Le voyage dans la lune/A Trip to the Moon (1902) directed by Georges Melies
In an elaborate restoration completed in 2011, Georges Melies seminal science fiction short is presented with restored color and an original sound track by Jeff Mills (available on Kanopy). Six wizardish scientists are ready to go on a trip to the moon in a bullet-like capsule fired by a canon. At first they resist their head professor's assertion that they can go, but go they do and have a fantastic adventure. They run into a tribe of Moon People and are brought to their leader. They soon break free and flee back to Earth with one of the Moon Men jumping on the capsule at the last second. Back home they are feted with a parade and show off the Moon Man.
The movie is a charming fantasy not really based on science (maybe it's based on scientific assumptions of the time?). It's a fun and elaborate show, much like today's Jurassic Park movies or James Cameron's Avatar series. In that spirit, it is an enjoyable show and the restoration is amazing. I was surprised that it had no title cards (and thus no dialogue) but the story is easy to follow just on the visuals. Some of them are iconic, like the man in the moon with a rocket in his eye.
Highly recommended--this is a classic of early cinema for a reason.
The Great Train Robbery (1903) co-written and directed by Edwin S. Porter
Thomas Edison's film studio produced hundreds of movie shorts. The most famous one is The Great Train Robbery. Robbers show up at a train station, knock out the station manager, then board a train. After a few miles, they take over the engine, stop the train, and disconnect the engine. All the passengers are taken out and their valuables collected. Then the robbers flee with just the engine. Someone finally shows up at the station and unties the manager, who gets the law involved. There's a chase that ends with a shootout between the robbers and the cops.
The movie has a good sustained narrative and provides a lot of dramatic action in a twelve-minute run time. The famous ending image of a robber facing the camera, drawing his pistol, and firing is a classic visual. Along with the previous film, it shows the possibilities of longer form narratives in film and the greater creativity that would explode in the coming decades.
Highly recommended--another classic.
Le Ballon Rouge/The Red Balloon (1956) written and directed by Albert Lamorisse
This famous short (though at 34 minutes, this is the longest film here) shows a young boy who finds a red balloon in his Paris neighborhood. He takes it with him, it follows him around, it drifts away and comes back. He goes to school and home and along the streets, running into a variety of people with a variety of reactions to the balloon, from ignoring it to wanting it for themselves.
The movie has almost no dialogue. The atmosphere is both grounded and whimsically fantastic. A playful relationship develops between the boy and his balloon that ends with a delightful moment of transcendence. On paper, the idea makes little sense and seems like it would never work, but the straightforward and unfussy visuals pair with the amazing and unbelievable movement of the balloon in a surreal and delightful way. I found it hard not to be charmed by the film.
Recommended.
Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB (1967) written and directed by George Lucas
This USC Film project by then student George Lucas shows THX 1138 4EB (Dan Nachtsheim), a futuristic human flee from his high-technology society which is also highly repressive. Most of the 15 minutes is shown stylistically from the view of those monitoring his escape. The sound showcases a lot of the audio processing Lucas would use later on Star Wars: A New Hope, which has a similar repressive central government.
The movie is like a rough draft for a longer movie Lucas would make later. This short is slow by today's standards and does not have a lot of action. It's more about sound production and editing than narrative. Even being a Star Wars fan, I found this only mildly interesting.
Barely recommended--this is more for George Lucas completists.
Hard to be a Vampire (2017) directed by Cristhian Orta
In just under ten minutes, this short tells the story of Vladimir (Cary Crankson), a 300-year old vampire who has been having a hard time. He met a girl in a bar, started dating her, eventually admitted his affliction, and she volunteered to become a vampire. They had 200 great years together until a vampire hunter killed her. Now, he's trying to live a regular human life which is not easy for him.
Vladimir is interviewed on camera for most of the film, like it is a documentary (definitely aping What We Do in the Shadows). The movie has no special effects--even his vampire fangs are cheap-looking (maybe white cardboard?!?). The story relies on his charm and honesty, even as it leans into the absurdity of the situation. The finale was entertaining and wrapped up things nicely. This could have easily overstayed its welcome but the short run time is a feature, not a bug.
Mildly recommended--a fun, low-budget vampire comedy.
Ik ben geen robot (2023) written and directed by Victoria Warmerdam
Lara (Ellen Parren) is a music producer whose computer program goes off line. She has to fill out a Captcha to prove she is not a robot so the software can update. After failing several attempts, she calls the customer service which is not helpful. She tries again, only to be presented with a "robot test" with several questions. She goes through with it and the computer tells her there's an 87% chance she is a robot. Things spiral out of control from there as she tries to make sense of what is going on.
The premise is a bit disturbing and taps into current anxieties about robots and artificial intelligence. It raises some interesting issues beyond the "is she or isn't she?" question that is central to the story. It's traumatic in good and bad ways.
Recommended.
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