Woman In the Moon
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Movie Reviews of Woman In the Moon
Movie Review: The 2001 of 1929
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, first off: the interesting trivia on this movie:
When the Germans did their first rocket launch at Pennemunde their missile had the woman on the moon logo on it.
Thereafter, the countdown device used in this movie (four, three, two, one) was actually used in rocket launches including American space missions.
As for the movie itself, it would be THE template for space movies throughout at least the 50s in the several following respects:
It's depiction of what space rockets would look like.
It's presentation of the likely crew compliment (including usually some rugged looking leader type guy, a love interest for him some bearded science type and of course some plucky side kick).
At the time of course none of these ingredients was a given. And it took the sure directorial hand of Fritz Lang aided of course by his then wife Thea von Harbou to create this masterpiece.
I think this film does rank up there as one of the great science fiction movies of all time including Georges Melies Journey to the Moon and Stanley Kubrick's later 2001. But of course it's a movie -- like pretty much all of Lang's 1920s output -- that inspires sheer wonder at its breathtaking ambition and its ability to carry through on its promises.
Movie Review: About TIME!
Summary: 5 Stars
Well we finally get to see the full 161 minute version. Some of you may know that in 1930 the founders of the American Interplanetary society invited Swiss aviation pioneer Robert Esnault Pelterie to speak to their membership in NYC. As part of the event they decided to translate this Lang masterpiece into English. Unfortunately for the rest of us they gutted it down to about 80 minutes. Not only did they remove all the "non-space" stuff but they actually re-wrote the story by creating new title cards. Consequently the new version made little sense. Well finally here we have the uncut original with all title cards intact and a story line which actually makes sense. The print is almost perfect and the company in Europe are to be applauded for resurrecting this brilliant piece of work. German rocket pioneers Otto Willi Gail, Willy Ley and Hermann Oberth consulted on the space flight section and it shows. Visuals are a real treat and you can actually read much of the details such as science fiction pulp magazines etc. If you have ever wondered what the heck this movie was about, now is your chance to finally see it as it was made in 1929. A real treat.
Movie Review: Vastly Underrated Effort by Fritz Lang
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a beautifully restored edition of Fritz Lang's final silent film. Playing just 11 minutes short of 3 hours, the viewer must be a little patient as the story unfolds for the first hour or so. Its easy to let the aspect of space travel cause oversight to the character development and subplots as they unfold early in the film. When the rocket launch is about to take place, the characters are well developed and the spectacle of space travel takes center stage. Considering the 1929 knowledge of rocket science, many details of the trip to the moon are quite prophetic thanks to Lang's research into technology known at the time. The ending of the film works very well and the whole experience leaves the viewer with a real sense of time travel into the imagination of a great film maker. The new musical soundtrack by Jon Mirsalis is wonderful and appropriate. If you love silent film or science fiction, give Woman in the Moon consideration, it will reward you.Movie Review: Wow
Summary: 5 Stars
Perhaps so soon after Metropolis, you'd expect nothing less than another great silent film from Fritz Lang: especially since this one was not done on a shoe-string budget. But even given that thought, this film exceeded my expectations. It's still a gripping tale with special effects that are fascinating to see and actually have an effect. I found myself wishing that, for one night, I could become a member of the population that saw it for the first time in theaters. What it would have felt like as they were about to land on the moon!!! Obviously, many stories and films have re-used the characters in one way or another - but this original hasn't lost any of its impact on that account.Movie Review: "Never" does not exist for the human mind... only "Not yet"--Note at the beginning of "Woman In The Moon."
Summary: 4 Stars
This Fritz Lang film was of great interest to me because it includes two actors I would seek out movies just to see them in based on their work in other films: Fritz Rasp, who I was very impressed by his performance in "Warning Shadows" (he was also in "Metropolis"), and Gustav von Wangenheim who was also in "Warning Shadows" and is forever immortalized as Hutter in the Murnau classic "Nosferatu." "Frau Im Mond" also seemed intriguing because it was a late silent (1929--when technology had evolved quite a bit from the early days) with a science fiction theme. How did imaginations view space travel and the moon 40 years before the moon landing? You'll find out here.
First off, this film is LONG. It's over 2 1/2 hours and, as interesting the storyline and as visually appealing as it was, I couldn't watch the whole thing in one sitting. It dragged the first time I watch it but, the second time (also in two blocks) I enjoyed it a lot more. Here's the basic premise of the story without giving away any spoilers: Head of Helius Flight Hangars, Wolf Helius, (played by Willy Fritsch whose serious look and demeanor reminds me of Richard Barthelmess) visits professor Manfeldt who has just thrown out a man named Turner who wanted a manuscript (the lifelong work of Manfeldt's) as a curiosity. Played by a 45 year old Klaus Pohl, Manfeldt is made to look like a disheveled old man starving in a hovel. Decades earlier he was laughed out of his profession when he publicly announced his treatise that there is gold on the moon. Helius decides he wants to go to the moon to test Manfeldt's theory, so the professor entrusts the manuscript with him.
Meanwhile, as a side issue, Helius finds out his chief engineer, Hans Windegger (Wangenheim), has become engaged to a student of astronomy, Friede Velten. Foreshadowing that this union might be less than perfect, the engagement ring was too big for even her thumb; what was he thinking? Although Friede means "Peace" in German, she is the center of some tension as Helius is also in love with her and Friede's thoughts seem often preoccupied with Helius even though she accepted the marriage proposal from the impulsive, intense Windegger.
Back to the matter at hand: Turner, who turns out to be quite the master of disguise--gets his hands on the manuscript as well as a spaceship model, plans, film and photos taken from an H32 rocket of the opposite side of the moon from Helius's safe. Turner, it turns out, is working for a powerful group of four business men and a woman who smokes a cigar who want control of the moon gold. Turner blackmails Helius into giving him a seat on the ship.
The setting throughout the film is very cool from the super high doors in Helius's apartment complex to the elaborate launch with the frantic crowds, announcer, and huge rocket ship and launching pad not to mention the moon scenes. There are behind-the-scenes photos showing the making of these sets as a bonus feature on this disc and they are very impressive. I can't imagine how much money and people it took to create them. The launch was very creative as the ship was submerged in water because it was so light. There is also a countdown to launch and off goes the spaceship with Helius, Windegger, Friede, Turner, Manfeldt and his pet mouse Josephine as well as a stowaway they won't find until later. The ship itself has straps throughout the interior for the astronauts to step in during zero gravity (strangely, their hair stays in place). The effects on space travel on the astronauts' bodies (in casual clothes--I guess they could save money on space suits) are dramatic. Turner has a particularly wrenching time. Once on the moon, what will they find? I won't give it away but finding gold may be the least of their worries.
The acting is, for the most part, excellent. Wangenheim (who is known for being a bit overly dramatic in "Nosferatu") doesn't disappoint here. He really lets the emotions fly. Rasp, who had an evil streak in "Warning Shadows," is freaky evil in this film. He dresses like a Fascist and even sports a Hitler haircut! Hitler hadn't even become Chancellor yet! Crazy! (Note: Wangenheim was a devoted Communist and very anti-Nazi and would defect to the Soviet Union when Hitler came to power). Gerde Maurus (who played Friede) had a subtle style which worked well for her character who, emotionally, proves the strongest of them all. All the main actors and director Lang had long careers and, save for Maurus, lived well past middle age. Most lived to see the actual moon landing. I highly recommend this movie. It is worth the time to see the amazing sets, intriguing storyline, and some people's views on space travel when it was still only the subject of fiction.