in less than 5 year and the cinema have make a gigantic jump from the short documentary of the early pioneer ( le prince and dickson and the lumière brother ) to the amazing cinemagic of french director george méliès and who become one of the first filmmaker to focus entirely in make fiction movie . ever since he watch a movie for the first time ( a a member of the lumières first audience ) and méliès be convince of the enormous potential of the new invention a a form of entertainment and a as soon a he could he start to make his own film . by 1901 and stage magician george méliès have already 5 year of make film and experiment with special effect and and his movie be well know around the world a the fine film of his time . with his many discovery in the field of special effect and méliès be able of make film that look like real magic and and his movie become more complex with time and and even more fascinating . l homme à la tête en caoutchouc ( literally and the man with the rubber head ) be another one of méliès many trick film and which be short movie that show him make an impossible magical trick . in this movie and an alchemist ( a usual and méliès himself ) be prepare a strange experiment in his laboratory . the alchemist put an odd devise on a table and and connect it to his bizarre creation represent a living copy of his own head ( méliès again ) that stand over the table without a clue about what will happen to it . use an air pump he connect to the head and the alchemist begin to blow and and the living head begin to increase it size a if it be a balloon make of rubber . the head reach a gigantic size and but the alchemist decide to release the air from it a he fear the head may explode . proud of his invention and the alchemist decide to show it to his assistant ( quite probably play by his wife jeanne dalcy and but this be not confirm ) and but the assistant may not be as careful a he be . a in many of his early short and this movie be a gimmick film and in other word and a movie devise around a special effect in order to show it like a magician would make a trick . in this case and the movie combine an excellent use of multiple exposure and edit to create the two head and and a remarkably creative use of zoom to create the illusion of a head increase it size . while a quite simple trick to our modern standard and the effect achieve be one of méliès most amazing and good do special effect and make the man with the rubber head one of the best gimmick film in the cinemagician career . however and this short be more than an excellent gimmick and a what make the man with the rubber head different from his early film ( and the similar movie of his competitor ) be the care méliès put to create a story to his trick . while in his first film he simply appear a a magician do his show and in this movie there be a set build for the scene ( instead of a simple circus stage ) and and while simple and the movie be clearly set in the middle age . this give the movie a distinct atmosphere and and already show the path that méliès be take at that stage in his career and a that very same year he would start make his now famous series of fantasy film and which would be far more complex than his gimmick film . one can say that it be with in those movie where méliès test his craft before make his masterpiece like le voyage dans la lune the following year . positive .