Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902) Review

La Voyage dans la Lune (1902), ‘A Trip to the Moon’ in English, is a French adventure short film directed by Georges Méliès, a precursor to modern sci-fi and fantasy films. With no dialogue, or even inter-titles, La Voyage dans la Lune manages to convey a clear story purely through visuals, with comedic elements that do not go amiss. The music does of course have a part to play and does a very good job of setting the tone right from the start.

As the title suggests, the story follows a group of astronomers led by Professor Barbenfouillis (who is isn’t named in the film but was reliably found online where all information is accurate) and their journey to get to, and survive on, the moon. The face a number of challenges to get there, including backlash from fellow astronomers, unknown and dangerous conditions, and hostile aliens (because there’s rarely any other kind, right?), named Selenites.

There were times I felt as though I were watching a stage production, as films were more like that at the time. The sets were well designed, beautiful and functional, everything moved seamlessly and the set design and scenic painting had a huge impact on the immersion. There is only one shot per scene which, as someone studying or even watching films today, sounds crazy but, by using movement from the actors and the set itself, Méliès manages to keep the audiences attention, even through longer scenes, without moving the camera or shifting the lighting set up.

In addition to the design, the editing style also plays a key role in immersing the audience. As previously mentioned, there was only one shot per scene but edits provided effects, such as transformations or (dis)appearances. The pace of the film is a leisurely one, helped along by the use of overlays and slow dissolves between scenes for the majority of the film, showing the passage of time. Towards the end however, the editor chooses to cut straight from one scene to the next as the action and pace increase.

The film explores (much like the astronomers) human curiosity and the desire to explore new worlds, a sentiment seemingly shared by humanity as a collective society although somewhat often declined by the individual.

The idea of a hostile alien threat (in film/fiction) is not one I’m unfamiliar with, as I’m sure other sci-fi fans would agree. The notion of a predator or mindless killer of humans would indeed be a worrying one, except for the fact that humans are the only threat to the top predators in our world, not to mention the threat we are to ourselves. But this a topic for another day.

The trope of a hostile alien is often, and in this case, linked to colonist ideals. The idea that the explorer is more advanced and civilised than those they discover, although those that come from these high civilisations (usually in pursuit of “knowledge”) are often those resorting to violence or malicious tactics.

In this way I find the lack of common sense demonstrated by our characters, combined with exciting action sequences, to be consistent with certain stories of today. Or certain scenes. You may know which one I’m referring to. You may not. But we all know of one.

Had the Selenites been less human in appearance (granted there wasn’t a huge amount they could do to change an actor’s appearance in 1902), I may have perceived more of a threat, or had less empathy toward them. Nonetheless, our “protagonist’s” choice of violence is one that frustrates me. There is a familiarity in his actions that saddens me and leaves me to wonder the way things could have gone, both within the story world and that of our own.

La Voyage dans la Lune is an example of what can be achieved even without our so-called advancements. Of course, we should use these advancements (especially those in safety and social awareness), to create even better things. While it does make me sad that they went to the moon but know nothing more of value about it and most likely will never go again (without more weapons), it is a well told, somewhat familiar, story with wonderful visuals, compelling action and some comedic moments. It’s a film that inspires me to think about what more I can do creatively and visually, topics you won’t be surprised to hear that are much loved and emphasised in film school.