On May 2nd, 1902, “A Trip to the Moon,” the first science fiction film released, directed by famous silent filmmaker and magician, George Méliès, made its debut in France. Méliès credits two Jules Verne’s novels From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and Around the Moon (1870) as the inspiration for Trip one of his most well known films. Cinema historians have frequently suggested H.G. Welles’ The First Men on the Moon (1901) as another likely influence. Some debate the first half of the film (up to the rocket launch) is from Verne’s tales and that the second half (the adventures on and in the moon) is from Wells’ novel. Either way, it’s an exciting film filled with wonderful costumes, amazing sets and special effects and magic abound. Like most of Méliès films, as he was one to incorporate magic into most of his 500 plus films.
In France, the film was met with failure because of the enormous budget for the time. The film was an internationally popular success when released, but was extensively pirated by other studios, especially in the United States. Its unusual length, which was the longest film at the time, expensive and lush production values, state of the art special effects, and Méliès attention to storytelling were influential on other filmmakers and narrative films in general. Even though the film disappeared into obscurity after Méliès's retirement from the film industry, it was rediscovered in 1930, when an Méliès's importance to the history of cinema was beginning to be recognized by film devotees.
There were quite a few circumstances that surrounded the film—including its unusual budget, length, and production time, that Méliès was especially anxious to release the film in the USA. At the time, rampant film piracy, George hardly collected any of the profits of the well received film. Can you imagine that? Filmmakers STILL deal with piracy today and, it was a problem way back then! Some say Méliès sold a print of the film to the Paris photographer for use in an Algiers theatre, under strict stipulation that the print only be shown in Algeria theatres. The particular photographer sold the print, and quite a few other Méliès films, to the Edison Manufacturing Company who sent them directly to Edison's laboratories to be duplicated and sold by Vitagraph Releasing. Copies of the print spread to other firms, and by 1904 The Selig Polyscope Company, and Edison were all rereleasing the films. Edison's print of the film was even offered in a hand-colored version available at a higher price, just as Méliès had done. Méliès was going uncredited for the first six months of the film's redistribution. The only American exhibitor to credit Méliès in advertisements for the film were presentations by the Electric Theater.
To combat the problem of film piracy that became obvious during the initial release of A Trip to the Moon, Méliès opened the Star Film Company in America, run by his brother Gaston, in New York in 1903. The office was designed to sell Méliès' films directly and to protect them by registering them under United States copyright.
The filming of A Trip to the Moon was special in and of itself. Not only did Méliès' use even trick he knew, he had to create many of the tricks we see in the film today. The sets were extraordinary using wood, glass and steel like never before. The wardrobe was lavish and the theatrics some of the most fantastical ever used. Filmed in black and white, way before the sound movement, Méliès' movies, especially Trip, were never meant to be completely silent and were accompanied by pre-recorded music or live orchestrations. Some screenings even had live sound effects and a narrator. A very small percentage of Méliès's releases (like his major films The Kingdom of the Fairies, The Impossible Voyage, and The Barber of Seville), some of the prints of A Trip to the Moon were hand-colored by Elisabeth Thuillier's coloring lab in Paris. Thuillier, a former colorist of glass and celluloid products, led a production studio of over two hundred people painting directly on the film stock, frame by frame, with brushes, in the colors she chose. Each worker was assigned a different color in assembly line style, with over twenty different colors often used for a single film. Thuillier's lab produced sixty hand-colored copies of a film. An original hand colored print, which Méliès film’s were notorious for, was discovered in 1993 and restored in 2011.
A Trip to the Moon was named one of the 100 greatest films of the 20th century by The Village Voice, listed at 84th. The film remains the best known of the hundreds of films made by George Méliès. The scene were the rocket lands in the Moon's eye remains one of the most iconic images in cinematic history. It is regarded as the first science fiction film, prior to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and, as one of the most influential films in history. The story and films of George Méliès was explored the in the Martin Scorsese film Hugo, released in 2011. I recommend, if you’re interested in silent filmmaking to check out any of Méliès films that still exist (as a lot of them have been lost or destroyed for many years). The ones that do remain are an amazing, historical look into the bygone days of cinema. Hugo is a perfect companion in watching the Méliès catalog. I have only begun to touch on the history of George Méliès… I suggest you delve in and enjoy the legendary ride.
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