Gulliver’s Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants (1902)

Gulliver’s Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants Review

Gulliver’s Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants is a 1902 silent short film directed by Georges Melies. It’s a messy, but imaginative adaptation.

This adaptation opted for just the first two of the four stories in the original novel, but that is one story more than is usually the case with adaptations, so I found that refreshing. Still, the fact that the Brobdingnag section was so rushed made for a very disappointing film. Lilliput scenes are much better paced and longer, so they made for more impact while the second story came off as an afterthought.

Still, as is the case with all Melies movies, this one is also wildly enchanting in its amazing VFX for its time. The miniature models for the most part are seamlessly incorporated into the entire frame, so that you really think that he is among the dwarfs and then the giants. The feast was the best sequence as it was the most elaborate one. I found the actor playing Gulliver a bit too old for the role, but the costuming on him and all the others was excellent, and the color tinting made for one very charming and imaginative flick.

Gulliver’s Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants needed a better structure, but visually speaking, it is an undisputed success per usual for Melies.

My Rating – 3.8