Movies discussion 1

 

After watching the George Méliès’ film A Trip to the Moon (1902) think about the differences and similarities between how you believed someone would had processed that movie then emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually (among numerous ways) and how you processed the last “big event” or blockbuster movie you saw. Tell us what you think are different and similar.

Going beyond the entertainment value of a non-documentary movie, what other value do you get out of seeing movie?

Reference specific vocabulary and concepts from the Course Content to describe what you observed.

Respond to at least one of your classmates.

KM Post:

A Trip to the Moon has a story compared to the movies before it. The movies before George Méliès’ would show people in normal everyday events such as men flexing as seen in one of Thomas Edison’s films, or crowds of people walking, or a horse galloping as shown in Muybridge’s photo sequence. None of these films had a story or narrative for an audience. They still were intriguing for an audience who has never seen movement captured on film. 

I believe people during this time were probably struck with awe at seeing such a film as A Trip to the Moon. It was probably comparable to today’s Avengers: End Game or the current blockbuster. The reason for such a boastful comparison is because George Méliès’ tells a story even though it is simple it was new to an audience who did not think film capable to film movement and capture stories. Also George Méliès uses practical effects to show a rocket being built and the moon being hit by the rocket. Also the moon people were something probably fear inducing of the time period. People probably felt real fear for the people who landed on the moon and what they were going to do next. The effects in this film were probably the best of the best which could be said about most blockbuster movies.