Short of the Week: The first sci-film ever made
Science-fiction as a genre has evolved in various ways throughout its existence but its manifestation through cinema has always been one of the more fascinating forms of expression. Since the evolution of cinema has often been facilitated by the development of new technology, studying the history of sci-fi filmmaking can be a great way of tracing such trajectories.
For this edition of Short of the Week, we have chosen to highlight a film from the silent era that is often considered to be the first piece of sci-fi filmmaking ever made. Titled A Trip to the Moon, this pioneering effort of art was created by the French visionary Georges Méliès, who is regarded as one of the founding fathers of cinema.
Drawing inspiration from early literary investigations in the sci-fi genre, Méliès was influenced by Jules Verne while concocting this hallucinatory vision of a group of astronomers who plan on going to the moon. An example of pure cinematic imagination, this 1902 classic is a seminal work that continues to inspire younger generations of artists.
While time transformed the satirical fantasy of A Trip to the Moon into a cold scientific reality, Méliès’ hilarious treatment of our anthropocentric excursions stands out even today. Using various techniques that would influence special effects for years to come, the French illusionist created a haunting spectacle.
Like all good sci-fi films, A Trip to the Moon delivered incisive social commentary through a vision of the future – a future where humanity had developed the means to transcend the barriers of gravity but still succumbed to old evils. The so-called civilised astronomers enslaving a native inhabitant of the moon says more than anything else in the film.
Although the limitations of A Trip to the Moon should become more apparent with time, it has resisted the weathering of entropy. The striking images – especially the bullet-shaped rocket attacking the moon – created by Méliès remain firmly embedded within the minds of film fans who continue to be mesmerised by a film that has been around for more than a century.
Watch the short film below.
