Le Voyage Dans La Lune

A trip to the moon! 'Le Voyage Dans La Lune' (1902, Georges Melies) was first brought to my attention by the film 'Hugo' (2011, Martin Scorsese) in which there are several reference to the film that arguably started the idea of film making. It then appeared as the first film recommended in the book '1001 movies to see before you die' (Steven Jay Schneider, Ian Haydn Smith), so I went straight to Youtube to search it out. (See link below)

The thing I loved about this was the theatrical feel. It was a transition from theatre to camera. There were elaborate costumes and sets all eye catching and over the top. Further to this, several innovative techniques are used to set the scene, such as placing the camera in front of a fish tank containing live fish and placing the set and actors behind to create the illusion of being underwater. Its the traditional idea of creativity and innovation which nowadays is driven by modern technology (CGI, 3D).


There is no sound except for overlaying music which creates an upbeat feel to the film. There is also no colour due to the black and white nature of the first cameras, however this did not stop the costumes that were created from being bright and colourful, despite the fact these cameras would not pick this up.


At only 12 minutes in length, it proves that with hard work and a good idea, a lot can be fit into a small amount of time with very little technology. I think it is important to keep advancing with film technologies, however I think a lesson should be taken from this film, its not all about the technology, and therefore I think more films should go back to basics.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FrdVdKlxUk