A Trip to the Moon

Lore & Background

The film was inspired by Jules Verne's novels From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and Around the Moon (1870). Cinema historians, notably Georges Sadoul, have also suggested H. G. Wells's The First Men in the Moon (1901) as a likely influence, with Sadoul arguing the first half derives from Verne and the second from Wells. Other influences include Jacques Offenbach's opera-féerie Le voyage dans la lune and the A Trip to the Moon attraction at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York.

Reader's Guide

A Trip to the Moon was one of the most complex films Méliès had made, employing every trick he had learned or invented. It cost ₣10,000 and took three months to complete. The film disappeared into obscurity after Méliès's retirement but was rediscovered around 1930, when his importance to cinema history began to be recognized. An original hand-colored print was discovered in 1993 and restored in 2011. The film was ranked 84th among the 100 greatest films of the 20th century by The Village Voice and remains Méliès's best-known work, with the moment the capsule lands in the moon's eye being one of the most frequently referenced images in cinema history.

Did You Know?

• The film was inspired by Jules Verne's novels From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and Around the Moon (1870).
• Georges Méliès played both Professor Barbenfouillis and the Moon.
• An original hand-colored print was discovered in 1993 and restored in 2011.
• The film cost ₣10,000 to make and took three months to complete.