A Trip to the Moon
Directed by	Georges Méliès
Produced by	Georges Méliès
Written by	Georges Méliès Gaston Méliès
Starring	Georges Méliès Victor André Bleuette Bernon Jeanne d'Alcy Henri Delannoy
Cinematography	Michaut Lucien Tainguy
Distributed by	Gaston Méliès
Release date(s)	September 1, 1902 October 4, 1902
Running time	14 mins (at 16fps) 8 min (at 25 fps)
Language	Silent
Budget	10,000 Francs
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

A Trip to the Moon (French: Le Voyage dans la lune) is a 1902 French black and white silent science fiction film. It is loosely based on two popular novels of the time: From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne and The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells.^[1] It was written and directed by Georges Méliès, assisted by his brother Gaston. The film runs 14 minutes if projected at 16 frames per second. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Georges Méliès (December 8, 1861 – January 21, 1938), full name Maries-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. ... Gaston Méliès was the younger brother of the more-famous French film director Georges Méliès. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events March 10 - Circuit Courts decision disallows Thomas Edison from having a monopoly on motion picture technology. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Events March 10 - Circuit Courts decision disallows Thomas Edison from having a monopoly on motion picture technology. ... A black-and-white portrait. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... The projectile, as pictured in an engraving from the 1872 Illustrated Edition. ... Jules Verne. ... The First Men in the Moon is a 1901 science fiction novel by the British author H. G. Wells. ... Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 – August 13, 1946), better known as H. G. Wells, was an English writer best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man and The Island of Doctor Moreau. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Georges Méliès (December 8, 1861 – January 21, 1938), full name Maries-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. ... Gaston Méliès was the younger brother of the more-famous French film director Georges Méliès. ... Frame rate, or frame frequency, is the measurement of how quickly an imaging device can produce several consecutive images, called frames. ...

A Trip to the Moon was extremely popular in its day and is the best-known of the hundreds of fantasy films made by Méliès. It is also recognized as the first science fiction film, and utilizes innovative animation and special effects.^[2] Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of 2-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. ... Special effects (abbreviated SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to create effects that cannot be achieved by normal means, such as depicting travel to other star systems. ...

Synopsis

At a meeting of astronomers, their president proposes a trip to the Moon. After addressing some dissent (by throwing paper at a heckler), six brave astronomers agree to the plan. They build a space capsule in the shape of a bullet, and a huge cannon to shoot it into space. The astronomers embark and their capsule is fired from the cannon with the help of a bevy of beautiful women in sailors outfits. The Man in the Moon watches the capsule as it approaches, and it hits him in the eye. Apparent magnitude: up to -12. ... An image of the Man in the Moon in the film Le Voyage dans la Lune. ...

Landing safely on the Moon, the explorers get out of the capsule and watch the Earth rise in the distance. Exhausted by their journey, the astronomers unroll their blankets and sleep. As they sleep, a comet passes, the Big Dipper appears with human faces peering out of each star, old Saturn leans out of a window in his ringed planet, and Phoebe, goddess of the Moon, appears seated in a crescent-moon swing. Phoebe calls down a snowfall that wakens the explorers. The explorers then seek shelter in a cavern and discover giant mushrooms. One astronomer opens his umbrella; it promptly takes root and turns into a giant mushroom itself. Adjectives: Terrestrial, Terran, Telluric, Tellurian, Earthly Atmosphere Surface pressure: 101. ... Comet Hale-Bopp Comet McNaught as seen from Swifts Creek, Victoria, Australia on 23 January 2007 A comet is a small body in the solar system that orbits the Sun and (at least occasionally) exhibits a coma (or atmosphere) and/or a tail â€” both primarily from the effects of... Big Dipper map The seven brightest stars of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, form a well-known asterism that has been recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures from time immemorial. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... // Phoebe or Phebe may refer to: Phoebe, the third Halliwelll sister in Charmed. ...

