A trip to the moon

Commentary

A trip to the moon

The director George Méliès produced this silent film, Le Voyage dans la Lune in 1902. It uses the tale of a group of astronomers who visit the Moon to criticise French imperialism. The travellers abduct an alien and return to Earth to much public applause, but the crowds do not realise that the astronomers only narrowly escaped being captured by the native inhabitants themselves.