Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Birth of Sci-Fi?
Some commentators have dubbed Méliès's film A Trip to the Moon the first science fiction movie. Not all critics, however, agree. Tom Gunning, the author of our essay on that film, argues for the contrary view. He states, " 'Science' fiction implies a certain sobriety and serious concern with scientific and technological possibilities. . . . But Méliès cannot take his scientists seriously at all, introducing them first as wizards with pointy hats, figures out of fairy pantomime . . . (70). What do you think? While you may not be able to judge whether this is the first of its kind, you can make a judgment about whether or not it qualifies as science fiction. Compare this film with other science fiction movies you have seen. How is it the same? How is it different? Can we call it a science fiction film, a precursor of such films, or something entirely different?
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In Méliès's film A Trip to the Moon a controversy between whether the movie should be considered of the Science Fiction genre is raised. Unlike films prior, not only did this film contain a story and actors, but the story itself addressed a relevant question of, what is space travel and what does it look like? Using costumes and set drawings, Méliès was able to portray his idea of traveling to space and his ideas of what the moon might look like. This idea of space travel is considered a science topic, but I do not think that Méliès was going for a super scientific based plot due to the way he portrays the scientists early on in the film as wizard like characters. The method of travel is explained in a very simple way as well where there is a picture of the earth and the moon and the main scientists draw a dashed line from the earth to the moon. There is no complex science or technology shown during this scene. Compared to the science fiction films I have watched, Méliès takes such a simple approach to space travel and the moon, it's hard for me to see the science part of the film. Although I do not believe it can be considered science fiction as we know it today, I do understand why it could have been considered a science fiction film at the time because it was unique to any of the films being produced and it did have a science based topic that included a fictional story. I also believe that it was a precursor of science fiction films because these types of films became more technology based as the real world became more advanced in technology and understanding more about how science works.
ReplyDeleteA couple classes ago we discussed the film “A Trip to The Moon”, directed by Melies, and whether this film represents the birth of the science fiction genre or not, however the answer is quite obvious. From the perspective of a world citizen during the early 1900’s, they are exploring something they have never seen before; regardless of if, it is scientifically accurate. A current film titled as “The Martian” was awarded seven academy award nominations; it was obviously classified as a science fiction film. This film was about a man surviving on Mars for a long time and his struggle to survive. Similarly, to A to The Moon, The Martian is exploring the unexplored in mars, however they were able to make it more scientifically accurate because they have the resources and knowledge to do so. For its time, A Trip to the Moon was making predictions of what could happen, and would not even happen for 50 years, so it is quite obvious that it would appeal a similar audience to the science fiction film now, if they had lived in that era. The counter argument is that this film could be categorized as a fantasy film, but the argument is not there. This film is still tied to reality even if it is not at all scientifically accurate to teenagers living in the year 2020. Imagine having never seen something outside of your town, or maybe your state and a screen can take you to the moon, which is a place you can see, but never really understand or explain, until we had the resources to do so. This is the same reason people want to see movies such as The Martian currently, to experience something just out of reach.
