The films of Georges Melies – the godfather of Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas – brilliantly restored in a new DVD, Melies the Magician, will be released by Facets Video on January 15, 2002.

The DVD includes more than a dozen magnificent Melies films, including such famous masterpieces as A Trip to the Moon and rare treasures like the almost-never-seen Bluebeard.

Melies was an early genius of the cinema – a writer, director, producer, actor, magician, set designer, inventor, distributor, and exhibitor. He dared to take cinema into the realms of science fiction, fantasy, and horror – almost single-handedly originating the concept of movies as dreams and magic. The DVD “Melies the Magician,” produced by the European television channel ARTE in collaboration with Melies’ granddaughter and the Cinematheque Melies, also includes The Magic of Melies, a film by Jacques Malthete, which explores Melies’ work through clips, reconstructions, interviews, and original research.

“Melies the Magician” will allow viewers to go from the documentary to full versions of the Melies films discussed with language tracks in English, French, and German. It will be in stores on January 15 at a suggested retail price of $29.95.