Films A Trip to the Moon, The Haunted Castle: Synopsis, Analysis

Film Journal & Research Project
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Part I
Film Title: A Trip to the Moon
Year of Production: 1902
Synopsis
Members of the Astronomic Club have gathered to listen to their president (Professor Barbenfouillis), who proposes a moon trip. Some of them are against the idea, while five brave individuals agree to accompany the professor. They develop a space capsule, whose shape resembles that of a bullet. A huge cannon is also built to shoot the vessel into space. The six astronomers embark on their journey, and the capsule is fired with the marines' help. The man on the moon watches the approaching capsule, which eventually hits his eye.
The six men land safely on the Moon and get out of the vessel without their spacesuits. They stare at the Earth, rising in the distance. Exhausted, the astronomers unroll their blankets and sleep on the lunar surface. While sleeping, the Big Dipper appears, a comet passes, the old Saturn in his ringed planet leans out of a window, and the goddess of the Moon (Phoebe) appears seated in a swing that is shaped like a crescent moon (Méliès, 1902).
She causes a snowfall, awakening the astronomers. During their stay, the six men realized that though the place was fantastic, it was life-threatening. They were attacked by different insectoid aliens, some of which they killed, and others were too powerful. To find a way out of the alien predicament, the astronomers get back into their canopy and fall through Space and into an ocean on Earth. A ship rescues them, and the explorers are then towed ashore. The film ends with a celebratory parade in honor of their return.
Analysis
A Trip to the Moon is a 14-minute science fiction film directed and produced by Georges Méliès. It was inspired by different books such as The First Men in the Moon, From the Earth to the Moon, and Around the Moon (Méliès, 1902). The silent adventure took three months to film. This is one of the films that captivate my attention. While the plot behind A Trip to the Moon may appear relatively simple today, it is incredibly ambitious for such an early cinema. Emotion and motion are at the core of this science fiction. Also, the space capsule crashing into the face of the moon is one surreal image guaranteed to stick in your head forever.
Film Title: The Haunted Castle
Year of Production: 1896
Synopsis
The film begins with a large bat flying into a medieval castle. It flies slowly within the castle while flapping its huge wings. The bat suddenly changes into Mephistopheles (the devil). The demon then prepares a cauldron and produces ghosts, skeletons, witches, and other supernatural creatures from its bubbling contents. All these are intended to help him scare two cavaliers.
Eventually, one of them flees. Mephistopheles' assistant plays several tricks on the second cavalier, but none makes him leave. The explorer is then stunned by the beauty of a woman who emerges from the pot, which he later discovered to be an illusion (Gifford, 1969). When the cavalier comes face to face with the Devil, he holds up a large crucifix, causing the demon to vanish in a blast of smoke.
Analysis
The Haunted Castle or The Manor of the Devil is a three-minute supernatural silent film directed by Georges Méliès. It was produced in 1896. The story involves an encounter with the devil and several attendant phantoms (Gifford, 1969). This film's primary intention was to cause amusement and wonder, but its theme and character make it to be considered horror.
Although the effects of The Haunted Castle film may not be the best, you cannot deny that a lot of creativity is revealed. Film splices are also used in making characters and objects appear and disappear. Artificial fog is used in different scenes to depict blasts of smoke. For instance, when the ghost disappears or when the demon conjures a cauldron. The effects are acceptable considering the time this film was made. Also, the storyline may not be very straight forward. Generally, I would recommend it to any individual fond of classic horror.
Film Title: Life of an American Fireman
Year of Production: 1902
Synopsis
The film starts with a lengthy shot of a sleeping fireman and a dream balloon depicting a mother and her child. The fireman wakes up and paces the floor. A hand is then seen pulling a fire alarm. Several firefighters jump from their beds and slide down a fire pole (Porter, 1903). These men then climb into horse-drawn fire engines and exit the firehouse.
The engines run down the streets and arrive at the scene of a burning building. A mother and child are shown in a smoke-filled bedroom. One fireman enters the room in an attempt to rescue the mother and child. He enters through the door and breaks the window glasses, and exits through the window. The fireman later walks down with the woman. This film's final shot includes dangerous attempts and uncertain moments involving a fireman trying to save the child. It ends with a fireman carrying the woman's son.
Analysis
Life of an American Fireman is a six-minute silent action film produced in 1902 by Edwin S. Porter and James H. White (Porter, 1903). It was released in 1903. James Williamson's Fire inspired the story. The short black and white indie film involves archival footage and staged scenes to produce a narrative of dramatic fire rescue. The film creates a good sense of both suspense and excitement. Although much of the detail is somehow obscured by the film's physical deterioration, it is evident that the entire movie stands out in most of its essentials. Life of an American Fireman depicts an ambitious effort for the 1900s and its outstanding innovation due to the multiple camera perspectives.
Film Title: The Fly
Year of Production: 1986
Synopsis
Seth Brundle, a research scientist, has built a telepod that transports any object from one telepod to another. At a party organized by his employer, Bartok Industries, Seth meets Veronica Quaife, an investigative journalist. He offers her scoops of his recent research in transportation. Veronica inspires Seth to correct all the odds in the system, which against all odds, proves successful in transporting a living creature. When the scientist tries to teleport himself, something goes wrong, and his genes become fused with those of a hou...