At this point, a Selenite (an insectoid alien inhabitant of the Moon) appears, but it is easily killed by an astronomer, as the creatures explode if whacked with a stick or umbrella. More Selenites appear and it becomes increasingly difficult for the explorers to destroy them as they are surrounded. The Selenites arrest the astronomers and bring them to their leader. An astronomer picks the Chief Selenite up off its throne and dashes him to the ground, exploding him. Orders See taxonomy Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species — more than all other animal groups combined [1]. Insects may be found in nearly all environments on the planet, although only a... A 1967 Soviet Union 16 kopeks stamp. ...

The astronomers run back to their capsule (continuing to whack the pursuing Selenites on the way). Five get inside. The sixth uses a rope to tip the capsule over a ledge on the Moon and into space. A Selenite tries to seize the capsule at the last minute. Astronomer, capsule, and Selenite fall through space and land in an ocean on Earth, where they are rescued by a ship and towed ashore.

Complete version

When originally screened, the film featured a final scene depicting a celebratory parade in honor of the travelers' return. Until recently, this scene was considered lost, and does not appear on any commercially available editions. However, a complete cut of the film was discovered in a French barn in 2002. Not only is it the most complete cut of the movie, but it is also entirely hand-colored. It was restored and premiered in 2003 at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival.^[3]

Image File history File links Voyage_dans_la_lune_(1902)_still_01. ...

Style

Some historians suggest that although A Trip to the Moon was among the most technically innovative films up until that time, it still displays a primitive understanding of narrative film technique. American Ken Dancyger writes that the film is "no more than a series of amusing shots, each a scene unto itself. The shots tell a story, but not in the manner to which we are accustomed. It was not until the work of American Edwin S. Porter that editing became more purposeful."^[4] However, it has been said that Porter was inspired partially "by the length and quality of Méliès's work."^[4] Although most of the editing in A Trip to the Moon is purely functional, there is one unusual choice: when the astronomers land onto the lunar surface, the "same event is shown twice, and very differently": the first time it is shown crashing into the eye of the man in the moon; the second time it is shown landing on the moon's flat terrain.^[5] The concept of showing an action twice in different ways was experimented with again by Porter in his film, Life of an American Fireman, released roughly a year after A Trip to the Moon. Edwin Stanton Porter (April 21, 1870 - April 30, 1941) was an influential early film pioneer. ... Film editing is the connecting of one or more shots to form a sequence, and the subsequent connecting of sequences to form an entire movie. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

Distribution

Méliès had intended to release the film in the United States to profit from it; however, Thomas Edison's film technicians secretly made copies of it and distributed it throughout the country, thus putting money into Edison's pocket. Méliès never profited from it and eventually went broke.^[1] Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life around the world. ...

References in popular culture

The iconic image of the Moon's face

The film has been referenced many times in popular culture. Two music videos are based entirely on and filmed similarly to Le Voyage dans la Lune: Queen's 1995 music video for "Heaven for Everyone", and the award-winning video for the Smashing Pumpkins 1996 hit "Tonight, Tonight"; additionally, Aqua's music video for their song "Lollipop (Candyman)" draws from it. The well-known image of "the man in the moon" from this film, with the rocket having crashed into his eye, was shown in the background in the film The Adventures of Pluto Nash, and appears in parody in the Futurama episode "The Series Has Landed (S01E02)" with Luna Park's mascot "crater face." Image of the 1902 film A Voyage to the moon (public domain) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Image of the 1902 film A Voyage to the moon (public domain) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Queen are a seminal English rock band, formed in 1970 in London by Brian May, Freddie Mercury, and Roger Taylor, with John Deacon joining the following year. ... See also: 1994 in music, other events of 1995, 1996 in music, 1990s in music and the list of years in music // January 18 - Jerry Garcia wrecks his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California. ... Heaven for Everyone is a song written by Roger Taylor, it appeared originally in his band The Cross in the album Shove It, with Freddie Mercury as a guest vocalist, and its the albums 4th track. ... The Smashing Pumpkins (circa 1995) left to right: James Iha, DArcy, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin. ... See also: 1995 in music, other events of 1996, 1997 in music, 1990s in music and the list of years in music // January 8 - Madonnas stalker, Robert Hoskins is found guilty and convicted on five charges of assault, stalking, and threatening to kill the singer. ... Tonight, Tonight is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins. ... Aqua was a Danish dance/pop group, best-known for their 1997 breakthrough single Barbie Girl. The group formed in 1994, and achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... Lollipop (Candyman) was the fifth single to be released by the Scandinavian pop-dance group Aqua overall, and in many countries the follow-up to their most successful song Barbie Girl. Included on their debut album Aquarium, Lollipop is said to be one of the groups favourite songs, although it... The Adventures of Pluto Nash is a 2002 comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Eddie Murphy as the owner of a lunar nightclub investigating who was behind the arson that destroyed his club. ... Futurama is an Emmy Award-winning American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) and David X. Cohen for the Fox Network. ... The Series Has Landed is the 2nd episode in series 1 of Futurama. ...

