A Trip to the Moon (1902)

A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.

Director:

Georges Méliès (uncredited)

Stars:

Georges Méliès, Victor André, Bleuette Bernon

1 win.

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Victor André	...	Astronomer (uncredited)
Bleuette Bernon	...	Lady in the Moon (uncredited)
Brunnet	...	Astronomer (uncredited)
Jehanne d'Alcy	...	Secretary / Star / Rocket Attendant (uncredited)
Henri Delannoy	...	Captain of the Rocket (uncredited)
Delpierre	...	Astronomer (uncredited)
Farjaux	...	Astronomer (uncredited)
Kelm	...	Astronomer (uncredited)
François Lallement	...	Officer of the Marines (uncredited)
Jules-Eugène Legris	...	Parade Leader (uncredited)
Georges Méliès	...	Prof. Barbenfouillis / The Moon (uncredited)

Storyline

An association of astronomers has convened to listen to the plan of Professor Barbenfouillis, their president, to fly to the moon. With the one dissenting voice quashed by Barbenfouillis and the other members, the plan is approved with Barbenfouillis choosing five others to accompany him. Most of the preparation for the trip is in building the vessel and launching mechanism, which resemble a large bullet and a large gun respectively. Hitting the moon in the eye, the six land safely at their destination. They find that much about the moon is wonderful and fantastical, but also that much is not what they would have liked to encounter as it is life threatening. They have to find a way to get out of their alien predicament to get back home safely.

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Plot Keywords:

astronomer | alien | satire | monster | asteroid | 

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Genres:

Short | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

4 October 1902 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Trip to Mars

Filming Locations:

Méliès Studios, Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF30,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Star-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

13 min 14 min 8 min 16 min 16 min (restored color)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Color (hand-colored) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film remains the best-known of the 520 films made by Méliès, and the moment in which the capsule lands in the Moon's eye remains one of the most iconic and frequently referenced images in the history of cinema.

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Goofs

When the umbrella is growing in the mushroom garden, you can see the edge of the first Selenite, off camera to the right, waiting for his cue to enter the scene. May not be visible in all versions of the film.

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Alternate Versions

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) showed a 12-minute, narrated version of this film, with a musical score. The narration was in English with a French accent, but easily understood.

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Connections

Remake of A Trip to the Moon (1898)

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Soundtracks

Parade
(2011 Version)
Written by Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin
Performed by Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin (as Air)

User Reviews

Narrative Development: Magic

"A Trip to the Moon" is justly the most popular early film. I've seen thousands of early short movies and have commented on some of the most interesting cases, but this one is more amusing and imaginative than the rest (although a rather sinister reflection of colonialism may be read into the explorers treatment of the Moon's natives). It's better than Georges Méliès's other surviving pictures because it has a more developed story--without the tableau vivant style becoming as boring as it usually does. Wacky humor and trick shots help, but that's in the rest of his oeuvre, too. Influenced by the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, as well as Adolphe Dennery's adaptation of those pieces, the story is about a gang of astronomers, who, launched from a cannon onto the Moon, encounter explosive aliens (or "Selenites", as Méliès called them).

Méliès used the stop-motion (or substitution-splice) effect and arising smoke for explosive characters in many of his films--same with superimpositions, animated miniatures and placing a fish tank in front of the camera. Additionally, his set designs were the best of the day. I easily forget it's all done within a cramped studio. He often used moving props, too, but this is one of the few that I've seen where the prop is pulled towards the camera--creating the famous rocket kissing the moon's eye gag. The following shot is a temporal replay of that action from a different perspective. It works here, but Edwin S. Porter would make the mistake of adopting the technique for "Life of an American Fireman", which was reedited later, leading many to believe it was a landmark in narrative editing. The "30 tableaux", as Méliès called it, is linked by dissolves--a common transition at the time, which he introduced.

Méliès made it known that his goal was to push cinema towards resembling theatre. The benefit was longer films with more developed stories. Given this, it's ironic that he was one of the first filmmakers to achieve effects specific to motion pictures (i.e. incapable of being produced in theatre or other art forms)... i.e. the trick shots.

Numerous early shorts are blatant imitations of Méliès's work, but they usually weren't as funny or creative. Many studios even duped his films and sold them as their own, which led to Méliès patenting his work in the U.S. and joining the Motion Pictures Patents Company (MPPC). "A Trip to the Moon" represents the height of his career. His work would soon diminish under the hectic schedule of the Nickelodeon age and the monopolization by the MPPC and Pathé, and he would end up burning his own negatives. Watch Jacques Meny's documentary "La Magie Méliès" (1997) for a good telling of his life and films.

(Note: This is one of four films that I've commented on because they're landmarks of early narrative development in film history. The others are "As Seen Through a Telescope", "The Great Train Robbery" and "Rescued by Rover".)