Off to Bloomingdale Asylum (1901) User Reviews

Always Consider the Time

[Hitchcoc · 5/10 · 12 November 2017]

One could always consider the use of blackface as racist (it was), but I think Melies was looking for a black and white contrast, so as the clowns and the minstrels switch back and forth, it will be visually interesting. I don't suppose with things being what they were, Melies would ever consider using black actors. Of course, I don't know what the possibilities were in France. This is a bit less than some of his other films.

Silly trick film from Georges Méliès

[jamesrupert2014 · 4/10 · 6 February 2020]

A mechanical horse pulls a wagon into view that is full of men in blackface wearing garish, threadbare clothes. These men then summersault and change into white men dressed in white clown suits. The black-white-black transitions continue as the men slap and kick each other in a comedic fashion. The title refers to Bloomindale Asylum in the U.S. and the film is entitled 'Off to Bedlam' in England (and 'L'omnibus des toqués blancs et noirs' in France). The black-face characters are clearly 'minstrel' but probably more to emphasise the changing characters than to make fun of Africans. There are some 'special effects' (substitution splices) but the mechanical horse is not very impressive and the clown's capers are not particularly amusing - not one of Méliès' better 'trick' efforts.

Racist?

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 5 October 2015]

This one-minute film "L'omnibus des toqués blancs et noirs" may be considered racist because of the Blackfaces used in here, but I think these are too politically correct. Basically, this film only shows us what happens to stupid people, regardless which color. And color is a good keyword as Méliès proves here that, even without color in terms of film, it is very possibly to distinguish between all kinds of shades. This silent movie was made in the 20th century "already" by the famous French film pioneer and I would not count this among his best or worst works. Unfortunately, it's far more interesting visually than in terms of the story. As a whole, not recommended.

What's Bloomingdale Asylum got to do with anything?

[Tornado_Sam · 23 July 2018]

First of all, this short isn't racist. I would agree with the reviewer who said it was all about color contrasts. Second of all, it's hard to understand why Melies titled the film "Off to Bloomingdale Asylum". All it is is some black guys transforming into white guys and back again. OH WAIT, IT'S THE AUDIENCE WHO ENDS UP AT THE ASYLUM AFTER WATCHING IT BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY'RE HALLUCINATING! YUCK YUCK YUCK!

Okay, so that joke wasn't really very funny. Either way, one interesting thing to note is that Melies doesn't appear be playing a role anywhere in this movie, odd because he normally appears somewhere in almost all the early trick films. Is he one of the blackface minstrels? Possible but unlikely due to lack of beard. As far as the story goes, it's just silly but has an interesting slapstick ending. The effects are good throughout.

Okay...it has minstrels...I admit it!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 21 July 2011]

I love the films of Georges Méliès. He created so many great techniques and his movies were the best things being created at the time. So, while they seem a bit quaint today, back in 1901, it was pretty hot stuff--though this film isn't quite as fresh as some of his earlier films. And, while it will no doubt ruffle a few feathers today, you'll possibly be shocked at all the actors in black-face.

A bizarre looking carriage arrives on a city street. Out pop four harlequins who dance about...and then the weird stuff begins. Using stop-motion, they appear to turn from very white to black men (of the minstrel variety) just by hitting or kicking each other. This goes back and forth for a bit until the remaining guy does what anyone would in this situation...he explodes. Goofy stuff...but entertaining.

Smoking on a Rubber Cigar

[boblipton · 8/10 · 8 February 2010]

One of Melies' trick films, this one actually has a bit of surrealism and psychology behind it as it purports to show the world according to minds of some madmen being transported off to the madhouse -- it was labeled as Bedlam in Britain and the then well-known Bloomingdale Asylum when distributed in the U.S. The whole thing is played for speed and laughs, of course, as the asylum ambulance is drawn by a chimera and the patients change and vanish in the blink of an eye. But if the modern viewpoint of how we perceive the mad is vastly different from that offered in this Melies piece, surely one can not hope to expect any depth in a piece that is on the screen for perhaps twenty seconds. For its time and place is is brilliant and more than a century later it is still a dazzling piece of film-making.

Minstrel Show from Melies

[Michael_Elliott · 25 August 2011]

L'omnibus des toqués ou Blancs et Noirs (1901)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

aka Off to Bloomingdale Asylum

This French film from Georges Melies has to be one of the earliest examples of a minstrel show. Four white men get out of a carriage and when they kick each other they then turn to black men. This little "trick" happens for about a minute and then the film is over. The subject matter is certainly going to offend many people today but there's certainly no question that the overall tone wasn't meant to be harmful as this certainly isn't in the same league as something like THE WATERMELON CONTEST. The special effect of seeing the men transform from black to white and then back again really doesn't look all that great and especially when you compare it to the other types of tricks that Melies was doing at this point in his career. The edits are all obviously done but then again you might not have noticed as much had the story been a bit better.