It has been featured in a 1987 episode of Reading Rainbow. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Reading Rainbow logo used between 1999 and 2005. ...

The making of A Trip to the Moon is recreated in the final episode of From the Earth to the Moon, a TV docudrama series about the Apollo programme. Georges Méliès is played by Tchéky Karyo. From the Earth to the Moon is a twelve-part HBO television miniseries (1998) co-produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Tom Hanks, and Michael Bostick detailing the landmark Apollo expeditions to the Moon during the 1960s and early 1970s. ... It has been suggested that Drama Documentary be merged into this article or section. ... Apollo Program insignia Apollo CSM in lunar orbit. ... Tchéky Karyo as Dmitri Mishkin in the James Bond film Goldeneye. ...

It is listed as one of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die is a film reference book compiled by various critics worldwide and edited by Steven Jay Schneider. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Dirks, Tim. A Trip to The Moon. FilmSite.org. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
2. ^ Dirks, Tim. Film History Before 1920. FilmSite.org. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
3. ^ Trivia for Voyage dans la lune, Le. IMDB. Amazon. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
4. ^ ^{a b} Dancyger, Ken. The Technique of Film and Video Editing: History, Theory, and Practice. New York: Focal Press, 2002.
5. ^ Sklar, Robert. Film: An International History of the Medium. [London]: Thames and Hudson, [c. 1990].

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Cinema of France
• List of French language films
• Early Development of Cinema

The art of motion-picture making within the nation of France or by French filmmakers abroad is collectively known as French cinema. ... There are two lists of French language films: Organized alphabetically by French title Organized alphabetically by title of English release // 2 ou 3 choses que je sais delle (Two or Three Things I Know About Her) 5x2 Ah! Si jétais riche (If I Were a Rich Man) Les... Film or cinema is one of the most rapidly moving artistic or communications media ever devised, as befits perhaps the first great mass medium of the modern era. ...

External links

• Le Voyage dans la lune at the Internet Movie Database
• Download — Le Voyage dans la Lune (English narration) from the Internet Archive
• Download — Le Voyage dans la Lune (french narration) from the Internet Archive
• A Trip to the Moon — YouTube Streaming Video

Cinema of France

Actors • Directors • Films A-Z • Film chronology • Cinematographers • Editors • Producers • Score composers • Screenwriters • The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about motion pictures, actors, movie stars, TV shows, TV stars, production crew personnel, movie pictures, cast, crew as well as video games. ... The logo of Internet Archive Internet Archive headquarters The Internet Archive (IA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line library and archive of Web and multimedia resources. ... The logo of Internet Archive Internet Archive headquarters The Internet Archive (IA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line library and archive of Web and multimedia resources. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The art of motion-picture making within the nation of France or by French filmmakers abroad is collectively known as French cinema. ... Cinema of France This is an A-Z list of films produced in France mostly in the French language in alphabetical order. ...