ReplyDeleteIn Méliès's film A Trip to the Moon, it is debated whether the movie is a Science fiction film or not. Unlike the movies we had discussed before, A Trip to the Moon creates a world of inventions that are unique to itself. Reminisces of the film Hugo, a steam punk themed movie with bizarre robots and machinery. In the movie Hugo, there are overly complex machines that do simply tasks in our world today. Inventions such as the overly complicated train remind me of the gigantic cannon used to launch the scientists into space. The idea of Hugo also got its inspiration from A Trip to the Moon as seen in a few Easter Eggs throughout the movie. Without Méliès's creative genius, Hollywood and the world may not enjoy such otherworldly films. Therefore, I believe that A Trip to the Moon is the first creative implementations of science into a fictional plot.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion Méliès’s film, “A Trip to the Moon”, should be considered one of the first science fiction movies. Though Tom Gunning argues that science fiction films need true science and technological facts to be considered a sci-fi movie, he doesn’t specify what facts are to be shown. “A Trip to the Moon” was filmed and produced in 1902, 40 years before scientists ever sent anything into space. At this time, no one had any ideas as to how we could send people into space, to the moon or into orbit so the predictions that Méliès had to make are amazingly similar to what we really used. I thought the use of props and costumes were amazing and the film itself was incredibly done for the technology they had to work with. Compared with other science fiction films, I definitely think “A Trip to the Moon” falls into this category. I’ve seen many sci-fi movies and almost all of them have some element of space travel in them, there is a new technology introduced or there is some form of alien life. All three of these elements are present in “A Trip to the Moon”. However much the same new and old sci-fi movies are, the technology used to create them is much more advanced than having actors dress up as aliens. It is important to remember the tools and facilities used to create these old movies when comparing them to newer films because it may seem as though they are not of the same category. If a new science fiction movie, complete with insanely intelligent computers and perfectly edited CGI aliens, is shown next to “A Trip to the Moon” there is no competition as to which is more ‘sci-fi’ than the other. However, looking from the context of the means to create, as well as the knowledge we possess about science topics, “A Trip to the Moon” can hold its own against newer sci-fi movies.
ReplyDeleteIn Méliès film A Trip to the Moon a common debate is if the film can be described as the premier science fiction film to be created. Most write that the disregard for science and inclusion of wizards with pointy hats disqualifies it for the category. Google’s definition of science fiction is “fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances” this does not mean that the science has to be realistic, we still accept movies like Avengers Endgame as science fiction yet it within thirty seconds of the movie it breaks all concepts of “real world” physics while still be classified as science fiction easily. Not every movie must be Interstellar with accurate black hole depictions and discussion of the future of humanity. The rocket in A Trip to the Moon can be argued as simply an advancement of the technology they had the time, a big cannon is not much different they how we get to space today, it was even once considered as an idea for space travel. To fit within the definition of science fiction all you need is to speculate upon the future of humanity and its possibilities. While we may look back at Trip to the Moon today and dismiss its gross misinterpretation of science fiction as not worthy for being called the beginning of sci fi in film, but in my opinion it easily fits the description.
ReplyDeleteI do not think Melies A Trip to the Moon can be classified as science fiction in any form because while science fiction still has some fantasy to it with its fictional aspect, it still typically shows real science behind it all. For example, science fiction films such as Blade Runner are not something that have occurred and it is a fictional story but it has science behind it that theoretically makes sense. In a Trip To the Moon it is all fantasy and little to no science involved. First of all it is wizards that are shown to be going to the moon, not actual scientists. Also, the way they get to the moon makes zero sense scientifically because they do not take into account gravity or the lack thereof in space whatsoever. When I view this film I classify it as a fantasy/comedy or a fictional comedy because it isn't showing real science to back up the fictional plot.
ReplyDeleteA Trip to the Moon was a French film that featured astronauts launching in a rocket and landing on a strange planet where they encounter all sorts of obscure adventures. For a film to be considered science fiction, there has to be an element of science in it. I believe it is not science fiction but rather fantasy because it uses the perception of science for comedic purposes. Given that this was before the time of the moon landing, the idea of going to the moon has been born purely out of imagination. Although the film being re-made today might be considered science fiction, back then it was made with the intention of the story being a wild and silly concept. An example in modern day would be that I could tell a story right now about someone breathing underwater through their lungs, and everyone would label that as fiction or fantasy. However, far in the future, humans could evolve to make that happen, or people could figure out how to make that work, etc. The point is that the science of that happening possibly only exists in the future, making the concept in the present unrealistic and unrelated to science. The story I would have told would not be labeled as science fiction today, just as A Trip to the Moon would not be labeled as science fiction in 1902. I believe it is the intentions of the director that makes a film what it is, but I wouldn’t argue that today it could be viewed as science fiction.
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