Before the turn of the 20th century, before the nickelodeon, even before the first cinemas, George Méliès began making movies. In addition to the fairy tales and fantasies for which he is best known, he made films in every genre from newsreels and commercial advertisements to science fiction and pornography. This major study of Méliès's films interprets his work using the tools of modern film analysis and explores several myths about Méliès's role in film history.