Flânerie, cielesność i film w music-hallu : Georges Méliès w świecie modernistycznych przyjemności miejskich

Abstract

The article deals with the notion of “broken space” in music-hall, analysed as an example of new urban space, in which, in the beginning of the 20th century, cinema is an object of regular consumption under conditions similar to these in which the practice of flânerie takes place. Trying to restore cinema to the “transient” architecture that music-hall creates, the author explores the idea of audience mobility, starting from the ways in which space is occupied and used, which emphasize the role of seeing and looking (la vision), and aimless wandering without consumption. It turns out that the films by George Méliès and those with the participation of Harry Houdini analysed from this angle, take central place in the constellation of attractions aiming at re-awakening the fear of an accident among the spectators, especially between that which is alive and the mechanical, in space, which it would appear, protects the public from the dangers of the boulevards.