Here's a Super Bowl alternative for Sunday — a live movie concert celebrating the magical work of pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès at the Balboa Theatre.
Méliès may not be a household name, but Martin Scorsese introduced many people to the French filmmaker in his 2011 film "Hugo," in which Ben Kingley portrayed Méliès.
Méliès was a magician and illusionist who, in the late 1800s, during the infancy of cinema, wanted to see what magic he could create on screen.
"At this period, you just have as tools, scissors and glue," Jean-François Alcoléa said. "So everything was in his mind, and that's incredible, just incredible."
And that inspired Alcoléa to create a tribute to the cinematic innovator with "Right in the Eye: Live Movie Concert of Georges Méliès Films." The show’s title plays off the famous image from Méliès’ "A Trip to the Moon" (1902), in which a rocket ship hits the Man in the Moon right in the eye.
"Basically it’s a live movie concert, which means silent film and live music," Alcoléa said. "You have musicians on stage who are playing more than 50 instruments. So it's a whole experience in the light design, set design. So this is a journey through magic."
Magic on screen, but also on stage, as Alcoléa and two other musicians create a unique soundscape for each of Méliès' films. They use traditional instruments such as piano and drums, as well as an aquaphone and a theremin, plus circular saws, whistles, flying plates, and takeaway food lids.
The show began in France in 2013 and gained momentum through performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
"It started to take off. Not to the moon, but not too far from the moon," Alcoléa said with a laugh.
Méliès' great-granddaughter even came to see the show.
"After the show, she directly came into my arms and she said, 'He would have loved it.'" Alcoléa said. "It was a revelation for me and I felt, 'I'm on the right path.'"
Méliès’ groundbreaking and fantastical films are as enchanting now as they were more than a century ago.
"You have everything related to magic, but also all his film related to science fiction and also his creativity in each of his films," Alcoléa said. "So that was something that impressed me."
And audiences will be impressed seeing Méliès' films on a big screen with an inventive soundscape. It is a rare and wondrous opportunity not to be missed.
