The 1001 Series has returned! As you may recall, this is a blogging series I take part in, where I examine films on the list of 1001 Movies to See Before You Die. My take on them is not to review them, but to provide a reaction to the overall tone, and perhaps comment on a greater meaning. I end each piece with an examination of just how “essential” it actually is.

And what better way to do it than to start with film #1 on the list? Take a look beyond the jump for Georges Melies’ UN VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE.

A TRIP TO THE MOON deserves a tip of the hat for endurance alone. It is truly a sign of innovation and lasting statement when an artist’s work is still being studied and dissected more than a century after its creation. Melies’ most famous film was first projected to the public on September 1st, 1902…making it just more than 108 years old. I’d be proud if anyone is talking about anything I created 108 months from now.

What sparked a smile for me within the film’s brief 8 minute runtime, was its focus on the human imagination. Throughout human history, men like Melies looked to the heavens and could only wonder. The night sky was filled with nothing but possibilities: possibilities of vast frontiers…of unknown terrain…of little green men. And while astronauts would eventually slay the notion of ‘the man in the moon’, that was still an entire lifetime away.

In less time than it takes my kettle to boil, this film encapsulates man’s ambition to understand the unknown. In a manner evocative of what still happens today, all it takes in the film is a person of great vision to present a wild idea, and a few more brave souls to stand up behind that person. After that great effort to push technology to the next lillypad…well, things take a turn for the silly. However that silliness is so wonderfully fanciful, that it continues to keep a modern viewer enraptured.

Of course, like other legends of the silent era Melies was able to convey all of this whimsy and philosophy without a single syllable of dialogue. As a film lover, one has to respect such a bold statement. A statement that not only can still be made a century later, but can be made across borders without any regard for being clearly understood. Perhaps filmmaking could give mathematics a run as a universal language. Or perhaps not.

(Sidebar: I have to smile at the fact that in the time it has taken me to write this, I could have re-watched the film five times).

One last thing. The 90’s music geek in me couldn’t resist the urge to watch this film using Smashing Pumpkins songs as a soundtrack. As some of you might know, there are allusions to this film in The Pumpkins’ 1995 album “Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness”. While I’m certain that it’s not at all what Melies intended, the tone of the overall story is captured wonderfully when backed by three singles from this album: “Tonight, Tonight”, “Thirty-Three” and “Zero” in that order.

While the runtime of the tracks outruns the runtime of the film, it all lines up rather well and evokes a wonderful mood when it comes to the ambition of the project, the awe-struck astronauts landing, and the eventual encounter and escape from the moon men. Give it a try!

But Ryan, Is it List-Worthy?… Most definitely, since it is so accessible. It’s within the public domain so one can legally watch it on YouTube, and I ask you – what are you doing that you can’t take 8 minutes out of your day?

Everyone even mildly serious about film should give this charming piece a look.