This legendary film stunned audiences with its lengthy running time - a full 21 minutes! The plot-line, liberally borrowed from both Wells and Verne, involved a ship fired from a giant cannon visiting a personified moon. The amazing sets and special effects - particularly the use of double exposure - were the real stars however.
A silent masterpiece of sweeping influence. This Russian film based on the Alexei Tolstoy novel tells the story of a politically-frustrated engineer who builds a spaceship and goes to Mars. With the love and support of the queen Aelita he leads a proletariat uprising. Notable for its stunning constructivist sets, the film was suppressed for a time after it fell out of favour with the Soviet government.
Woman in the Moon D: Fritz Lang (1929) 156/97m
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Although this film pales in comparison to Lang's Metropolis, it is memorable for its brilliant sets and effects. A crew travels to the moon in a spaceship to mine gold. The original cut was unbearably long, but novel ideas like a launch countdown added some tension. Lang's last silent film and enough zip to be censored by the Nazis.
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde D: Rouben Mamoulian (1931) 97m
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Along with Frankenstein, this movie kicked off a wave of top-notch 1930s SF horror films. Easily the truest cinematic version the Robert Louis Stevenson story, Frederic March is superb as the split-personality doctor. Censorship regulations toned down the mistress/sex-slave angle in the almost-as-good 1941 MGM re-make.
Frankenstein D: James Whale (1931) 71m
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Then-unknown actor Boris Karloff got the gig as Frankenstein's monster when Bela Lugosi knocked it back, launching a legendary career in horror films. Based on Mary Shelley's classic novel, the now-familiar tale of a misguided scientist who creates a living being from body parts was a prototype for a host of films that came after it.
The Invisible Man D: James Whale (1933) 71m
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The movie that made Claude Rains an international star, even though we only actually saw him for a few seconds. US production that semi-successfully tries to stay true to Wells by setting the action in England. Fully-bandaged transparency-afflicted doctor shows up at country inn. He goes nuts and turns to murderous crime.
The Bride of Frankenstein D: James Whale (1935) 75m
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Superior sequel to the 1931 original. Frankenstein is persuaded by a colleague to create a mate for his earlier stitch-job. The female of the species, however, doesn't look too bad and rejects her intended - causing him to go on a rampage. Homage is paid to Frankenstein author Mary Shelley and Boris Karloff is superb.
Some stunning sci-fi vistas, although a bit plodding at times. Another H G Wells vision of the future - starting with the decades long World War II, to the rise of warlords, and finally to a somewhat sterile high-tech society in the year 2036. The sheer scale of production opened up countless possibilities for future sci-fi film-makers.
