The 1001 Series has returned! As you may recall, this is a blogging series I take part in, where I examine films on the list of 1001 Movies to See Before You Die. My take on them is not to review them, but to provide a reaction to the overall tone, and perhaps comment on a greater meaning. I end each piece with an examination of just how "essential" it actually is.
So a raise of the glass to Squish for kick-starting this series back into motion...and what better way to do it than to start with film #1 on the list? Take a look beyond the jump for Georges Melies' UN VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE.
A TRIP TO THE MOON deserves a tip of the hat for endurance alone. It is truly a sign of innovation and lasting statement when an artist's work is still being studied and dissected more than a century after its creation. Melies' most famous film was first projected to the public on September 1st, 1902...making it just more than 108 years old. I'd be proud if anyone is talking about anything I created 108 months from now.
What sparked a smile for me within the film's brief 8 minute runtime, was its focus on the human imagination. Throughout human history, men like Melies looked to the heavens and could only wonder. The night sky was filled with nothing but possibilities: possibilities of vast frontiers...of unknown terrain...of little green men. And while astronauts would eventually slay the notion of 'the man in the moon', that was still an entire lifetime away.
In less time than it takes my kettle to boil, this film encapsulates man's ambition to understand the unknown. In a manner evocative of what still happens today, all it takes in the film is a person of great vision to present a wild idea, and a few more brave souls to stand up behind that person. After that great effort to push technology to the next lillypad...well, things take a turn for the silly. However that silliness is so wonderfully fanciful, that it continues to keep a modern viewer enraptured.
Of course, like other legends of the silent era Melies was able to convey all of this whimsy and philosophy without a single syllable of dialogue. As a film lover, one has to respect such a bold statement. A statement that not only can still be made a century later, but can be made across borders without any regard for being clearly understood. Perhaps filmmaking could give mathematics a run as a universal language. Or perhaps not.
(Sidebar: I have to smile at the fact that in the time it has taken me to write this, I could have re-watched the film five times).
One last thing. The 90's music geek in me couldn't resist the urge to watch this film using Smashing Pumpkins songs as a soundtrack. As some of you might know, there are allusions to this film in The Pumpkins' 1995 album "Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness". While I'm certain that it's not at all what Melies intended, the tone of the overall story is captured wonderfully when backed by three singles from this album: "Tonight, Tonight", "Thirty-Three" and "Zero" in that order.
While the runtime of the tracks outruns the runtime of the film, it all lines up rather well and evokes a wonderful mood when it comes to the ambition of the project, the awe-struck astronauts landing, and the eventual encounter and escape from the moon men. Give it a try!
But Hatter, Is it List-Worthy?... Most definitely, since it is so accessible. It's within the public domain so one can legally watch it on YouTube, and I ask you - what are you doing that you can't take 8 minutes out of your day?
Everyone even mildly serious about film should give this charming piece a look.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Back to Basics - TRIP TO THE MOON
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9 comments:
The best part about this movie is it's immediate availability on youtube (and other sites - though sometimes people get too happy with changing the music and opt for modern scores which I think usually leads to meh results)
You and me mimic a lot of the same thoughts (though you, smartly, went more into the details of the story and its implication)
I saw this one actually a couple of days ago in a filmmaking seminar, where they were discussings the origins of cinema, and effects, and I loved every second of it.
I'd been dying to see it for the longest time, and finally got around to checking it out. Loved every second of it. The work that must have gone into the art direction was really something, especially when we take in consideration that this was made when cinema was in diapers.
Some people in the seminar made comments that the lunatics in the film (those creatures that inhabit the moon) were represented in a racist way, because they look like African tribes with masks and spears and such. But whatever, I loved every second of it.
I loved how the spaceship is basically just one big bullet that they shoot out of a really big cannon.
I just whipped together my vague analysis and, after reading yours, I am in awe. Really great take on the film - the 'vast space' that people observe. You should read a book called THE ART OF WONDER/A HISTORY OF SEEING by Julian Spalding - it highlights all that is important about how people observe things - the context that we see anything is almost as important as what we see! The idea that 150 years ago music was so inaccessible - how the whistle of a flute would be an incredible experience because some would never hear it! We have access to so much now, it is difficult to imagine a world without such access.
Again, such a great read!
Simon
I agree with univarn, though in 2006 when i first saw it, I cherished the moment of going to my favourite indie rental place and getting a VHS tape of a collection of Melie's short works. He made other great films too!
And welcome back ;D
Beautiful, everything. It's better looking than most movie todays, anyway.
@ Univarn... Believe it or not, there was actually a screening of this in Toronto recently. Sorry I missed it now that I've watched this film...woulda been fun to see t on the big screen.
@ TFC... So what you're saying is that you loved every second of it?
@ Simon... Thank you sir. I think I'm rusty because this one actually took some fighting to finish. I'll definitely heck out that book though - thanks for the recommendation!
@ Squish... A fine selection to get us back into the swing - thanks for choosing it. And it's great to be back!
@ Ripley... Well said!
Yeah, every second of it! Sorry, I hate it when that happens, I repeated the phrase 'ever second of it' like fifty times on my comment!
And here I go again...but seriously I did love every second of it. ;)
Its such a great silent film. Not that many keep up really good.
What I find most interesting is really how this is the first small seed of the typical mega blockbuster lighthearted film.
Both structurally (easy to understand and moves forward very fast) and character wise (slightly exagerated and generalized characters).
@ TFC... I actually thought that was intentional, so don't spoil the mystique. Thanks for reading, dude!
@ Joel... Awesome isn't it? You get the basic structure for a modern pop film, but are able to soak it up in the time it takes to get a sandwich from the deli! Someone needs to show this film to Michael Bay.
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