{"id":127648,"date":"2026-04-14T06:00:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T10:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/curators-at-library-of-congress-discover-lost-film-by-legendary-cinema-pioneer-after-spotting-subtle-clue-127648"},"modified":"2026-04-14T06:00:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T10:00:54","slug":"curators-at-library-of-congress-discover-lost-film-by-legendary-cinema-pioneer-after-spotting-subtle-clue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/curators-at-library-of-congress-discover-lost-film-by-legendary-cinema-pioneer-after-spotting-subtle-clue-127648","title":{"rendered":"Curators at Library of Congress discover lost film by legendary cinema pioneer after spotting ‘subtle clue’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

What began as a routine day for Library of Congress librarians turned into a major find<\/a> when they discovered a lost 1897 film featuring one of cinema’s earliest robots.<\/p>\n

The film, called “Gugusse and the Automaton,” was made by legendary French filmmaker Georges M\u00e9li\u00e8s in 1897.\u00a0<\/p>\n

M\u00e9li\u00e8s was a pioneer of special effects and directed the famous 1902 film “A Trip to the Moon.”<\/p>\n

The newly discovered film shows a magician battling a mischievous automaton in a brief slapstick sequence.<\/p>\n

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER MYSTERIOUS CHRISTIAN ARTIFACT NEAR WATERS TIED TO JESUS’ MINISTRY: \u2018NO KNOWN PARALLEL\u2019<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The Library of Congress described the film as “the first appearance of what might be called a robot.”<\/p>\n

It was uncovered by librarians who had been examining a collection of deteriorating film reels. They identified the film<\/a> in September, though officials kept the discovery under wraps until late February.<\/p>\n

“It had not been seen by anyone in likely more than a century,” the release said.<\/p>\n

The curators didn’t immediately know what they were looking at, said Jason Evans Groth, a curator of the Moving Image Section at the Library of Congress<\/a> National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia.<\/p>\n

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Groth told Fox News Digital that the team noticed a “subtle clue” in a frame that made them wonder if it was a M\u00e9li\u00e8s film<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“After looking closely at the film on their inspection table, they saw a star painted on one of the props,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Knowing that M\u00e9li\u00e8s\u2019 film production company was called Star Film, and that he often used that iconography in his movies, they contacted a colleague who is a M\u00e9li\u00e8s expert with a photo of the frame,” Groth said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The colleague responded, “Congratulations! You\u2019ve discovered<\/a> a lost M\u00e9li\u00e8s!”<\/p>\n

Groth added, “They also identified the title for us \u2014 which cinema and M\u00e9li\u00e8s historians knew had existed, but which had been lost for decades.”<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The reel was sent to the Library of Congress by Bill McFarland, a Michigan man whose family had preserved the films for decades, storing them in basements, barns and garages.<\/p>\n

Groth described the film as a “copy of a copy of a copy,” indicating it had likely been widely duplicated and shared.<\/p>\n

“We don\u2019t know exactly how [McFarland’s great-grandfather] William DeLyle Frisbee got this one, or if it was one of his favorites, but having a French magic trick film to show to folks in Pennsylvania \u2014 especially one with a robot!<\/a> \u2014 must have been something to see,” he said.<\/p>\n

For those unfamiliar with M\u00e9li\u00e8s’ work, Groth said his influence spans from the earliest days of filmmaking to the 2011 Martin Scorsese film “Hugo,” in which he is portrayed as a character.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

M\u00e9li\u00e8s “made hundreds of movies, and rather than just documenting what he was seeing, he managed to weave imaginative stories into the shorts he created, conjuring atmospheres and moods that were rooted in fantasy, early science fiction<\/a> and illusion,” said Groth.<\/p>\n

“He created new worlds and mystified audiences, leaning on narrative storytelling to capture the audience\u2019s minds and imaginations rather than just showing them the world on screen.”<\/p>\n

Groth noted that a “very large percentage” of early silent films have been lost to history<\/a> \u2014 making the discovery particularly special.<\/p>\n

“Luckily, more and more presumed lost films are coming to light,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Some are buried in larger collections,” he said. “Some are, like in this case, passed down from generation to generation but are not able to easily be projected and, thus, sit fallow until they get into the right hands.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/food-drink\/curators-library-congress-discover-lost-film-legendary-cinema-pioneer-spotting-subtle-clue <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-127648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCurators at Library of Congress discover lost film by legendary cinema pioneer after spotting 'subtle clue' - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/curators-at-library-of-congress-discover-lost-film-by-legendary-cinema-pioneer-after-spotting-subtle-clue-127648\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Curators at Library of Congress discover lost film by legendary cinema pioneer after spotting 'subtle clue' - 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