Load of rubbish!!

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Arguably, the first bona-fide horror film ever made. The scene where the wife goes to the cellar and finds the hanged bodies of the previous wives is genuinely chilling, and the eerie dream scene is very well done.There is really no exaggerating of Georges Méliès' importance in the history of cinema, inventor of special effects, an early expressionist before expressionism even officially existed, a wizard creator of magical worlds, a canny surrealist a full two decades before surrealism was even born, a trickster and relentless comedian that knows no bounds: more than an innovator, Méliès is a genius.

Bluebeard (1901) aka Barbe-bleue ** 1/2 (out of 4) An interesting if not totally successful film from Georges Melies. After seven wives have mysterious died, Bluebeard holds a contest to pick his eighth wife. Things are going as planned until the ghosts of the seven previous wives show up. This here is certainly a horror film from start to finish but it's a shame the film gets off to such a weak start. The ending, with the wives returning, is very well done.In early 2008 a box set with over 170 Meiles films will be released and it's certainly long overdue.

Film historians, like Richard Abel, sometimes split most of the films of Georges Méliès into two categories: the trick films, which are the shorter, generally one-scene films that are entirely about the attraction of the special effects, and the féeries, or fairy films, which are longer, narrative films, fantastic in their subjects, and with multiple tableaux. "Bluebeard" is obviously one of the féeries. Characteristic of the genre, it even has a fairy that manipulates the characters, including their dreams, and the plot of the film. Later films that are often considered fairy films (or fantasy films), such as "Le Voyage dans la lune" (1902), don't involve a fairy to such an extent. Méliès began making these longer narrative films by 1899, beginning with "Cinderella" (Cendrillon). As with "Cinderella" and about every story film of his, Méliès uses the tableaux vivant style, dissolves to transition between the single-shot scenes and studio sets for a theatrical style of narrative. Exhibitors also tended to rely upon the extra-filmic lecturer (which was common then even for non-narrative films, but they became especially useful in aiding audiences in following complex narratives such as this one). Méliès would even provide exhibitors with the narration for the lecturers--including story details that would otherwise be uncertain or unknown. In addition, as with "Cinderella", "Bluebeard" is based on a story by Charles Perrault. Other filmmakers would eventually create more cinematic story films, but at first, they would imitate Méliès's féeries, but with their own regional influences, such as in Robert W. Paul's "The Magic Sword" (1901) and Edwin S. Porter's "Jack and the Beanstalk" (1902). Pathé was also quick to imitate all things Méliès and to try to take over his market.On its own, "Bluebeard", at ten scenes, is an elaborate production for its time when compared to the short films of often only one shot that continued to coexist with the development of these story films. Méliès would even continue to make both kinds of films. Additionally, although stagy, the set designs by Méliès were the best in filmdom at the time. The film's story is also very good for a Méliès production, including two rather macabre scenes. I especially appreciate the demon, or devil, and fairy characters. They both watch over Bluebeard's wife; the demon, or devil, tempts her into danger, while the fairy protects her against harm. In the dream scene, they both control the wife's superimposed dream images above her. The fairy's control of the narrative reappears in the aforementioned "The Magic Sword" and "Jack and the Beanstalk", as well as in other Méliès films such as "Kingdom of the Fairies" (1903)--reaffirming its centrality to the fairy film.

This lavish, well-crafted version of the legend of "Bluebeard" also contains plenty of distinctive touches from the great cinema pioneer Georges Méliès. He must have enjoyed making this story, which offers a good variety of material, and to which he added his own richly detailed background sets and special camera effects.The first half of the story begins with Bluebeard about to be married for the eighth time, and while this part has none of the special effects for which Méliès is usually remembered, it's pretty good without them. The backgrounds are quite interesting, and there is a funny banquet preparation scene that combines wit and slapstick. The second half focuses on the grimmer part of the well-known legend, and in this part there are plenty of good visual effects to go with the story itself.As was often the case with his movies, especially in his earlier years, Méliès planned for a spoken narration to accompany this when it was shown. Actually, the movie is probably good enough that most of it could probably stand on its own, with the possible exception of portions of the earlier scenes. The DVD release does have the narration, which makes sure that you don't miss any of the detail in this imaginative version of the story.