[A TRIP TO THE MOON
and THE EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGE
screen Tuesday June 26th at 7:00 pm at the Capitol Theatre as part of
“An Evening With George Melies”.]
Review
by Bob Ignizio
If you were intrigued by last year's
HUGO, Martin Scorcese's love
letter to silent film pioneer George Melies, now is your chance to
see Melies' best known film, A TRIP TO THE MOON,
on the big screen. Also on the bill is THE EXTRAORDINARY
VOYAGE, a documentary that
covers Melies life and career, as well as the painstaking restoration
of the hand colored version of TRIP,
long thought lost, that is showing on this program.
Made
in 1902, A TRIP TO THE MOON
is one of the cornerstones not just of science fiction film, but of
modern filmmaking, period. Some may say it looks hokey by today's
standards, but the intentionally unreal appearance of the sets,
costumes, and special effects gives the film an aura of pure fantasy
that few modern films come close to approaching. Even if you prefer
your special effects to work towards creating a sense of realism and
believability, you have to consider the technology of the times.
Movies had only been in existence for a few years, and Melies was the
James Cameron of his time. Even more than that, since he had his hand
in almost every aspect of the film, including production, direction,
editing, special effects, set design, and acting.
The
plot is pretty thin, and really little more than an excuse for Melies
to show off his special effects trickery, but then you could say the
same about a lot of modern Hollywood blockbusters. The difference is,
the newer films don't have the same sense of fun and showmanship
about them. Lightweight though it may be, A TRIP TO THE
MOON is both important from a
historical perspective, and more importantly, just plain fun to
watch. And at only fifteen minutes in length, it's considerably less
bloated than AVATAR
or a TRANSFORMERS
sequel.A new electronic soundtrack by French rock band Air
makes it fun to listen to, as well. The aproximately hour long
companion documentary enhances one's enjoyment of TRIP
by putting the film in its proper context and detailing the amazing
restoration process that has allowed this particular version of the
film to exist in the world once again. 4 out of 4 stars for A
TRIP TO THE MOON, 3 1/2 out of
4 stars for THE EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGE.
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