Year: 1904
Director: Georges Melies
Country: France
Language: N/A
One of Georges Melies' most famous films, 1902’s A Trip to the Moon, detailed the exploits of a group of astronomers taking a trip...to the moon. A still of the man in the moon with a spaceship in his left eye has become a famous image of early Cinema. Curiously less talked about is The Impossible Voyage (1904) and for the life of me I can't figure out why. It's every bit as good as his earlier sci-fi, infact it might even be better.
Using every known means of transportation, several savants from the Geographic Society undertake a journey through the Alps to the Sun which finishes under the sea.
The Impossible Voyage was released in 1904 and was based around the Jules Verne fantasy play Journey Through the Impossible. The film, running to 374 meters, was Méliès's longest film to date, and cost about ₣37,500 (US$7,500) to make. A print of the film was deposited for American copyright at the Library of Congress on October 12, 1904, and the film was sold in French, American, and British catalogs by the Star Film Company. It was one of the most popular films of that decade, rivaling only by Melies other films.
Melies hyper dramatic narrative has a unique charm that is goofy yet easy to love. The plot is supposed to be a daring expedition but all the characters have less than enthralling name. How am I suppposed to take a scientist named Rattlebrain seriously? The Impossible Voyage shows a culture at the cusp of a steep cliff of innovation. There is something remarkable about this society's clear love of travel and the desire to be more scientifically literate.
The Impossible Voyage reaches into the great deep of creative imagination and immerses us into such a surreal fantastical setting. Melies make his audience feel like anything is possible, and that we should embrace stepping into the unknown. It's a fine picture that is far more entertaining that it gets credit for.
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