A Blast From The Past: A Trip To The Moon (dir. by Georges Melies)


Let’s celebrate October by taking a trip to the moon with classic film that came out 123 years ago?

Directed and written by Georges Melies, A Trip to The Moon is often cited as the first sci-fi film and the image of the capsule crashing into the eye of the man in the moon is one of the most iconic in film history.  Seen today, the film seems both charmingly innocent and remarkably ahead of its time.

For me, it always takes a minute or two to adjust to the aesthetic of early films.  We’ve grown so used to all the editing tricks that modern filmmakers use to tell their stories that these old silent films, with their lack of dramatic camera movement and obvious theatrical origins, often take some effort to get used to.  Still, the effort is often worth it.

Here then is Georges Melies’s 1902 science fiction epic, A Trip To The Moon.

4 Shots From Horror History: The 1900s


This October, I’m going to be doing something a little bit different with my contribution to 4 Shots From 4 Films.  I’m going to be taking a little chronological tour of the history of horror cinema, moving from decade to decade.

Today, we look at the 1900s.

4 Shots From 4 Films

Bluebeard (1901, dir by Georges Méliès)

Bluebeard (1901, dir by Georges Méliès)

The Monster (1903, dir by Georges Méliès)

The Monster (1903, dir by Georges Méliès)

Satan At Play (1907, dir by Segundo de Chomón)

Satan At Play (1907, dir by Segundo de Chomón)

The Sealed Room (1909, dir by D.W. Griffith)

The Sealed Room (1909, dir by D.W. Griffith)

4 Shots From Horror History: The 1890s


This October, I’m going to be doing something a little bit different with my contribution to 4 Shots From 4 Films.  I’m going to be taking a little chronological tour of the history of horror cinema, moving from decade to decade.

Today, we start with the 1890s and the birth of horror cinema.

4 Shots From 4 Horror Films

The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895, dir by Alfred Clark)

The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895, dir by Alfred Clark)

The House of the Devil (1896, dir by Georges Méliès)

The House of the Devil (1896, dir by Georges Méliès)

The Haunted Castle (1897, dir by George Albert Smith)

The Haunted Castle (1897, dir by George Albert Smith)

The X-Rays (1897, dir by George Albert Smith)

The X-Rays (1897, dir by George Albert Smith)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Moon Edition


4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.

Today, we pay tribute to the moon!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 “Moon” Films

A Trip to the Moon (1902, dir by Georges Melies)

Moonraker (1979, dir by Lewis Gilbert)

Moon (2009, dir by Duncan Jones)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012, dir by Wes Anderson)

A Blast From The Past: A Trip To The Moon (dir. by Georges Melies)


On October 1st, Case reviewed Moon.  What better way to celebrate October 31st than taking a trip to the moon with classic film that came out 120 years ago?

Directed and written by Georges Melies, A Trip to The Moon is often cited as the first sci-fi film and the image of the capsule crashing into the eye of the man in the moon is one of the most iconic in film history.  Seen today, the film seems both charmingly innocent and remarkably ahead of its time.

For me, it always takes a minute or two to adjust to the aesthetic of early films.  We’ve grown so used to all the editing tricks that modern filmmakers use to tell their stories that these old silent films, with their lack of dramatic camera movement and obvious theatrical origins, often take some effort to get used to.  Still, the effort is often worth it.

Here then is Georges Melies’s 1902 science fiction epic, A Trip To The Moon.

A Blast From The Horror Past: Georges Méliès’s The Monster


For today’s blast from the past, we have a film that has often been described as being France’s first horror film.

The Monster is 2-minute silent film from 1903.  Directed by the pioneering French filmmaker, Georges Méliès, The Monster tells the story of an Egyptian prince who brings the dead body of his wife to a sorcerer who apparently likes to hang out in front of The Sphinx.  The sorcerer attempts to bring her back to life and, as so often happens in any film directed by Georges Méliès, things don’t quite go as planned.

In my opinion, this is one of the most charming of Georges Méliès’s surviving films.  From the simple but crudely effective camera trickery to the nicely surreal Sphinx in the background, The Monster is a chaotic delight.

A Blast From The Past: The Four Troublesome Heads (by Georges Melies)


With the arrival of both October and our annual horrorthon, today’s Blast From The Past is here to help us get in the mood with some head action.

In this short film, director Georges Milies plays a magician who can remove his head.  Fear not!  When he removes his head, another head quickly appears on his shoulder.  Pretty soon, our magician has one head on his shoulders and three other heads chatting away on a table.  Everything’s fine until it’s discovered that, apparently, the heads aren’t very talented when it comes to singing.

Obviously, today, we know how camera tricks like this are done.  We tend to take them for granted.  But consider this, when watching The Four Troublesome Heads: this film was made in 1898.  At a time when the movies themselves seemed like an act of magic, Georges Melies was removing his head and then trying to perform a song.

Yes, this the same Georges Melies who was played by Ben Kingsley in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.  That’s a great film, by the way.  It marks the only time that Christopher Lee appeared in a Scorsese film.  Go watch it, if you haven’t already.

Horror Scenes That I Love: Georges Méliès’s The Monster


Much like yesterday’s horror scene that I love, today’s scene is not so much a scene as it’s an entire movie!

The Monster is 2-minute silent film from 1903.  Directed by the pioneering French filmmaker, Georges Méliès, The Monster tells the story of an Egyptian prince who brings the dead body of his wife to a sorcerer who apparently likes to hang out in front of The Sphinx.  The sorcerer attempts to bring her back to life and, as so often happens in any film directed by Georges Méliès, things don’t quite go as planned.

In my opinion, this is one of the most charming of Georges Méliès’s surviving films.  From the simple but crudely effective camera trickery to the nicely surreal Sphinx in the background, The Monster is a chaotic delight.

Horror Scenes That I Love: Georges Méliès’s The Haunted Castle


Technically, today’s scene that I love isn’t so much a scene as it’s an entire movie!

Below, you’ll find The Haunted Castle, a 3-minute silent from the great French director, Georges Méliès.  This film was made in 1896 and is considered, along with The Execution of Mary Stuart, to be one of the very first horror films!

Needless to say, The Haunted Castle is going to look primitive to modern eyes but so what?  There’s a lot of charm to be found in these three minutes.  Imagine seeing this in 1896, at a time before everyone was knowledgeable (and a bit cynical) about special effects and film trickery.

After you watch this piece of film history, please be sure to watch Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.  Just be prepared to cry.

Enjoy!

4 Shots From 4 Films: A Trip To The Moon, Moon, Apollo 18, Melancholia


4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.

Happy End of the World Day!

(In certain cultures….)

4 Shots From 4 Films

A Trip to the Moon (1902, dir by Georges Melies)

Moon (2009, directed by Duncan Jones)

Apollo 18 (2011, dir by Gonzalo López-Gallego)

Melancholia (2011, dir by Lars Von Trier)