A Trip to the Moon

If I had been present during the first screening of Georges Méliès' film A Trip to the Moon in 1902, I would definitely have been delighted and amazed by the technological innovations of his work. 1902 is only a few decades off from the invention of the camera, and even less time from the invention of the motion picture film. Although Méliès' work seems today a pedestrian, almost laughable example of early film special effects, to an audience during that time period it was the height of inventiveness and skill.

I would have been awed by the use of color in the film, having been used to seeing-- if at all-- daguerrotypes and movies in black and white. Comparatively, I would have found the colors lush and realistic, given that color film hadn't even been considered a possibility at that time. The acting I would have found delightful; never having had the privilege to watch a film with actual sound and dialogue, I would be more used to the exaggerated movements and facial expressions of the silent era. The special effects Méliès used, such as the cutting and pasting together of sequences to make it seem as though a person had disappeared and suddenly reappeared, would have seemed to me the height of movie magic. Even the fanciful depictions of life on the Moon, and of the "alien people" living there, would have been accepted by myself as, if not the absolute, then at least a likely truth.

Given the technological and scientific advancements of that era, Méliès' work was the pinnacle of filmmaking and special effects achievements. Even today, with all of our high-definition films and 1080p resolutions, it is still possible to appreciate the innovations and creativity that Méliès brought to filmmaking. His work is still somewhat timeless, and is delightful even 110 years later.

Luisa Narciso
2011-02507