Everything that exists today owes thanks to something that came before it, whether that's tangible or intangible. I suppose that's the nature of things. In cinema sometimes these are pretty easy to trace, while other require a bit more digging. Sometimes though, we have to go back to find the original source of inspiration. The one ember that set ablaze a creative storm that produced some of our favorite films and moments that we know and love today. Our subject today is one of those embers and one of the more important in the birth of cinema. Its one that is both familiar, yet relatively unseen that would pave roads for science fiction, fantasy, visual storytelling, and special effects.
So if you’re like me and you enjoy film and the impact and emotions they convey then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me that’s a cold glass of chocolate almond milk from Silk. So sit back, relax, and let’s talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed Cinema.
Our subject today begins in a lecture hall of sorts as a lead professor and a group of scientists. They are speaking to a group of students about their plan to fly to the moon and how they will achieve that goal. Soon thereafter they begin building a spacecraft, which looks like a large metal bullet. It is then shot into space out of a giant cannon to reach the far unknown. Once he lands on the moon with a his fellow scientists they are elated to see the foreign land they’ve dreamt about as the Earth rises above them. The film as a whole is roughly thirteen minutes long, but is a treat to those who are interested in the history of film and filmmaking.
Today I’m excited to talk about a short film with tremendous influence on cinema. Normally I don’t like talking about a film longer than the film’s duration…something we talked about with La Jetée. However, I don’t think that can be helped with our subject today as it is a short. Although, calling it a short isn’t quite fair as when it was released the length of it was standard fair. It comes from a pioneer from the dawn of filmmaking named Georges Méliès.
If you’re a fan of Sci-Fi and Fantasy and you’ve never heard that name before, then today you are in for a treat. Georges Méliès was an extraordinarily creative and skillful artist who began as a stage actor and illusionist. When he discovered filmmaking as a medium he was instantly drawn to it and started making short reels. He began pushing boundaries as early as 1896 when he used things like time lapse and stop tricks to achieve his goals. He was a visionary in so many ways and a true cinematic pioneer.
Méliès not only invented techniques and built elaborate sets and props, but unlike anybody else at that time he specialized in fantastical subject matter. He leaned into fantasy and science fiction depicting subjects like space travel, deep sea exploration, hell, and folklore. He also depicted classic tales such as Little Red Rising Hood, Rip Van Winkle, and Robinson Crusoe.
While breaking ground on experimental techniques of filmmaking though, he also did something else that was unique. He painted his film reels. When I say painted though I don’t mean he ran a paintbrush down one side of a reel to change black and white to red. I mean he hand painted each reel of a film to add vivid colors to his scenes. Now his films were usually under 25 minutes long, but still this is a lot of film to hand paint. However, the payoff was well worth it as audiences felt transported into the worlds he had created even more than if they had seen it in black and white.
The footage during production was captured on black and white film, and then Méliès hand painted over the reels to capture color.
For several decades only the black and white version survived and a color copy was somewhat of a white elephant. This groundbreaking and iconic slice of cinematic history was thought to be lost as no color reels were accounted for. That changed however when ninety-one years after its initial release a film reel was discovered, but in bad condition. The found reel was worked on in 1999 using very careful and delicate techniques. In 2010 the restoration was completed and later digitized with any severely damaged scenes using the intact black and white footage.
To watch the color version of this film is phenomenal. When I first saw it I couldn’t help but smile almost immediately. I was in awe of what I was seeing, thinking about how audiences must have felt watching this at the turn of the twentieth century. It must have been spell-binding as I imagine the colors were far more vivid than they are now.
Now this is clearly a movie steeped in Fantasy, however, I do find it interesting what the moon was imagined to be like. They foreigners encounter snow, underground caverns with giant mushrooms, and strange alien beings who inhabit a large ornate and regal kingdom.
The imagination that lies within this short film is quite extraordinary, especially considering how young the medium of filmmaking was. Afterall, the first commercially released film debuted in Paris just seven years prior to today’s subject.
The rippled that the impact of this movie created are virtually immeasurable. Méliès was so far ahead of his time that his fingerprints only consistently begin to appear almost ten years after A Trip to the Moon's release. The first movement to harken back to his work in a big way was German Expressionism and we can see Méliès' influence in so many of the products of this ground-breaking movement. From the jump cuts in Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, to the stop-motion of Nosferatu rising out of his coffin, or multiple exposure in Metropolis. We can trace Méliès' influence all the way up to modern day with directors like Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, and Georges Lucas citing Méliès as an influence on them.
A Trip to the Moon was a film which only lasts twelve minutes, but the influence its had on cinema is forever. If you've never seen this awe-inspiring and ground-breaking work of art I highly encourage you to watch it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
If you’d like to watch A Trip to the Moon you can find it on a variety of streaming services. At the time of this recording you can find it on The Criterion Channel. The Criterion Channel is a service of tremendous value for any seasoned or bourgeoning film fan. On the service you can not only see our subject today, but also a collection of other Méliès films, all in color as Méliès intended. Pricing options include $10.99 per month or $99 per year, which is what I chose to do.
You can also find it on Max. Max is a streaming service form HBO and offers movies and tv shows both from under and outside the HBO umbrella. Pricing options include $$9.99 per month with ads, $15.99 per month ad-free, and $19.99 per month ultimate ad-free.
Lastly, you can also find it on Prime Video for $1.99 to rent and at public domain movies for free.
If you like this podcast tell your friends and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Each week there will be nee content including hints about episodes before they air. If you’d like to learn more about the podcast visit our website at glazedcinema.com. There you’ll find info about the show and a place to submit ideas for future episodes. For film fans who are hearing impaired the blog page on our website features each episode in written form as well. As always, thanks for listening and I hope to see you next time with another beverage and another fine film in Glazed
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