Popular reviews

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  Review by rischka ★★★★

  fritz lang made many famous films in america but i'll always prefer the fantastical silent epics he made in pre-war germany with his then-wife (and future national socialist) thea von harbou as screenwriter. lang's last silent, 'frau im mond,' is often heralded as the first scientifically plausible sci-fi film. unfairly overshadowed by the flashier 'metropolis,' it's an eminently enjoyable melodrama clearly inspired by comics and pulp fiction adventure tales, which lang collected. the outsized characters include an entrepreneur and his assistant, both in love with the female scientist who insists on accompanying them on their trip, a half-mad professor whose theories about moongold inspired the project, the devious henchman for a gang of international capitalists out to hijack the mission,…

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  Review by Double_Dubs ★★★★★

  A charming, heart-stopping, and finally hauntingly beautiful ode to the starry-eyed fantasies and unbound ambitions of man… as well as an austere study of science’s terribly risky yet sadly necessary relationship with the evil of greed. Besides being a jaw-dropping adventure, especially with the first countdown to launch, Woman in the Moon also works as a character study that delves into the mind of a scientist, who's stubborn in his ambition yet, at heart, perhaps doing what he does for a hopelessly unrequited love.

  All the characters are fantastic and memorable; I just loved being around them all. (Well, perhaps with the minor exception of a small child that just had to be put in this film, but one that…

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  Review by Darren Carver-Balsiger ★★★½ 2

  Silent Summer

  By 1929, silent film really was the superior form of cinema. Its storytelling abilities were unmatched compared to the sound films just coming in. So a film like Woman in the Moon is so fluid, dynamic, and compelling that it seems a decade ahead of its time despite the lack of sound.

  This is a serious sci-fi movie and not some b-movie pulp. Rockets are treated with respect and the film presents interesting scientific theories and hypotheticals. The science is shown in great detail, presumably because the 1920s audience had less of a conception of space travel as a narrative trope. Clearly a lot of time was spent thinking about science and logistics when making Woman in the…

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  Review by Owen ★★★½ 5

  A really hard one to review as there is no denying that it was more of a slog than Metropolis, Spies or Dr Mabuse, the unveiling and launch of the rocket seems to happen in real time, spectacular, scientifically detailed real time but still real time. But it was still enjoyable with a lot of real highlights, including that rocket launch, which shares so much with familiar real life 60s space race images that you get quite taken aback when you remember when this was made.

  It's an intriguing piece of science fiction, there is a lot of time spent on pressure and the dangers of space travel, and the plot revolves around them having enough oxygen for the crew…

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  Review by MichaelEternity ★★★ 2

  Even when it's a fun genre I'm always drawn to like science fiction, nearly three hours of silent film is hard to take, and the title of this one by Fritz Lang is a mislead, as the lady on the ship crew heading to the moon barely even has a subplot to play with (she's part of a love triangle, the end), let alone the primary thrust of this story justifying its very moniker. Consider this more like a closer-to-scientifically-plausible and soap opera-y "Le Voyage dans la Lune". Over half the 170 minutes takes place on Earth, showing the impetus for this voyage (gotta collect that moon gold!), some complications (villains blackmail their way aboard!) and the intricate preparation process…

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  Review by James ★★★★

  Fritz Lang's only other science fiction film other than the world renowned Metropolis is the underseen and long forgotten Woman in the Moon, considered by many as the first attempt at realism in the depiction of space travel.

  At nearly three hours in length, Lang's passion for documentary style detail is allowed to run wild over the course of this epic. Partly pulp fiction and partly in the domain of believability, it eerily predicts many aspects of the moon landings that would become a reality forty years later, such as the countdown before liftoff and jettisoning unneeded weight after takeoff, however it rapidly departs from credibility the minute the moon is reached e.g. the first priority upon landing is to…

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  Review by Krautsalat ★★★★

  5 Directors x 5 Unseen Films - Round VI: Film #19

  I believe Josefine needs some cognac.

  The early days of space travel, when you would only pack the most important things, such as mice, booze and comic books.

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  Review by Dawson Joyce ★★★★★

  February 2019
  Scavenger Hunt #47
  TASK #7: A silent film in your favorite genre!

  Celebrated director Fritz Lang returns to science fiction two years after Metropolis to bring us Woman in the Moon, one of the most magnificent and criminally overlooked examples of the genre I've ever witnessed, working not only as a jaw-dropping space fantasy adventure but also as a haunting and thought-provoking character study.

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  Review by russman ★★★★

  But we all know that the moon is made of cheese, not gold

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  Review by AntoniusBlock7 ★★★★½ 2

  Oh my goodness, I loved geeking out on this one. It tickled me so much. It takes a little while to get to the point that the rocket ship blasts off, but it’s worth it. I loved how the motivation behind the espionage was a handful of rich businessmen who wanted to make sure the world’s supply of gold was under their control, so they send out the guy with the Hitler haircut to subvert the scientists. There are so many wonderful little moments on the journey and then on the moon, one of which is a weightless effect. The film is prescient in a lot of ways, including the flight path, multistage rocket, and that Earthrise-like scene. Other bits…

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  Review by erictacular ★★★½

  Tired: Kubrick directed the moon landing
  Wired: Lang directed the moon landing

  Notes:
  -Wolf Helius = Cool Nameius
  -Walt Turner, master of disguise
  -Originated the countdown from 10 to zero?

  Alternate Titles:
  -Moontropolis
  -M (for Moon)
  -When a Man Loves a Woman (in the Moon)
  -Moon of the Wolf
  -Moonstruck
  -Moonrise Kingdom

  Simpsons Quote:
  -Royce McCutcheon: “You’ll be on a rocket ride to the moon. And while you’re there, would you pick up some of that nice green moon money for me-- Royce McCutcheon?”
  -Homer: “No deal, McCutcheon. That moon money is mine”

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  Review by Jim Morrow ★★★★

  One of, if not the first science fiction films that had some actual fact-based science to draw from. Lang worked with actual rocket scientists to get a better understanding of both rocket flight and the rockets themselves. The result is pretty impressive for a film made in 1928-29. Once they get to the moon, the science is in the rearview mirror, but the set is pretty impressive.
  Overall, this is not one of Lang's best, but that is mainly because it is very long, too long for the story. He tries to tie the moon trip story into a Mabuse-like plot involving brilliant criminal financiers that seem to have planned for every possible scenario, and it takes a full hour…