View source for First Men in the Moon (1964 film)



{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The First Men in the Moon
| image          = FirstMenontheMoon.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Nathan Juran]]
| producer       = [[Charles H. Schneer]]
| screenplay     = [[Nigel Kneale]]<br />Jan Read
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[The First Men in the Moon]]''|[[H. G. Wells]]}}
| starring       = [[Edward Judd]]<br />[[Martha Hyer]]<br>[[Lionel Jeffries]]
| music          = [[Laurie Johnson]]
| cinematography = [[Wilkie Cooper]]
| editing        = [[Maurice Rootes]]
| studio         = Ameran Films
| distributor    = [[Columbia Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1964|08|06|UK|ref1=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://s386.photobucket.com/user/lasermagnetic/media/Hammer+Film+Album/Image3-13.jpg.html|title=Image (3)|website=Photobucket}}</ref>|df=y}}
| runtime        = 103 minutes
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = $1.6 million (US/Canada)<ref>"Big Rental Pictures of 1964", ''Variety'', 6 January 1965 p 39. Please note this figure is rentals accruing to distributors not total gross.</ref>
}}
'''''First Men in the Moon''''' (also known '''''H.G. Wells'''''' '''''First Men in the Moon''''') is a 1964 British [[science fiction film]] produced by [[Charles H. Schneer]], directed by [[Nathan Juran]], and starring [[Edward Judd]], [[Martha Hyer]] and [[Lionel Jeffries]].<ref name="BFIsearch">{{Cite web |title=First Men in the Moon |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150038615 |access-date=10 August 2024 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}}</ref> The film, distributed by [[Columbia Pictures]], is an adaptation by screenwriter [[Nigel Kneale]] of [[H. G. Wells]]' 1901 novel ''[[The First Men in the Moon]]''. [[Ray Harryhausen]] provided the [[Stop motion|stop-motion animation]] effects, which include the Selenites, giant caterpillar-like "Moon Cows" and the large-brained Grand Lunar.<ref name="juran">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/starlog_magazine-142/142#page/n57/mode/1up|first=Steve|last=Swires|title=Nathan Juran: The Fantasy Voyages of Jerry the Giant Killer Part Two|magazine=Starlog Magazine|issue=142|date= May 1989|pages=58}}</ref><ref>FIRST MEN IN THE MOON
Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 31, Iss. 360, (Jan 1, 1964): 134.</ref>

==Plot==
In 1964, the [[United Nations]] sends a rocket to the [[Moon]]. A multi-national group of astronauts land, believing themselves to be the first lunar explorers. However, they discover a battered [[Union Jack]] flag and a handwritten note, dated some 65 years earlier, claiming the Moon on behalf of [[Queen Victoria]].  The note is written on the back of a court summons for Katherine Callender from the village of [[Dymchurch]] in England.

The authorities discover that her widowed husband Arnold Bedford is still living, in a nursing home. The home's staff do not let him watch television reports of the Moon expedition because, according to the matron, it "excites him". Bedford's repeated lunar claims are dismissed as senile delusion. When the UN representatives question him, he tells them his story, which is shown in [[Flashback (narrative)|flashback]].

In 1899, Arnold Bedford lives in a romantic spot, Cherry Cottage, in Dymchurch. His fiancée, Katherine "Kate" Callender, arrives by car (driving herself). It is implied that Bedford is in financial difficulties by a letter about his rent being well past due. They meet a neighbour, inventor Joseph Cavor, who wants to buy the cottage, just in case his experiments should damage it. Kate agrees to sell on Bedford's behalf. Bedford begins spending time at Cavor's house. The inventor has developed a substance, [[Cavorite]], that will let anything to which it is applied or made from nullify the force of gravity. He plans to use it to travel to the Moon. Bedford has deeds drawn up and signed in Kate's name selling the cottage to Cavor (though he does not own it).

