When the very first Lunar Expedition reaches the Moon, they are
stunned to find an old Union Jack flag on the lunar surface. Along with the flag
is a note, dated 1899, which claims the moon for Queen Victoria. The United
Nations, which is understandably confused, sends a team to England to
investigate Katherine Calender and Arnold Bedford, two of the names found on the
sheet of paper. Finding Bedford in a nursing home, they show him photos of the
flag and note, and he instantly recognizes them as items that he and the other
members left on the moon when they were there 65 years ago. And so begins a flashback to 1899, and the adventures
of the very first expedition on the moon. Kate Calender (Martha Hyer), Arnold
Bedford (Edward Judd), and Professor Joseph Cavor (Lionel Jefferies), the
inventor of Cavorite.
Cavorite is a substance that "blocks" the effects of gravity. When it’s painted
onto the surface of an object, the Cavorite (after it hardens) makes the
object--such as Cavor’s sphere-shaped spaceship--weightless to the point that it
soars right into outer space. Once on the moon the trio encounter a subterranean,
insect-like race known as the Selenites, and it’s here--about an hour and 13
minutes into the film, that Ray Harryhausen’s special effects can finally be
seen. The problem is you have to sit through a sagging middle section of the
film that’s loaded with lame, unfunny humor and shallow characterization. The
special features on the DVD include "This Is Dynamation" a short publicity film
released in the 1960s which describes (in not very good detail) Ray
Harryhausen’s special effects work. There's also a photo gallery.
There’s a far better one hour documentary about Harryhausen from the 1990s,
which covers his entire career and is loaded with film clips and interviews.
And I should mention that the picture and sound on the DVD are superb. Released in 1964, fives years before Neil Armstrong took his legendary first
step on the moon, First Men In The Moon is still a fun flight of fancy. Harryhausen’s
effects are marvelous, as always, and once they kick in First Men in The Moon
really takes off. Yet, with its silly, slapstick humor, it’s probably better
suited for small children. --SF
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