It's funny that until recently I hadn't heard of this film even though I am a huge fan of silent films and talkies. This is even more surprising because the film was so good--being one of the very best early sci-fi films. In fact, aside from director Lang's more famous METROPOLIS, it is probably the best full-length silent sci-fi film you can find. And in so many ways it is very unlike METROPOLIS because the film seems rather plausible! It seemed that those who made WOMAN IN THE MOON really wanted to make a film that looked like a realistic film about the first moon landing. Considering that the film came out in 1929, I think it did a really good job of trying to get it right. Of course, the details weren't exactly right, but you could sure tell that Lang consulted with astrophysicists and other scientists to get it as close as they could to reality. The actual take-off, for example, was simply breath-taking--looking pretty realistic and using models that looked amazingly real even today!! Seeing the enormous-looking rocket being ferried to the launchpad was spectacular and just plain cool.
While this attention to details COULD have made the film very dull and documentary-like, the addition of the subplots really lifted it in mood and made it very engaging. The hero of the story and his mentor are actually threatened by a cartel of five evil robber barons who want to take over this private space program! So, out of a desire not to be killed, they are forced to take along an agent of this cartel--who turns out to be destined to wipe out all those on the ship and take back gobs of gold to his evil masters! As a result, the film was infused with some excellent action and suspense.
So my final verdict is that this silent film is simply amazing and worth seeing by anyone who is patient enough to watch a silent film without whining. Plus, historically speaking, this film is a true treasure--see it an be amazed.
While this attention to details COULD have made the film very dull and documentary-like, the addition of the subplots really lifted it in mood and made it very engaging. The hero of the story and his mentor are actually threatened by a cartel of five evil robber barons who want to take over this private space program! So, out of a desire not to be killed, they are forced to take along an agent of this cartel--who turns out to be destined to wipe out all those on the ship and take back gobs of gold to his evil masters! As a result, the film was infused with some excellent action and suspense.
So my final verdict is that this silent film is simply amazing and worth seeing by anyone who is patient enough to watch a silent film without whining. Plus, historically speaking, this film is a true treasure--see it an be amazed.