Another of Melies dreams of an easier life as a poor chimney sweep -- recall if you will, that this dirty and dangerous task was performed by children who could fit into cramped, sooty chimneys -- falls asleep and dreams he is clean, caparisoned in rich clothes and seated on a throne, where officers and courtiers dance for his delight. Melies' subtext is not at all subtle here, but it is no less powerful a plea for an end to child labor for that. A clear example of the fact that fantasy allows us to examine those issues which straight fiction is too harsh or nuanced for clarity.
This is one of the many previously lost or infrequently seen Melies pictures that have been made available by Serge Bromberg, David Shepherd and a myriad of other hands in the newly issued DVD set GEORGES MELIES: FIRST WIZARD OF CINEMA. Required viewing for anyone interested in the history of movies ..... and a lot of fun.