First Men in the Moon (1964)
Directed by Nathan Juran

Film Review

One of the most impressive British science-fiction films of the 1960s is this faithful adaptation of H.G. Wells' 1901 novel The First Men in the Moon, just one of many collaborations between producer Charles H. Schneer and special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen. Schneer and Harryhausen had already made The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and would notch up several subsequent hits, including The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), and Clash of the Titans (1981).  First Men in the Moon may not be as well-known as Harryhausen's myth-based fantasties but, visually, it is every bit as laudable, one of the finest screen adaptations of an H.G. Wells story. 

The film is imaginatively directed by Nathan Juran, who had previously worked with Harryhausen on 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), and the screenplay was contributed by none other than Nigel Kneale, famous for his 1950s Quatermass serials for BBC television. Wilkie Cooper turns in some of his best work as cinematographer and the score was provided by Laurie Johnson, who composed some of the most memorable of themes for British television, including The Avengers, Jason King and The Professionals.

First Men in the Moon belongs to the better stratum of Ray Harryhausen films in which the actors are not totally outstaged by the special effects. Lionel Jeffries is at his comedic best as the eccentric Victorian professor, a convincing and likeable portrayal that is in perfect sympathy with the slightly humorous tone of the film.  Edward Judd makes an effective sidekick to Jeffries' professor - not your conventional square-jawed action hero but something much more prosaic: a moody, self-interested little man who simply wants to survive.  Martha Hyer provides a welcome feminine presence, although her role in the plot is minimal.  The dialogue and the performances are superior for a fantasy film of this era, and this partly explains why it has stood the test of time better than most.

Of course, the film's main attraction is its effects wizardry, to which Ray Harryhausen clearly had a large input.  Stop motion animation had been used since the 1930s, so by this stage it become a refined art and the quality of the effects in this film are comparable to anything that can be produced today (far more easily) using computer graphics.  From the cute little insectoid Selenites to the fierce gigantic Moon Cows, Harryhausen's animated creations never fail to impress, dispelling the oft-repeated lie that there was no decent film fantasy before George Lucas's Star Wars (1977).  An enjoyable, imagination-stretching romp, First Men in the Moon is proof positive that film sci-fi was alive and well, way before all those effects-saturated blockbusters showed up in the late 1970s.  More importantly, it shows that you don't need a massive Hollywood budget to create a visually impressive science-fiction movie.  What matters most is the skill and imagination of the technical crew, and in that department Ray Harryhausen was unsurpassed.

Film Synopsis

In 1964, the United Nations Space Agency successfully lands a manned rocket on the moon, but the astronauts are surprised to discover a British flag and a note from someone named Katherine Callender claiming the moon for Her Majesty Queen Victoria.   Anxious to find out more about this earlier, unpublicised trip to the moon, the UN officials set about trying to find the note's author, only to discover that she died some time ago.  Her husband, Arnold Bedford, is still alive, living in a retirement home in England.  Reluctantly, Bedford tells his fantastic story.  In 1899, he was an aspiring young writer who had just rented a house in the country to work on his next play.  His nextdoor neighbour is an eccentric inventor, Professor Cavor, who claims to have invented a compound, Cavorite, that can shield solid objects from the force of gravity.  To test his theory, Cavor has built a spherical vessel which he believes he can pilot to the moon and back with his remarkable invention.  With creditors breathing down his neck, Bedford is quick to see the commercial possibilities of Cavorite and agrees to accompany the professor on his expedition.  His girlfriend Kate stumbles aboard the spaceship just before take off and within a few days the party has landed safely on the moon.  As they explore the lunar surface, Cavor and Bedford come across an opening that leads to a vast underground city.  Here they encounter weird insect-like creatures, Selenites, who are eager to dismantle their craft to discover its secrets.  Bedford realises that unless they fight back he and his friends could be trapped on the moon forever, but Cavor's scientific curiosity soon gets the better of him...