The Merry Frolics of Satan (1906)

Hey, guys! I’m back to take a look at another silent film, The Merry Frolics of Satan or by George Melies.

Whether you call it The Merry Frolics of Satan or Les Quat’Cents Farces du diable (The 400 Tricks of the Devil), this film is probably one of George Melies most famous work other than A Trip to the Moon. You may be more familiar with the film’s sequence of a magical horse carriage flying through a starry night sky.

I initially wanted to talk about this movie instead of The Haunted Castle some weeks ago. However, I found out that mythical 6-minute sequence was not the full story. Thankfully, I found the full 17-minute film (posted above) that features a fun, jazzy soundtrack done by the Sounds of Silents. I recommend you check it out!

A light-hearted adaptation of the legend of Faust, George Melies’ film is a story about an inventor named William Crackford who plans to create a high-speed train to travel around the world with his servant John. He visits world renown alchemist, Alcofrisbas, at his magical lab. With the help of seven assistants, the alchemist creates magical pills that will grant Crackford any wish he commands. Crackford signs the document without reading the full terms of the agreement, of course. Upon leaving, Alcofrisbas and his seven assistants turn out to be Mephistopheles (played by George Melies himself) and the seven deadly sins.

From this point, the story perfectly illustrates the phrase “be careful of what you wish for.” Rather than eating dinner with his wife and kids, Crackford takes out the magic pills to see what they can do. He uses them. Then, suddenly a trunk which contains two servants. Then another a trunk and two servants, and so and so forth. The servants pack up the family into the trunks, which transform into mini trains. And voila! William Crackford and John have their high-speed train travel around the world. Except, it doesn’t go far nor is it successful. It’s so bad the men’s new invention is greeted with jeers as townspeople mock them as they leave the city.

Still, the egotistical Crackford only cares about continuing his world tour. So he & his assistant John go into in a nearby Inn to eat. However, they can’t eat in peace as Mephistopheles and his demons play magical tricks on them, disappearing furniture and creating havoc in the midst.Then we get to the most famous sequence when John and Crackford try to escape with a horse carriage. Mephistopheles transform the ordinary carriage into one that is more mystical, elaborately designed paired with a skeletal horse. The devil trails the carriage while driving in his automobile close behind. He pushes the carriage down Mt. Vesuvius. The volcano erupts, shooting out the carriage which flies through the galaxy.

A storm clashes with the mythical carriage, sending the terrified travelers plummeting back down to earth and crashing through a kitchen roof (I suspect it’s the kitchen back at the Inn). The men feel relieved that the nightmare is over, thinking they can finally get to eat some darn food but nope! Mephistopheles appears in full physical form ready to complete the terms of the agreement he made with Crackford. The film ends with devil taking Crackford down below where is roasted over the fiery flames of Hell.

I thought Melies playful tale was good, comical, and entertaining. Sure, the flying carriage scene is the most memorable but I’m happy that there was more to it. It’s 17 minutes worth of good storytelling filled with thrilling, imaginative fun. The scenes of the travelers getting caught in the middle of the demon’s foolery showcase some of Melies’ best stop tricks.

Melies’s adaptation is loosely based on the play, Les Quatre Cents Coups du diable written by French dramatists, Victor De Cottons and Victor Darlay. The original play, Les Pilules du diable, is known as one of the most classic Faerie plays. The two dramatists commissioned the director to make two short film sequences: one titled, The Space Trip ( Le Voyage dans l’éspace ) which made it into the film and the other titled The Cyclone ( Le Cyclone). All the other scenes were shot six months after these sequences were made. The film was released through Melies production company, Star Film. Melies is the only known actor mentioned performing in the film. Though, I did enjoy all the other performances. The sets, specifically the kitchen scene, outer space, the Underworld scene, were my favorites because of their intricate designs. The kitchen scene actually used the machinery that was used in the original play!

Some may not like the whole “make a deal with the devil” trope but these kinds of stories grew on me over time. Humans can be evil. If not careful, we can be blinded by our selfish desires and forget what’s really important. Though this may be one of the funniest Faust tales I’ve seen on-screen, it gets the message across in all its faerie glory.