Hôtel électrique
1908 French trick film using early stop motion.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
In 1908, the silent French comedy-fantasy trick film *Hôtel électrique* (released in Spanish as *El hotel eléctrico*) was directed by Segundo de Chomón for Pathé Frères. The short was likely inspired by the 1907 American film *The Haunted Hotel*. Its plot follows Laure and Bertrand, who check into a hotel where a control panel brings inanimate objects to life. The effects are used to polish shoes, style hair, and put away luggage, delighting the guests. However, a drunken concierge later throws switches erratically, causing the system to malfunction and send all the furniture into chaos. The film is an early example of stop motion animation, though de Chomón had already used the technique in his 1906 film *Le théâtre de Bob*, which featured animated puppets. *Hôtel électrique* also marks an early use of pixilation. The cast includes Segundo de Chomón as Bertrand and Julienne Mathieu as Laure.
- release_year
- 1908
- country
- France
- director
- Segundo de Chomón
- producer
- Pathé Frères
- genre
- Comedy-fantasy trick film
- technique
- Stop motion animation, pixilation
Lore & Background
The film follows Laure and Bertrand as they arrive at the Electric Hotel, where a control board brings inanimate objects to life. For most of the film, the effects perform tasks like polishing shoes, styling hair, and putting away luggage, to the guests' pleasure. At the end, a drunken concierge throws switches erratically, causing the system to go haywire and sending all furniture into chaos.
Reader's Guide
Hôtel électrique is significant as one of the earliest uses of stop motion animation in cinema, though it was not director Segundo de Chomón's first attempt at the technique—his 1906 film Le théâtre de Bob used animated puppets. The film also represents an early use of pixilation. Its plot appears inspired by the 1907 American short The Haunted Hotel. The film features de Chomón himself as Bertrand and Julienne Mathieu as Laure. The short demonstrates early special effects and the creative potential of animation in the silent era.
Did You Know?
- The film is also known by its Spanish title El hotel eléctrico.
- It appears to be inspired by the 1907 American short film The Haunted Hotel.
- The film uses both stop motion animation and pixilation.
- Segundo de Chomón appears in the film as the character Bertrand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hôtel électrique and who made it?
Hôtel électrique is a 1908 silent French comedy-fantasy short produced by Pathé Frères and directed by Segundo de Chomón. It is a trick film that uses early stop-motion and pixilation to animate everyday hotel objects.
What happens in the plot of Hôtel électrique?
A couple named Laure and Bertrand check into a hotel where a mysterious control panel animates inanimate items, letting them polish shoes, fix hair, and stow luggage automatically. The fun turns to mayhem when a drunk concierge starts yanking switches at random, sending all the furniture into a wild, chaotic rampage.
How does the film end?
The story wraps up with the drunken concierge's reckless switch-flipping causing the entire hotel's furniture to go out of control in a slapstick chaos sequence. There is no dramatic resolution—just the escalating physical comedy of objects attacking the guests.
What special-effects techniques does Hôtel électrique use?
The film relies on stop-motion animation and pixilation to make chairs, lamps, and other hotel furnishings appear to move and act on their own. These early effects were a hallmark of the 'trick film' genre that Chomón helped popularize at Pathé.
What inspired Hôtel électrique and why does it matter to film history?
Chomón's short was likely modeled on the 1907 American comedy The Haunted Hotel, adapting its premise of a building whose objects come alive into a French setting. It is often cited as one of the earliest examples of stop-motion being used for narrative comedy, predating the more famous works of Méliès and influencing later animated-fantasy shorts.
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