A Trip to the Moon is about a group of astronomers who build a big spaceship-like capsule and launch themselves into space to discover a strange civilization. The narrative is strong, structured, and amusing and the movie’s special effects are admirable when taken for the infancy of early cinema. The most enthralling feature of the movie is its visual effects — camera tricks, stage play, and costumes, especially the iconic image of the moon hit by the spaceship in its eye. Considering how long it takes to build a narrative that reaches out to the audience, it is rather astonishing that the film was produced with such wordiness.
While the movie embraces the novelty of scientific knowledge and is regarded to be progressive, it fails to address the appropriate representation of sexes, thus, appearing to be far from progressive. The movie actively portrays the men as ‘thinkers’ and ‘doers’, while the women are reduced to knick-knacks in flashy attires, usually acting in unison or standing idly away from the periphery of the focus. Nevertheless, it is a visual treat that shows the extraordinary creativity of the filmmaker’s imagination and it is no wonder why it is remembered as one the best movies from cinema’s earliest years.
