The Enchanted Spectacles

Les lunettes féeriques (1909) or X-Ray Glasses or The Enchanted Spectacles is a French short film released in 1909.  This silent movie is directed by Émile Cohl and has both live action and animation sequences.


The story in brief:

The film starts with a room full of high society people, a lady playing the piano at one end while others having tea and chatting. A little girl enters playing with a doll and notices an elderly man, perhaps her grandpa, has fallen asleep while reading the newspaper. She mischieviously removes the elderly man’s spectacles. The man wakes up and rebukes her saying that it’s not any ordinary pair of spectacles but a special one having the power of showing the personlity and interest of the person wearing them. Hearing this everyone try them out and to their dismay they get to see their own pleasure items in the glasses. Watch the movie to see the nice animation effects conceptualized and created back in 1909.


More info on Les lunettes féeriques and it’s crew:

  • Reviews and ratings of Les lunettes féeriques – IMDb
  • Biography of the director Émile Cohl – Wikipedia

Animation Movies by Émile Cohl