This exhaustive collection includes nearly all the surviving films of French     inventor, machinist, stage designer, and illusionist Georges Melies, who in      1896, became a motion picture pioneer, laying the groundwork for the modern      fantasy genre. Quickly moving beyond street actualities, Melies started        experimenting with trick photography and in-camera effects, giving his films a magical quality. Fantasy shorts like A Trip to the Moon wowed audiences  for years, but changing tastes led to his financial ruin in the teens.           First Wizard of Cinema, comprising 173 rare and rediscovered Melies      films from archival and private holdings in eight countries, starts with one   of his first movies, Partie de Cartes (1896), and concludes with his     last, Voyage de la Famille Bourrichon (1913). Also contained are his       most famous works, including The Impossible Voyage, The Kingdom of Fairies, The Merry Frolics of Satan, The Palace of the Arabian Nights, The Conquest of  the Pole, and yes, A Trip to the Moon. Silent with new musical        Georges Melies---France---1896-1913---782 mins.