
First Men in
the Moon (1964) was based on the H.G. Wells
book of the same name and is a rollicking adventure graced with
beautiful sets and the special effect magic of legendary stop-motion
animator Ray Harryhausen.
As man was already racing to the moon in real life, the
film opens with astronauts landing on the lunar surface, only to
discover a British flag and declaration that the moon has been already
been claimed in the name of Queen Victoria.
Investigators
track down the last surviving member of the Victorian crew,
90-some-year-old Arnold Bedford (Edward Judd). Bedford tells the story
of how he, his girlfriend Katherine Callender (Marthat Hyer) and
inventor Joseph Cavor (Lionel Jeffries) reached the moon in 1899 in a
sphere-shaped craft painted with Cavor's anti-gravity paste.
Once on the moon, they encounter the Selenites, a race
of ant-like creatures who live in crystal caverns and take the bold
explorers captive. But ultimately, man's presence spells diaster for
the ill-fated moon bugs.
Catch a ride on the
flying saucer back
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