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A Trip to the Moon (1902)
Are you. In. For a treat. Yes, yes you are. Today's post delves into a science fiction film....before the sci-fi genre was even a thing. 124 years ago (COUNT 'EM, 124, at the time of this writing), a trailblazing French actor-magician-filmmaker by the name of Georges Méliès - that's pronounced "Zhorj MEL-ee-yay" for the uninitiated - created a masterpiece that would be talked about for generations. And as you'll see, there was darned good reason...
But! Before we go any further, there's something you must know. This blog post is a late entry in the famed, esteemed, highly regarded Classic Movie Blog Association's Fall Blogathon! Feel free to click the banner to learn more:
Many moons ago (pun completely intended), Georges embarked on a radical idea of making a film based on 2 novels by writer Jules Verne, "From the Earth to the Moon" (1865) and its sequel, "Around the Moon" (1870). So yes, this super old film was based on super-super old books. Some historians also note influences from other sources, such as a popular opera on the subject, and yet another book. But when interviewed on the subject, Georges only mentioned the 2 books. So we're going with that, because an artist ought to know their own inspiration. Just saying.
"A Trip to the Moon"s runtime? A mere 13-14 minutes (depending on your sources). But in 1902, that was a monstrous length of time for a film, and at that point it would be Georges' longest film (not to mention the most expensive). The standard films of the day were less than a minute (a ridiculous number of which were made by another pair of French film pioneers, the Lumiere brothers). And at the rate everyone's attention span is shrinking thanks to too much short form media, we may well come full circle and return to the 59-second format. Just saying.
Georges was one of those people who had to do absolutely everything in regards to his films. Not only was he behind the camera, he was also in front of it. He was writing it, directing it, figuring special effects, selecting the music to be played during screenings (because as we've mentioned before, silent movie screenings were absolutely NOT silent). He edited the film, he handles the business end...and he starred in it, as well. He truly had his own, unique style that is very evident, even today! Now, make no mistake, we'll be getting into Georges' own story in a future post, but mark my words: this guy was FAR from ordinary, as you can see!
"The greatest difficulty in realizing my own ideas forced me to sometimes play the leading role in my films ... I was a star without knowing I was one, since the term did not yet exist." ~ Georges Méliès
The actors in "A Trip to the Moon" (or, "Le Voyage dans la Lune", for the initiated) were paid substantially higher than they would be with other filmmakers, and Georges made sure they sat down for a free meal with him every day. Told ya, he wasn't ordinary! Because Georges had many connections in the theatre world, he was able to hire actors who were genuine professionals. No grabbing people who were lined up for jobs on the sidewalk outside of the studio, as they did in early Hollywood!
Georges' studio was a typical early film studio, of the greenhouse style. Didn't know they made films in literal greenhouses back in the day, did ya?? The idea was to allow for as much sunlight as possible (stage lights were not suitable for filming, so early filmmakers utilized daylight, whether on an outdoor studio or a greenhouse). The costumes for the aliens (called "Selenites" in the film)? Who else but Georges was responsible. WHO. ELSE. Among all the other things, Georges was also skilled with making prototypes with terracotta for their heads, feet and kneecaps. What can't he do, I mean...
Behind the scenes
There are an immense number of special effects used in this film - many of which were truly stunning to audiences of the time. One of them is the "substitution splice" technique, something Georges perfected and utilized often. It has since become popular with the younger generation in video making. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. This is (now) a very basic film and video "trick", which makes it seem like something disappeared. But in 1902, it was AMAZING, trust me. And in addition to film effects, Georges also used stage effects, complete with pyrotechnics and everything - which executed his hallmark style of an exaggerated, satirical, "theatre-on-screen" film perfectly.
The finished product
And when the film was finished and edited by the boss man himself? He wasn't done. Georges had several prints HAND-COLORED and available for sale, at a higher price than the black-and-white prints. FUN FACT: A studio of 200 women (YEAH GIRLS!) were the leading source of colorization for early French film, from roughly 1897 to 1912. These were the unsung heroines who put the dazzling colors (by 1902 standards) into "A Trip to the Moon"!
The film, once released, was very popular. However, because this was the "Wild West" of filmmaking, there were few laws and lots of dishonesty. Film piracy was still a new problem to be solved, and unfortunately, Georges did not receive most of the profits. No, no, instead - it was illegally copied and sold many times over, including to the Edison Manufacturing Company. Thomas Edison, doing what he did best...being a jerk. But anyway, I digress...
Georges did the best thing he could; he set up an American branch of his film company in 1903, to get the appropriate American patents and manage price negotiations directly "from the horse's mouth", so to speak. And for a time, it worked. Georges eventually had a set standardized price on his films in the American market. But ya know what they say, change is the only thing you can count on. A mere 5 years later, the Motion Picture Patents Company (headed up by - who else? Thomas Edison) imposed new price standards that made Georges' films unprofitable, and the magic of Méliès faded into obscurity.
....For a time. Because, as I just said, "Change is the only thing you can count on". And in 1930, "A Trip to the Moon" was miraculously rediscovered! Well, sort of. One print was discovered in Paris, and another in London. Neither one was complete. But it was something, and Georges, who had turned to selling candy and toys, was once again, back in the spotlight. He presented screenings of the newfound footage, and in 1931 was awarded the Legion of Honor. In 1997, long after Georges had passed away, a complete version of "A Trip to the Moon" was released, lovingly compiled from many sources by a foundation set up by the Méliès family.
So sit right down for a whopping 13 minutes and enjoy this masterpiece (below). Georges would have wanted it that way. Thomas Edison probably would have wanted you to pay him for every minute of viewing, in perpetuity. Just saying.
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