Wednesday, February 15, 2023

I Talk a Movie from 1904

The Impossible Voyage, to be exact: 

If you ever seen the music video for Tonight, Tonight by the Smashing Pumpkins, you have a hint as to this short’s visual style.

At the end I’ll mention what else I saw yesterday but it fit my schedule best to see something short in length. As I hadn’t dipped into the silent world in awhile and Georges Meiles is someone who had only been experienced a few times before, that was the direction chosen.

This is a 20 minute production (an impressive length for the time) where by simply visuals, a voyage that is indeed impossible is taken. A society and its members take a trip around the world using fantastical vehicles; one of them has an unexpected and unintended destination: the Sun! The first few minutes of this do seem like a flex to show off the impressive visuals; considering that said visuals and the effects still look impressive now, I’ll allow it. What entails the rest of the journey won’t be spoiled by me. Did I mention that this is in color? Yes, so thankfully if you search hard enough copies in at least 720p can be found for streaming, which is of course how I checked it out.

Georges Meiles is a filmmaker who thankfully has received credit through the years for all his innovations. It even inspired the Smashing Pumpkins and their video for Tonight, Tonight. I’ve never been that much of an alternative fan and in recent years there have been various revelations which make me think that Billy Corgan is not a great human being or even someone I’d want to be friends with.. yet that music video makes a lot more sense to me now than it did then.

As for what else I saw on Valentine’s Day—naturally, it was the now yearly tradition of viewing the original My Bloody Valentine. That will always be a pretty good time.


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