* A Love Tragedy in Spain
* Mishaps of the New York–Paris Race
* The Woes of Roller Skaters
* Love and Molasses
* The Mischances of a Photographer
* The Indian Sorcerer
* A Tricky Painter's Fate
* French Cops Learning English
* Fun With the Bridal Party
* Not Guilty
* Buncoed Stage Johnnie
* A Grandmother's Story
* The Helping Hand
* The Old Footlight Favorite
* Honeymoon in a Balloon
* The Duke's Good Joke
* Incident from Don Quixote
* The Fairy Dragonfly
* Moitié de polka
* Fortune Favors the Brave
* Hypnotist's Revenge
* Pharmaceutical Hallucinations
* The Good Shepherdess and the Evil Princess
* The Living Doll
* Seein' Things
* The Frozen Policeman
* Tribulation or the Misfortunes of a Cobbler

1909|

* The Doctor's Secret
* The Diabolic Tenant
* Whimsical Illusions
* King of the Mediums
* The Spider and the Butterfly

1911|

* Baron Munchausen's Dream
* The Diabolical Church Window

1912|

* The Conquest of the Pole
* Cinderella or the Glass Slipper
* The Knight of the Snows
* The Voyage of the Bourrichon Family

Related|

* Jehanne d'Alcy (wife)
* Gaston Méliès (brother)
* Georges Méliès in culture
* Le Grand Méliès (1952 documentary)
* Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film prologue)
* The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007 book)
* Hugo (2011 film)
* Théâtre Robert-Houdin

* Filmography
* Bibliography
* Category

* v
* t
* e

Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas

Characters|

* David Farragut
* Captain Nemo
* Nautilus

Films|

* Under the Seas (1907)
* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)
* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
* Mysterious Island (1961)
* Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969)
* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1985)
* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997)
* The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
* 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea (2007)

Television series|

* Tales of Adventure (1952)
* Captain Nemo (1975)
* The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo (1975)
* The Return of Captain Nemo (1978)
* Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990)
* Willy Fog 2 (1993)
* Space Strikers (1995)
* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997)
* The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne (2000)
* Nautilus (2024)

Other|

* The Mysterious Island
* List of adaptations
* Journey Through the Impossible (play)
* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage (attraction)
* Tokyo DisneySea attraction
* The Secret of the Nautilus (video game)
* Captain Nemo (manga)
* The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (graphic novel)
* Legend of the Cybermen (audio)
* "Captain Nemo" (song)

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