A Trip to the Moon
Blu-ray release
Review by Ken Parker
110 years ago filmmaker George Melies
made A Trip to the Moon. This 12 minute silent film stands out from
all other films of that time period and was one of the first 'hits'
for the film industry. Up to that time films were short 2-3 minute
pieces of the real world. A train goes by or people walking down a
street. George Melies started using film as a way of showing people
the fantastic and incredible dreams of fantasy and science fiction.
His use of editing and manipulating film was the first example of
special effects. Melies brought the ideas of Jules Verne and H.G.
Wells to film with A Trip to the Moon.
Today, the film is known to many by the
iconic imagery of the rocket stuck in the face of the moon. Most
people reading this have probably seen or at least heard about this
film and know of its importance in film history. The film has a
fascinating history leading up to this 2012 release which includes a
completely restored and frame by frame colored version of the film.
The movie was obviously in black and white but like many films back
then, had a hand painted version created. The color version has
since vanished and only the B&W version exists, until recently.
A color copy was found but was in
horrible condition and after 8 years of restoration, a restored
version is now available on Blu-ray.
The film itself is important and
incredibly crafted. Knowing its age and the limitations of
technology, the film is amazing both visually and in scope of its
story. The surreal feel of the film is a result of the mixture of the
stage like almost theater performance presentation that all films had
at that time and the imagination of Melies. Characters often played
inanimate objects and in this case, stars and the moon had faces.
The use of painted backdrops, superimposed cinematography and other
tricks transformed a studio out in the back yard to another world.
These tricks were used again and again in film and are still even
today. Melies discovered them and enhanced the techniques.
The Blu-ray release has the incredible
color version of the film that looks as close to the original color
version of the 1902 film as possible. Digital technology was able to
marry the B&W prints with the color version and where color
version segments were missing, the color was added to the B&W,
mimicking the way it was done in 1902. There is a new soundtrack by
AIR which is not trying to imitate the old style piano soundtracks
that were often played live in the theaters. The soundtrack is
different but works really well. The color and restoration is
breathtaking.
In addition to the film, there is a
documentary that covers not only George Melies career, but the
restoration process on the film. This is just amazing and definitely
justifies the high price tag of this release. Two more Melies shorts
and an interview are also included.
Finally, for those who want to see the
film in its original glory, there is a B&W very good version of
the film with a piano soundtrack that is more like the originals used
at that time. There is also several optional audio tracks including
one with the original Melies narration and the other is a soundtrack
of voices added to imitate some of the releases in the United States
that employed people on stage to add voice-over for the characters.
This release is actually hard to find.
A limited edition steelbook was released by Flicker Alley in Spring
of 2012 but has since sold out and is now a collector's find, going
for over $100 on Ebay. A regular Amaray edition is available but is
not the easiest to find. The price is high, $34.99. The editions
both include a Blu-ray and DVD version.
The release includes a detailed booklet
about the making of the film.
I was hesitant about buying this for
that much money (I paid $29.99), especially for a 12 minute film but
I felt it was worth it.
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