US Edition
Lost Film by French Cinema Pioneer Georges Méliès Retrieved From US Attic
Library specialists restored the 45-second film frame by frame after the reel was found in a century-old family trunk.
- On April 2, 2026, the Library of Congress revealed a restored 1897 silent film by Georges Méliès, "Gugusse and the Automaton," discovered inside a family trunk that retired high school teacher Bill McFarland had kept for 20 years.
- The trunk originated from McFarland's late great-grandfather, William DeLyle Frisbee, who toured rural Pennsylvania at the turn of the 20th century with his "exhibition" of movies, magic lantern slides, and phonograph recordings.
- Unaware he was "carrying a ticking time bomb," McFarland delivered the volatile nitrate reels to the Library's conservation center in Culpeper, Virginia, where specialists restored the 45-second film reel frame-by-frame.
- Jason Evans Groth, curator of the Library's moving image section, said "These single frame cuts are really precise for a movie this old, and the gags are timeless," praising the film's technical and artistic merit.
- Piracy inadvertently preserved the short film, as Méliès reputedly destroyed hundreds of his own negatives during World War I, leaving this copy a rare window into early experimental cinema.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Curators at Library of Congress discover lost film by legendary cinema pioneer after spotting 'subtle clue' – Democratic Accent
What began as a routine day for Library of Congress librarians turned into a major find when they discovered a lost 1897 film featuring one of cinema’s earliest robots. The film, called “Gugusse and the Automaton,” was made by legendary French filmmaker Georges Méliès in 1897. Méliès was a pioneer of special effects and directed the famous 1902 film “A Trip to the Moon.” The newly discovered film shows a magician battling a mischievous automato…
Curators at Library of Congress discover lost film by legendary cinema pioneer after spotting 'subtle clue'
What began as a routine day for Library of Congress librarians turned into a major find when they discovered a lost 1897 film featuring one of cinema's earliest robots.The film, called "Gugusse and the Automaton," was made by legendary French filmmaker Georges Méliès in 1897. Méliès was a pioneer of special effects and directed the famous 1902 film "A Trip to the Moon."The newly discovered film shows a magician battling a mischievous automaton i…
Bill McFarland, a retired professor, found a 45-second lost work by the French cinema pioneer called Gugusse and the Automate (1897). After restoration, it is now available on the Library of Congress website.
A 45-second film by Georges Méliès, a French cinema pioneer, was found.
A treasure of French cinema was found by chance in the United States. Forty-five seconds of images made in 1897 by Georges Méliès, the inventor of special effects. A happy discovery for the great-granddaughter of the illusionist. - "It pleases all the cinemaphiles of the world": a film by Georges Méliès found in an attic... American (Culture, media and entertainment).
Directed in 1897, the film, which lasts only 45 seconds, had never been seen since
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