Le Voyage dans la Lune
Various Composers
" there is potential that all composers I know approached trivially. "Written by Joep de Bruijn - Review of the music as heard in the movie
La Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon, 1902) is a short silent science fiction film directed by Georges Méliès, who, alongside the Lumière brothers, had the most significant impact on the inception of cinema.
Despite the historical context, it is complicated to ascertain its value nowadays, as I have an extremely limited appreciation for films from the silent era, including most of their original scores and their presumably endless array of never-recorded live interpretations.
In the silent era, numerous directors, including Georges Méliès, said they welcomed newly created scores for their films in the upcoming eras. Later, silent films such as Bronenosets Potyomkin (Battleship Potemkin) by Sergei M. Eisenstein and Dziga Vertov's Chelovek s kino-apparatom (Man with a Film Camera) still impress entirely as films, even with several different musical scores. Bronenosets Potyomkin, at its 1925 German film premiere, featured a decent score by Edmund Meisel, one of the few decent scores of the entire silent era. However, Russian classical works for the martial rhythm of war and the iconic Odessa steps sequence represent a unique breed.
A couple of different versions of La Voyage dans la Lune exist, of which the most recently coloured ,restored and slightly extended version upon theatrical release used an original score by the French pop group Air. Also, a conceptual album inspired by the film was published, including some of the music featured in the film.
There was presumably a first actual original score written for the film, as requested by the director through befriended British composer Ezra Read in 1903, somewhere in the period in which the film toured across cities and beyond, such as the even earlier films of the Lumière brothers.
By now, I have experienced five theatrical viewings of La Voyage Dans la Lune, with live performances or integrated "original" music, but the one screening that appealed the most featured the rattling sound of a 35mm projector and no music at all. Additionally, I have experienced a few dozen versions with different music. There is not a single one that I like: Ezra Read's version is piano-based dullness, a modern take by Air has some potential in its electronics but fails, and even the great-grandson of the director, Lawrence Lehérissey, provides uninteresting music.
Consciously, I do not go into great detail about some of the music; likely, at least hundreds of forgettable scores have been composed and lively performed. But foremost, I find solace in the strenght in the silence of a silent film that, while influential, does not make me feel connected at all.
Last but not least, given an earlier puzzling remark by some of the silent-age filmmakers accepting others composing new music, I do wonder if they heard all the music performed to their films; it is uncertain, but it is doubtful they would appreciate all these different musical approaches.
In evaluating the film and what music could do, there is constraint, especially in the adventure once on the moon and a few short, signature images, there is potential that all composers I know approached trivially.
(05-09-2026)
Despite the historical context, it is complicated to ascertain its value nowadays, as I have an extremely limited appreciation for films from the silent era, including most of their original scores and their presumably endless array of never-recorded live interpretations.
In the silent era, numerous directors, including Georges Méliès, said they welcomed newly created scores for their films in the upcoming eras. Later, silent films such as Bronenosets Potyomkin (Battleship Potemkin) by Sergei M. Eisenstein and Dziga Vertov's Chelovek s kino-apparatom (Man with a Film Camera) still impress entirely as films, even with several different musical scores. Bronenosets Potyomkin, at its 1925 German film premiere, featured a decent score by Edmund Meisel, one of the few decent scores of the entire silent era. However, Russian classical works for the martial rhythm of war and the iconic Odessa steps sequence represent a unique breed.
A couple of different versions of La Voyage dans la Lune exist, of which the most recently coloured ,restored and slightly extended version upon theatrical release used an original score by the French pop group Air. Also, a conceptual album inspired by the film was published, including some of the music featured in the film.
There was presumably a first actual original score written for the film, as requested by the director through befriended British composer Ezra Read in 1903, somewhere in the period in which the film toured across cities and beyond, such as the even earlier films of the Lumière brothers.
By now, I have experienced five theatrical viewings of La Voyage Dans la Lune, with live performances or integrated "original" music, but the one screening that appealed the most featured the rattling sound of a 35mm projector and no music at all. Additionally, I have experienced a few dozen versions with different music. There is not a single one that I like: Ezra Read's version is piano-based dullness, a modern take by Air has some potential in its electronics but fails, and even the great-grandson of the director, Lawrence Lehérissey, provides uninteresting music.
Consciously, I do not go into great detail about some of the music; likely, at least hundreds of forgettable scores have been composed and lively performed. But foremost, I find solace in the strenght in the silence of a silent film that, while influential, does not make me feel connected at all.
Last but not least, given an earlier puzzling remark by some of the silent-age filmmakers accepting others composing new music, I do wonder if they heard all the music performed to their films; it is uncertain, but it is doubtful they would appreciate all these different musical approaches.
In evaluating the film and what music could do, there is constraint, especially in the adventure once on the moon and a few short, signature images, there is potential that all composers I know approached trivially.
(05-09-2026)