A Trip to the Moon

"The first science fiction film!"

1902 0h 15m FR

🙌

7.9

BANGER

★7.9TMDB · 2,086

AdventureScience FictionComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Professor Barbenfouillis and five of his colleagues from the Academy of Astronomy travel to the Moon aboard a rocket propelled by a giant cannon. Once on the lunar surface, the bold explorers face the many perils hidden in the caves of the mysterious planet.

“The first science fiction film!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Georges Méliès
Professeur Barbenfouillis / La Lune
Bleuette Bernon
Phoebe Déesse de la Lune
François Lallement
L'officier de Marine / Commandant de la Base de Lancement
Jehanne d'Alcy
La Secrétaire / Une Étoile / Agent de Bord de la Fusée
Henri Delannoy
Le Pilote de la Fusée Lunaire
Victor André
Un Astronome et Spationaute
Brunnet
Un Astronome et Spationaute
Depierre
Un Astronome et Spationaute

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Georges Méliès
Writers: Georges Méliès
Languages: No Language
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 15-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

124 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Georges Méliès, shot by Lucien Tainguy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Georges Méliès shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Georges Méliès and Bleuette Bernon and François Lallement carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The first science fiction film!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Georges Méliès directs. Lucien Tainguy behind the camera. Georges Méliès cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 15-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3124 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Georges Méliès, shot by Lucien Tainguy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Georges Méliès shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Georges Méliès and Bleuette Bernon and François Lallement carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The first science fiction film!".
9IMDB entry: tt0000417 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "moon", "based on novel or book", "satire", "astronomer".
11Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lucien Tainguy
Editing: Georges Méliès
Production design: Georges Méliès
Runtime: 15 min · 0h 15m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.78:1 (16:9)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,985
Original language: FR
Certification (US): G
IMDB: A Trip to the Moon (1902)

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Georges Méliès

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2019-08-25
★ 5/10
I just knew this was gonna have a high score on letterboxd. Yo, it's important, it's visionary, it's observable history, it's revolutionary for it's time, all that jazz. But guess what else? I don't for a minute believe those people actually went to the moon. Should still be required viewing for film classes though. Final rating:★★½ - Not quite for me, but I definitely get the appeal.
dogstir2021-02-23
★ 7/10
A Trip to the Moon (1902), initially titled in French as Le Voyage dans la Lune, is director Georges Méliès' most famous film out of the more than 500 films he made. He stars as Professor Barbenfouillis, who, along with several other astronomers, boards a bullet-shaped spacecraft fired from a long cannon onto the moon's surface. Once there, the astronauts explore the moon, sleep under the open stars, and after a snowstorm, they flee into a cavern where they discover moon inhabitants (called Selenites after the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene). After being attacked, the astronauts return to their spaceship and fall from the moon back to the Earth, where they are welcomed as heroes. There are multiple versions of this film, both in black & white and hand-colored versions. The 2010 "restored" version of this film is colorized, and it features a modern-day score by the French musical group, Air (with members Nicolas Godin, Nicolas Godin, Jean-Benoît Dunckel, Jean-Benoît Dunckel). This version is a surreal, psychedelic acid trip (which has a long-lost parade scene at the end of the film). The black & white versions, with traditional string scores (and often narration), are easier to watch. This film gets 3.5 stars mostly because it was the earliest science fiction film and the earliest film containing animation which I have seen.
CinemaSerf2022-08-29
★ 7/10
There is something almost Arthurian about the opening to this short feature as an ensemble of astronomers gather complete with pointy hats and telescopes. Why? Well they are discussing the likely prospects of a trip to the moon. As you might expect, the conversation gets a little heated but eventually we see the familiar shape of a space module under construction - again amidst considerable discord, though by now we have reverted to ordinary attire. To grand ceremony, their ship is loaded into an enormous gun and they are blasted into space... This is good fun, especially once they have got off the ground and the crew are seen wandering around the moon as if it were the Bois de Boulogne on a sunny Sunday. The sets are of course basic, but given it was shot in 1902 they are still effective as the crew settle down for a nice night's sleep under the eyes of the gods. A spate of what looks like snow forces them underground where they enter a Vernean style environment with huge mushrooms and what I can only describe as a lunar equivalent of "Ben Gunn" before discovering that there is life on the moon after all and it's none too friendly - forcing them to beat a rather hasty retreat. Science this is not, not even remotely, but it's really quite an entertaining film with plenty of movement, acrobatics and even the odd visual effect.