Watch
it!The following narration would have been read aloud by a narrator
A Trip to the Moon by Georges Melies (1902)
The
astronomers are assembled in a large hall embellished with instruments. The
president and members of the committee enter. Everybody takes his seat. Entrance
of six man-servants carrying the telescopes of the astronomers. The president
takes his chair and explains to the members his plan of a Trip to the Moon. His
schemes are approved by many, but one member violently opposes same.
After some argument, the president throws his papers and books at his
head. Upon
order being restored, the trip proposed by the president is voted by
acclimation. Five learned men make up their mind to go with him. The
man-servants bring travelling suits. President Barbenfouillis selects five
colleagues to accompany him:
Nostadamus, Alcofrisbas, Omega, Micromegas and Parafaragamus.
We enter the interior of the workshops where smiths, mechanics, weighers, carpenters, upholsterers, etc are working hard at the completion of the machine. Micromegas accidentally falls into a tub of nitric acid. A workman informs the astronomers that if they would ascend to the roof, they would witness a splendid spectacle...the casting of the gun. The astronomers ascend to a ladder and climb on the roof...
...where they finally arrive. Against the horizon, the chimneys are seen belching forth volumes of smoke. Suddenly, a flag is hoisted. At the signal, a mass of molten steel is directed from each furnace into the mold for the gun. The mold puts forth flames and vapor. This causes much rejoicing among the enthusiastic astronomers.
On the top of the roofs of the town, pompous preparations have been made. The shell is in position, ready to receive the travelers. These arrive, respond to the acclamations of the crowd, and enter the shell. Marine close the bridge through which they have passed. A number of gunners are now pushing the shell up an incline into the mouth of the gun. The cannon is loaded. The bridge is closed. Everyone is enthusiastically waiting for the signal which starts the shell on its voyage. The officer gives the signal. The gun is fired, and the shell disappears into space.
The shell coming closer every minute, the moon magnifies rapidly, and until finally it attains colossal dimensions. Suddenly, the shell pierces the eye of the moon.
The shell comes down with a crash. The astronomers get out and are delighted at the landscape which is new to them. Against the horizon, the Earth is rising slowly into space...illuminating the picture with a fantastic light. The astronomers, inspecting the strange country, see craters everywhere. Just as they are about to explore, an explosion throws the unfortunate men violently in all directions. The astronomers show signs of fatigue after the rough trip they have just had. They stretch themselves out on the ground and go to sleep.
Seven
gigantic stars representing the Great Bear appear slowly and out of the stars
come faces of women whom seem annoyed at the presence of these intruders in the
moon. In their dreams, they see passing in space: comets, meteors, etc. Then,
the stars are replaced by a lovely vision of Phoebes on the crescent, of Saturn
in his globe surrounded by a ring and of charming young girls holding up a star.
They decide to punish the terrestrials in an exemplary manner. By order of
Phoebes, snow is falling from all quarters covering the ground with its white
coat. The cold becomes terrible. The unfortunate voyagers wake up half-frozen.
They decide without hesitation to descend into the
interior of the great crater in which they disappear one-by-one whilst the
snowstorm is still raging.
The astronomers arrive in
the interior of a most curious grotto. Here we see enormous mushrooms of every
kind. One of them opens his umbrella to compare its size with the mushroom but
the umbrella suddenly takes root and transforming itself into a mushroom starts
growing gradually into gigantic proportions. The astronomers suddenly notice
strange beings coming out from underneath the mushrooms...while making singular
contortions. These are the Selenites, or inhabitants of the Moon. A fantastical
being rushes on an astronomer who defends himself. And with a stroke of his
umbrella the Selenite bursts into a thousand pieces. A second suffers the same
fate. But the Selenites are arriving in numbers. The terrified astronomers, to
save themselves, take flight with the Selenites in pursuit.
Succumbing to numbers, the
astronomers are captured, bound and taken to the palace of the King of the
Selenites. On a splendid throne, surrounded by living stars, the Selenite king
is sitting. President Barbenfouillis makes a dash for the King of the Selenites.
And
lifting him like a feather throws him violently on the ground. The unfortunate
king bursts like a bombshell.
The astronomers run away in the midst of the general disorder. The Selenite army is pursuing them. The astronomers run at full speed turning around each time they are pressed too closely...and reducing the fragile beings to dust. The still increasing number of Selenites obliges the astronomer to take desperation to flight again.
At last, the astronomers have found the shell and quickly shove themselves in the interior. Thanks to the advance, they have succeeded in gaining over their adversaries. All but one, the president, has been left behind. He rushes to the rope which hangs on the front of the shell and letting himself slide down the rope he gives it a push which causes the shell to fall off the edge of the Moon. A Selenite clinging to the shell to hold it back is drawn with it...and hanging on the projectile accompanies it in its drop.
The shell falls with sickening rapidity.
The Sea appears.
The shell plunges into the ocean. The shell balances...and thanks to the hermetically sealed air in its interior rises slowly to the surface...to the puzzlement of the fishes.
The shell is picked up by a steamer which tows it to port...where a general ovation awaits the happy return.
(note: The following is presumed lost. The stills to it are still present though)
The Selenite is still seen clinging to the shell. In the market place of the town the authorities are assembled the crowd awaiting the appearance of the astronomers. The procession arrives. The municipal band advances followed by marines drawing the decorated shell. The Mayor congratulates the astronomers on their happy return. Crowning them, he confers upon them the Order of the Moon. The march past of the fire brigade and marines takes place. On the square appears the commemorative statue of the trip representing President Barbenfouillis vanquishing the moon, with this device: "Labor Omnia Vincit." The marines, the astronomers, the crowd, the Mayor and councillors join in chorus dancing around the statue to the President.