The Astronomer's Dream
| The Astronomer's Dream | |
|---|---|
 The moon | |
| Directed by | Georges Méliès |
Release dates |
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| Country | France |
| Language | Silent |
The Astronomer's Dream (French: Le Reve D'un Astronome, original title: La lune à un mètre), (Star Film Catalogue no. 160-162) is an 1898 French short black-and-white silent film, directed by Georges Méliès.
Plot
In the observatory, the astronomer is studying at his desk. Satan appears, then a woman appears and makes Satan vanish. Then she disappears. The astronomer draws a globe on a blackboard. The globe develops a sun-like head and limbs and starts to move on the blackboard. The astronomer looks through a small telescope.
The moon appears in a building as a large face. It has eaten the astronomer's telescope. Men tumble from its mouth. Then the moon is in the sky. The astronomer, in different dress, stands on a table, which disappears. He falls.
The moon becomes a crescent. A spirit, in the form of a lady, appears from it. The astronomer chases her, but she eludes him.
Now another figure stands in the crescent of the moon, before reclining into its C shape.
The moon appears as a large face again, and the astronomer jumps into its mouth. a woman and Satan appears. The astronomer appears again. Then, in the observatory, the astronomer is sitting asleep in his chair.
Production Notes
The film was hand colored like many of Méliès' other films.
When this film was imported into the United States by producer Sigmund Lubin in 1899 he re-titled it A Trip to the Moon. However this had no relation to the 1902 film A Trip to the Moon.[1]
Current status
Given its age, this short film is available to freely download from the Internet.
References
- ↑ Horror in Silent Film: A Filmography, 1896-1929. p. 11.