National Silent Movie Day – September 29:

The Mermaid (1904)
a.k.a. La sirène
Directed by Georges Méliès.
Cast: Georges Méliès.

French 4-minute silent.
A magician sees a mermaid appear in what was an empty tank.
Is she real, or one of his staged illusions?
The zoom effect was achieved by simply moving the tank up to the camera.