The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Collection: A Trip to the Moon (1902)

What are the films that shaped the world of cinema? The article series, The Wasteland Collection, will be my curated list of films that helped shape film over the hundred plus years of this medium’s existence. Highlighting the filmmakers, actors, genres, technical advancements, and any other factor that helped the art form as a whole take steps forward in creating what we have today. 

A Trip to the Moon (1902) 

Was it that hard to drastically change cinema all the way back in 1902? Not so much when the original films were mostly just static cameras looking at human behavior or a naturally occurring event. But there were a few filmmakers who took the medium to a whole new level. With this film, that person was Georges Melies. This man was not just a regular guy behind the camera. Melies was heavily involved in front of the camera as well as behind the scenes. He was a magician and a showman. The sensibilities he brought to the world of film allowed for genres to expand and special effects to develop. 

What genre got a huge boost with the debut of A Trip to the Moon? Science fiction. Jules Verne (a fellow Frenchman along with Melies) was a leading author in the world of this genre. One of Verne’s books was the biggest influence on Melies for creating this story. Melies’ most famous film allowed audiences to see their dreams come true on the big screen. Humanity would not actually reach the moon for at least another 60 years, but Melies gave us hope we could. No, a single human being had ever seen the surface of the moon, but Melies allowed us to imagine what it could. 

Outside of just the big picture, what else did Melies do to create advancements? There are some truly remarkable leaps in special effects. Melies mastered the use of editing to create characters who can literally disappear from the screen. This seems so simple now to just edit in a series of frames with the character missing but this was revolutionary in 1902. The production scale and designs were much more elaborate than anything else anyone could have seen before on film. The mixture of matte paintings and moving set sections creates a level of depth that just wasn’t the norm at this point in terms of creating fantasy worlds. You have moon beings dressed in lizard-type costumes giving the audience a picture of what aliens could look like. There is a rocky and complex design to the surface of the moon that is eye popping and awe-inspiring. There is something truly mind-blowing to see for people who just barely saw a train moving in a film or a man riding a horse. Melies was one of the true architects of early cinema. 

Where has the influence of A Trip to the Moon found itself? Just iconography has seeped deep into pop culture. The man in the moon face has been replicated in films like Moulin Rouge (2001) and even spoofed in Futurama and The Simpsons. The film made Melies a target for imitators from Edison to Segundo. But this film really laid the groundwork for literally every film since that has explored outer space. This was the true giant leap for science fiction filmmaking. In the end, Melies and A Trip to the Moon deserve their praise and respect for being part of the forebears of modern sci-fi. 

In the end, what has allowed A Trip to the Moon to become so iconic? The level of production was just completely unmatched at the time. The movie magic that Melies was able to create was second to none. The film realistically launched an entire beloved genre of film in science fiction. That is quite the resume for a 15-minute film from 1902.