If I had seen the movie “Trip to the Moon” the first time it came out:
I WOULD HAVE LOVED IT. Hands down.
Why?
Well first of all, I love it now, in 2014. Needless to say, the film’s technological basis is hopelessly outdated (by 112 years to be precise). 3D films exist now. And even the “old style” hand-drawn animated movies we know about are a long haul from Trip to the Moon.
Even the film’s topic is outdated. Nobody has to imagine what the moon looks like now – we have actual pictures.
And yet despite all this, and the horrible quality of the restored version – I know they did their best, but let’s face it, it’s hopelessly blurry and the color shifting is crazy distracting – I loved the film. I loved the soundtrack – I mean, can you imagine how good it must be if it fills in for all the dialogue? The fact that I was able to understand what happened, despite the fact that there were no voices, facial expression close-ups, or even (for me) relatable historical contexts, just shows how good the direction was. The way the characters would flail their arms about, and act (very convincingly) silly, was as good as any dialogue joke. And the concept of hitting the moon in the eye, and even making it bleed – that’s creativity unleashed. I know they hadn’t gone up to the moon yet back then, but who imagines the moon bleeding?
And if I liked it now, how much more would I have liked it back in 1902? Films were just coming out back then, and the camera had just been invented 10 years back. Put together cool new technology, imagining “impossible” things, and convincing comedy and direction, and you have a surefire success.
For more info and to check my dates, see here.
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