1902: Melies' Moon Wars

Le voyage dans la lune ("A Trip to the Moon" 1902)
Directed by Georges Melies
14 min.; France; Black and White; Silent

Some have described A Trip to the Moon as the first science fiction film. It is not. Like it's distant descendent, Star Wars, George Melies' effects-dominated vehicle is a tour de force of pure fantasy. Science fiction speculates about the future or attempts to explain the unknown. A Trip to the Moon doesn't attempt to explain anything; it's just harmless fun.

Melies' familiar in-camera tricks and visual effects are put to good use in A Trip to the Moon and, unlike some of his earlier films, these cinematic marvels are complimented by a complete narrative. In the movie, an intrepid astronomer convinces a group of his colleagues to accompany him in a projectile fired at the moon. They arrive (marked by the iconic shot of their ship landing in the eye of the "man in the moon" above) to find that the orb is actually a wondrous planet inhabited by Selenites ("moon dwellers"). The scientists spend the remainder of the film either running from the Selenites or killing them. Fans of gore or censorship officers need not get excited though 'cause a Selenite conveniently explodes into a puff of smoke when struck - there's no blood to worry about and no corpse to weep over.

The rampant albeit bloodless killing in A Trip to the Moon threatens to trigger a philosophical reaction in the viewer. As Squish over at The Film Vituperatem writes, "the 1902 film gives us perspective on the inherent and irrational fear that lives in our human nature." But Melies, a one-time stage magician, is interested only in entertaining his audience and therefore doesn't allow the narrative to shift its focus and embrace questions of morality. He is content with simply delivering an exciting adventure story. His characters whack away at every Selenite in sight without the slightest hesitation or remorse. Once the astronomers banish the Selenite's chief to the land of wind and ghosts, they escape from the planetoid by dropping their projectile off of a cliff and return to Earth to a hero's welcome.

The film is not a prediction of the future like Minority Report nor is it a philosophical journey like 2001: A Space Odyssey. Rather Melies' fantasty masterpiece is a thrill ride of space travel, underwater action, elaborate sets, exploding extraterrestrials, women in short pants, and a happy ending (save for the last item that list reads like a description of a modern action film, doesn't it?). I enjoyed watching this movie and recommend it to sci-fi/fantasy fans. After seeing what Melies achieved way back in 1902 it seems almost ridiculous that seventy-five years should pass before cinema would satisfy A Trip to the Moon's legacy with Star Wars.

This essay written by Thom Ryan
© 2006 Thom Ryan Some rights reserved

Comments

[Squish]

Everyone should see this, it's awesome.

[Thom]

I agree. Tell you what: you get Everyone together and I'll show the movie again. :-)

[jmac]

T. this is a very ambitious & beautiful blog concept! I cannot wait for 1903 . . .

[Thom]

Thank you, jmac. I'm taking notes (and inspiration) from the elegant Invisible Cinema blog in preparation for the advent of more experimental film in this project.

[jmac]

Thanks, T.! You know about the avant-garde blogathon next week, right? (See Girish.)

[Thom]

I do now, Jmac. Thanks for the tip!

[ps]

the Rock group Smashing Pumpkins did a music video remake based on this film

[ps]

What is truly amazing is that only 67 years- less than a typical lifetime- after this film was made- man actually would walk the moon-

[Thom]

Sixty-seven years doesn't seem like much time for the amount of technical advancements that made the real trip to the Moon possible, does it ps? At least the astronaughts weren't shot out of a cannon to make the journey!