The Astronomers Dream (1898) Georges Méliès

This early silent film was created/directed by Georges Méliès and was released in France under the name, "La lune à un mètre," in 1898.

In the film an astronomer is studying at his desk in an observatory. The devil appears, then a woman appears and makes the devil and herself vanish. The astronomer draws a globe on a blackboard which comes to life and starts to move on the blackboard. The astronomer then looks through a small telescope.

The moon appears as a large face and eats the astronomer's telescope. Men tumble from its mouth. Then the moon is back in the sky. The astronomer stands on a table, which disappears and he falls down.

The moon becomes a crescent. A spirit, in the form of a lady, appears from it. The astronomer chases her, but she eludes him. Now another figure stands in the crescent of the moon, before reclining into its C shape.

The moon appears as a large face again, and the astronomer jumps into its mouth and a woman and the devil appear again. The astronomer reappears sitting asleep in his chair.

[Eleni_E]

I like the implication that all astronomers do their work in wizard hats. Clearly this is a tradition that needs to be brought back!

[ErdoganBal.]

To be able to make a film like this in 1898 is truly an amazing achievement.

[asmodeojung]

117 years after it is still creepy as hell. That moon face I will never forget.

[everestcanyon]

SECRET: This is actually a Prequel to Trip to the Moon, where they fly to the Moon to smash it's eye out in revenge for eating him.

[gloriahanes]

0:13 Georges Melies' wife who appeared in all his films you will notice her in every single silent film no matter how small the role. George Melies also designed his own props and stage sets, and you will find objects disappear and reappear this is because he was a great magician by trade and his wife his assistant. Also, he is the bearded man in this film as he played a character in all his silent films. See the movie "Hugo" if you want to know more about Georges Melies. Enjoy!

[DeadEyedTye]

Very astonishing. Just imagine seeing this in the 1898, they probably thought this was the greatest thing in the world.

[jacobquiroga]

This film definitely looked like it was ahead of it's time!!! Now that it's 2023, this film is now 125 years old!!! 😱😱😱

[jamesdevine]

I find this film oddly comforting; such an imaginative short that inspires the imagination and makes you think about just how wonderful film can really be. Then again, most of Georges Melies' surviving films have that effect. :)

[rotciv]

Georges Méliès is one of the best examples to showcase the power of ingenuity.

When you have no past examples to base your work upon and all you possess is your mind and creativity, you can really do wonderful things.

[universal]

I love old shorts like this if was not for stuff like this we never have what we have today

[koelael]

My great great great grandmother was 20 when this film came out.

[tomcata]

Amazingly sophisticated and entertaining given the fact that this was at the dawn of film making....a man ahead of his time, Georges

[Mr.Atari]

It's 2020.
Me: *Proceeds to watch 122 year old film*

[beachedbum]

So, it's a warm summers' evening in Paris 1898. Your girlfriend/wife/mistress has just spent an hour and a half getting dressed in 5 layers of corsets and bloomers. You rode in a horse drawn carriage across the city for a fine dinner of snails and blood-sausage and then you go to the theater to see a 3 minute, 30 second film and head back home for the evening.

[corbanrdl]

I love the simplicity of these old films. They just had an idea they thought was fun and executed it

[metamorphony]

I never had this reaction to anything ever, but silent black and white movies just give me small tingles in my heart, it has a soothing effect. I just breath as I feel my BPM dropping. Anyone else?

[fransiscoscaramanga]

this is 1898? damn, this footage looks a lot better than a lot of today's security

[rongendron]

At age 13, in 1959, I got my first Kodak' brownie' movie camera & projector (still have them) & proceeded to make
3 minute, silent 'movies', with plots, using my teenage friends as actors! In only a few minutes, with care, an entire
story could be told! / George Melies was a genius in being able to do this, since he had no predecessors, in 1898!
(p.s. In 1964, my 'bunk mate' in Army Basic training was Terry Gilliam, who would go on to "Monty Python" fame &
to direct movies reminiscent of George Melies' films!)

[caspence]

How I would love to know how the audience reacted to this in 1898. I'm sure they were spellbound, but I wonder if they were as freaked out by that weird, chomping moon as I am 120 years later.

[a.m-j]

If there was a child right in front of you, what would you do ?

George Méliès: 1:32