Frau im Mond

Yes, the obvious go-to point for any Fritz Lang review will be 'Metropolis'. Especially when dealing with early 20th century effects, such as you'd expect from a science-fiction movie like this. So comparing these 2 films is very understandable. However, to do so would be an injustice to this (or any other film). Let this movie stand and fall by its own merits.

Something none of the other reviews have mentioned is how great the cinemography is, especially in the first half. There are lots of great stylistic touches, many of which will be missed.

While the (silent) acting is generally quite reasonable, Mr Turner's first scene is acted brilliantly, complemented by good use of wardrobe and hairstyling. It's a pity that after such a good entrance, that the character is not properly developed as I believe he could have been a stand-out movie villain.

In fact, of all the quibbles I have with the film, the only 2 that truly stand out are 1) it's too long for such a simple narrative and 2) the plot begins to drift off and become lackadaisical after they launch off.

As others have mentioned, Lang put real thought into the scientific details and, while he gets some points very wrong, he's created a decent representation using the knowledge of the time. It's just a pity that he couldn't have put as much effort into plot development.

'Frau im Mond' is shockingly accurate in its depiction of aeronautical technology, predating NASA by thirty years! Surely this film must have had an influence. The slow tracking of the upright rocket to the launchpad, the vertiginous design of the capsule, the separation of the rockets after launch... it's a marvel as equal to that of Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968).

Admittedly, Lang's work is slow in comparison to today's razzle-dazzle SF film, and some of the science will seem juvenile from a 21st century perspective, but bear in the mind the historical context of its production and this silent film will mesmerize.

much better than i expected, a good adventure story only wish it had a proper musical score as the tinkling piano doesn't do the film justice!

It is surprising how long silent films could be. Here we have a massive work by Fritz Lang - it points forward to his monumental Metropolis as well as to the vast development of rocket science - which it helped to drive towards the V2 in Germany and to genuine moon landings in our own day. People like Werner von Braun and Hitler were inspired. Perhaps most of its interest ultimately lies there; Frtiz Lang had the collaborrative advice of Hermann Oberth and we therefore get sound foresights to the use a three stage rocket which reaches lunar orbit, sweeps low over fields of craters and uses retro rockets to land in a dusty landscape. The rocket's internal layout matches practical realities. We see vital use of oxygen tanks, crew in a nose capsule, very primitive acceleration couches ... all there. The accompanying 'documentary' shows impressive similarities to the first real lunar landing. Naturally, in a popular film, many things that are technically possible are mere caricatures. Questions about provision of reaction mass, control of payload, sense in mining gold on the moon, sealing and shielding should not be asked! Beyond the rocketry, the film becomes subject to a plot with a love tangle, vicious industrial espionage, a quintessential mad professor - with pet mouse Josephine - and so on.

Now: within a couple of years the silent film had reached its highest development before giving way to often less sophisticated talking films - a different art form. Frau im Monde (1928) has weaknesses. Compare Fritz Lang's monumental and superb Metropolis (1929) for a better focussed plot - though in Frau im Monde we do see masterly use of huge scene settings and vast crowd scenes. Compare Piccadilly (1928) for more refined and subtle silent acting and an intelligent musical score: those were the apogee of the silent film. In Frau im Monde the plot is rather poorly cobbled together from ill fitting routine ideas - it was not wholly under Fritz Lang's control. The musical accompaniment is routine and unimaginative - it had to go on for two and a half hours, after all. There is serious over acting - compare Piccadilly: more ruthless cutting of extended scenes might have been wise. Not a great film, but a very interesting one indeed.

This is a great film, especially the lead up to the lift-off. For a German film made 40 years before the real moon landing its well worth a look. Suprisingly accurate. I like the 'art deco' style/fashion as well in the scenes.