Sadly Over-hyped

Memorable, crazy movie

good back-story, and good acting

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The Greco-Turkish War, which occurred the same year Melies shot this very brief film, was a big event. Although no naval clashes occurred in reality, the combat that takes place in this short is meant to be a reconstructed newsreel of an event from the war. While it is not nearly as impressive as Melies's other two war films, "La Prise de Tournavos" and "Les Dernieres Cartouches" in terms of realism, it's still pretty interesting in its own way. A captain (Melies himself) and four sailors on board of a ship fight off the enemy when one of them is hit by a bomb.While in 1897 this is as good as films got, it is easy to see now that this is not a real live filmed event. The set for the boat is very fake-looking now, obviously being a painted piece of card-board rocking back and forth against a backdrop (courtesy of the rocking platform Melies built which he later used for "Between Calais and Dover" the same year). It does, however, have a certain artistic merit on its own level. Nothing of what happens on the boat is particularly interesting, so the cool set and movement of the ship are probably the main reasons to watch it now.

This time Melies takes us on board a ship for combat. There is a good deal of firing of cannons. The problem is that if this were a true warship, the sailors couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. The boat is never even remotely steady. Standing up is the real challenge. Still, it works OK for the entire minute we watch. Apparently, the theme of combat was in Melies' mind a good deal.

Combat naval en Grèce (1897) ** 1/2 (out of 4) aka Naval Combat in Greece The title pretty much tells you everything you need to know about this Melies film. A captain (played by Melies) and his men are on a ship when they come under attack. The entire "special effect" here is that the ship is swirling back and forth as it comes under attack. Since that's all that happens for the entire minute, it's easy to say that this wouldn't be a good play for someone new to the director to start. Even die-hard fans might not be overly entertained by this thing simply because the film is missing that magical Melies touch. Looking at the movie it's well-made but at the same time it really doesn't jump off the screen and it certainly feels as if anyone could have directed. It might be unfair to the director but I think fans back then as well as of today have come to expect a certain level and this movie doesn't quite reach it.

This is a very quaint film from Georges Méliès. Seen today, you'll probably laugh at how antiquated it looks. However, keep in mind that this film is still way ahead of the norm for the era, as back in the late 1890s, most films were amazingly mundane--such as showing trains arriving at stations and people playing cards.The film is a recreation of a scene from a naval battle off the Greek coast. The boats and backgrounds are clearly painted but what struck me was how the boat rocked. Heck, if it was in a hurricane it never would have rocked THIS fast! Obviously folks were off camera rocking the set up and down--but they did it so quickly you can't help but laugh. But, with a decent set, nice explosions and a decent style, it's still an intriguing look into the early work of this brilliant director.