Curators at Library of Congress discover lost film by legendary cinema pioneer after spotting 'subtle clue'

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Library of Congress curators identified the long-lost Georges Méliès film "Gugusse and the Automaton" after spotting a subtle clue in a deteriorating reel. (Credit: Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division) 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 of cinema's earliest robots. The film, called "Gugusse and the Automaton," was made by legendary French filmmaker Georges Méliès in 1897. Méliès was a pioneer of special effects and directed the famous 1902 film "A Trip to the Moon." The newly discovered film shows a magician battling a mischievous automaton in a brief slapstick sequence. ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER MYSTERIOUS CHRISTIAN ARTIFACT NEAR WATERS TIED TO JESUS' MINISTRY: ‘NO KNOWN PARALLEL’ The Library of Congress de