Response 1
Viewing, A Trip to the Moon in the early 20th Century would have resonated with the audience the same as a modern day blockbuster movie such as Jurassic World. To some one viewing this movie over a hundred years ago when cinema was in its infancy, the screen would have seemed like magic. The use of special effects of the time, such as stop trick, to make objects disappear would have been amazing. Just as spectacular as sitting in an Imax watching a mosasaurus eat a great white shark. While a script would have Helped in allowing the audience to all follow the same story line, having the film score Helped in sharing the story with the audience.
While obviously this movie was a form of fantasy or science fiction, I am sure it inspired a lot of thought around the potential for space travel and lunar landings. I watched a documentary years ago about how science fiction movies predicted things such as laser guns, laptop computers, retinal scans and more. Just like modern science fiction movies do, I am sure this movie stimulated the audience to think about life and living off the planet even though it was purely for entertainment.
Response 2
To be quite honest, when I saw that we would be watching a silent film, I was not that excited. Being a narrowminded viewer, I always thought a silent film would be so boring and lack the entertainment factor that our movies possess now. Boy was I wrong. I enjoyed watching A Trip to the Moon so much, I’ve watched it multiple times now. Probably because every time I watch it, I see something I missed last time. It is truly the definition of entertaining. Without sound, it still made me laugh, the plot made complete sense throughout the film, and it was a challenge for me because in order to get a feel for what was going on, I had to make sure I was reading facial expressions and body language. I’d start by saying the value that I got out of watching this film was exposure to a different type of film that I would have never thought could be entertaining. This movie has truly opened my eyes and I’m excited to venture out and see what other silent films pique my interest.
I believe when the audience watched this film in 1902, they had some of the same reactions that we have when we go to the theaters now. Being emotionally connected to characters that they are watching due to great acting skills and being enthralled with how the director has set up the movie by way of the set, special effects, transitions and the message.
I’m going to compare A Trip to the Moon to Finch starring Tom Hanks because they are both sci-fi movies. I think both films hit the nail on the head when it comes to the emotional aspect. A silent film made me laugh by way of the actors and actresses using their bodies to convey the message and a new sci-fi release made me connect to the main character because of his vulnerability while acting.
For being a movie from 1902, I didn’t have high expectations, but Mr. Méliès delivered. The first scene was so well put together in my opinion, it could have been from a Harry Potter movie. It looked as though he made sure there were plenty of details on set. In some of the scenes, I could tell the camera was in one position throughout the scene, but in other scenes where there is a lot of movement from the cast, it gives the illusion of the camera moving. In Finch, the director has the option of moving the camera all over to get different shots, and it takes viewers on a different journey. Obviously, movies that are released now have the benefit of CGI to give a robot, let’s say, realistic movement, whereas the actors and actresses in A Trip to the Moon had to rely on makeup and costume to achieve the effect. As I would expect, the special effects in movies that are released now are far superior to movies released in 1902, but Mr. Méliès somehow made the transition of his special effects somewhat seamless for the time. He really can make objects, or people, disappear in the blink of an eye with his special effects. I think some of the shots of the set disappearing behind the characters was obviously clunky compared to how they appear in Finch.
I think consuming a film with and without sound are two different experiences. Like I said previously, I had to watch this film multiple times because I felt like I was missing out on things that were happening while I was focused on other characters. I think that is where the intellect comes into play. With a film that is released now, we can hear everything that is going on with little effort. We do not have to pay close attention, because we will hear everything the director wants us to hear. With a silent film, such as this one, the viewer must decipher what is happening in the scene.
