Synopsis & Film Details
Directed by Georges Méliès, the revered French filmmaker and illusionist who pioneered the use of special effects in the world’s earliest movies, the classic silent film A Trip to the Moon remains a cinematic landmark. The story depicts the first outer-space adventure in the history of cinema, as six members of the Astronomers’ Club set off on an expedition to the moon, encounter the Selenites and flee their king, and return home to a triumphant parade. The long-lost, hand-painted color version of the film – unseen for more than 100 years until its glorious new restoration – has inspired audiences worldwide. Featuring a newly imagined modern soundtrack by the French band Air.
Cinema’s most unforgettable image is perhaps that of the Man in the Moon being poked in the eye by a rocket ship. The documentary The Extraordinary Voyage examines the magical work of Georges Méliès, the creator of that image, and one of the celebrated heroes of Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning movie Hugo. Now, thanks to one of the most technically sophisticated and expensive restorations in film history, A Trip to the Moon can thrill audiences anew. The documentary charts the film’s voyage across an entire century, from the fantastical production in 1902 to the astonishing rediscovery of a color print in 1993, to the premiere of the new restoration at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
The animated drama Grounded shows how one astronaut’s journey through space and life ends on a hostile exosolar planet. Against an ethereal backdrop, the film explores themes of aging, paternal approval, and behaviors inherited through generations.