Georges Melies

*****
5/5

A cornerstone of narrative cinema — and probably celluloid's first foray into science fiction — Georges Méliès's beautifully designed space adventure about an exploratory trip to the moon comprises 31 scenes — each one a tableau vivant shot front on from a stationary camera — whose most famous shot depicts a rocket landing in the Man in the Moon's eye. Drawing from the writings of Jules Verne and HG Wells, this early treasure offers much more in the way of a league of swimsuited beauties waving off the intrepid (and rather aged) members of the Astronomic Club followed by a lunar encounter with the hostile Selenites. Not to be confused with a magician's trick, it's an inspired masterwork from a true visionary of early cinema.

(1902)
FR  B/W   14 mins