BETWEEN DEBTS AND DREAMS: AN UNPUBLISHED LETTER BY GEORGES MÉLIÈS

Abstract

Georges Méliès revolutionized cinema with his technical and narrative innovations, being the best-known cinematic pioneer of the first generation of filmmakers who explored visual narration. In 1923, plagued by debt, he abandoned cinema, and many of his works were destroyed or lost. Despite gaining some recognition before his death in 1938, he never made films again. A recently discovered, unpublished letter in his own handwriting contains information that suggests Méliès planned to reopen one of his studios in 1935, revealing a previously little-known facet of his life, and his intentions to return to the world of cinema. This discovery provides a new perspective on the last years of Méliès' life and his legacy.