The Astronomer's Dream or the Trip to the Moon
Sigmund Lubin catalog
In 1898, George Melies made the film La Lune a un Metre ("The Moon at One Meter") aka The Astronomer's Dream. Because it was Melies' first film dealing with the moon it is sometimes confused with his masterpiece Le Voyage dans la Lune (which we all know as A Trip to the Moon). La Lune a un Metre bears little resemblence to the later film however. It origins go all the way back to a live performance at Melies' Houdin Theater in 1891 called Les Farces du la Lune ou Les Mesaventures de Nostradamus" and its content is more farcical and fantastic.
As often happened in the days of early filmmaking, La Lune a un Metre was pirated; in this case by Sigmund Lubin. In so doing, he added to the confusion by adding the alternate title of "Trip to the Moon". Lubin used the title before Melies using one of Melies own films!! Not only that, but he released it several times; each time adding footage (at least once, his own, if recollections of a Lubin relative are to be believed).
I've wanted to see this film for a long time. Scenes from La Lune a un Metre are now on "Melies the Magician / Melies Magic Show" DVD. Thanks to-what-I-guess is further pirating, Lubin took Melies Synopsis / Narrative and made it his own. It's through Lubin's translation of this detailed storyline that I've been able to piece together the rest of the film.
MILD SPOILERS
Basically, it is standard Melies fare involving the Astronomer's disappearing articles, the appearance of the devil who causes the Astronomer all kinds of havoc, the Fairy Queen who aids him and the like. Ultimately, the moon swallows the Astronomer who is spit back out and brought back to life by the Fairy Queen.
written: 8/4/2002