Cavor tempts Bedford by telling him there are gold nuggets on the Moon. He has built a spherical spaceship. There is an explosion at Cavor's house just as Kate arrives at the cottage. This is caused by Cavor's assistant, Gibbs, leaving for the local pub instead of watching the boiler used for processing the Cavorite. Kate brings some things for the trip, including an [[elephant gun]], to which Cavor comments, "Madam, the chances of bagging an elephant on the Moon are remote". But she gives Bedford an ultimatum: "Cavorite or me". Kate is served with a summons; she has been charged with selling a property she does not own. Kate angrily hammers on the outside of the sphere wanting to know what Bedford has done. Bedford and Cavor pull her inside just before the sphere launches.

They eventually crash land on the lunar surface. Both men don deep sea diving suits. While exploring, Bedford and Cavor fall down a shaft, where there is breathable air. They discover the [[Insectoids in science fiction|insectoid]] Selenites, living beneath the surface in large caverns. (Cavor coins this name for the creatures after the Greek goddess of the Moon, [[Selene]]). While being herded by them, Bedford attacks a group of Selenites out of fear, killing several, despite Cavor's horrified protests. After escaping, the two men discover that the sphere, still containing Kate, has been dragged into the underground city.

They are attacked by a giant caterpillar-like "Moon Bull", which pursues them until the Selenites dispatch it with their ray weapons. The Selenites quickly learn English and interrogate Cavor, who believes they wish to exchange scientific knowledge. Cavor speaks with the "Grand Lunar", their ruler. Bedford assumes that Cavor, and presumably all humanity, is on trial. He attempts to kill the Grand Lunar with the elephant gun, failing because of Cavor's interference. Bedford manages to find and board the sphere. Cavor refuses to go with him, for reasons he will not explain.

Bedford and Kate return to Earth. He states that they came down in the sea off the coast of [[Zanzibar]], their sphere sinking without trace. They swam ashore.

In the present, Bedford, the UN party, and newspaper reporters watch on television as the astronauts find the Selenites' underground city deserted and decaying. The city begins to crumble and collapse, forcing the astronauts to hastily retreat to the surface. Seconds later, the entire city is completely destroyed. The commentator speculates that the Selenites have succumbed to some disease to which they had no immunity. Bedford recalls, "Poor Cavor! He did have such a terrible cold".

==Cast==
[[File:Aa 26a claiming the moon.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The 1890s expedition claim the Moon for [[Queen Victoria]]]]
[[File:Aa 09a nasasuit flagfound.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The 1960s astronauts find Cavor's party's flag]]
* [[Edward Judd]] as Arnold Bedford
* [[Martha Hyer]] as Kate Callender
* [[Lionel Jeffries]] as Joseph Cavor
* [[Miles Malleson]] as Dymchurch registrar
* [[Norman Bird]] as Stuart
* [[Gladys Henson]] as nursing home matron
* [[Hugh McDermott (actor)|Hugh McDermott]] as Richard Challis, UN Space Agency
* [[Betty McDowall]] as Margaret Hoy, UN Space Agency
* [[Huw Thomas]]* as the first news announcer
* [[Valentine Dyall]]* as the second news announcer
* [[Erik Chitty]]* as Gibbs, Cavor's servant in Dymchurch
* [[Peter Finch]]* as the bailiff
* [[Marne Maitland]]* as Dr. Tok, UN Space Agency
<small>* Not credited on-screen.</small>

==Production==
===Development===
Harryhausen was planning on following ''[[Jason and the Argonauts (1963 film)|Jason and the Argonauts]]'' (1963) with a version of [[H. G. Wells|H.G. Wells]]' 1904 novel ''[[The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth]]'' when he met with writer [[Nigel Kneale]]. Harryhausen had long wanted to film Wells' ''The First Men in the Moon'' but producer Charles Schneer was not enthusiastic, in part due to worries about the film's period setting.  Ray remembered "Charles would look at me and bring up the same logical arguments, namely that there was no variety in it, and that space exploration had advanced to such a degree that it would seem difficult to make the story seem believable to modern audiences".<ref>[[Yours Retro]] magazine; Issue 75; June 2024; p.37</ref> Kneale thought it was an excellent idea.  Being also a fan of the novel, he came up with a brilliant concept:  a prologue and epilogue structure that would frame the story.  By using this argument, Nigel Kneale and Ray Harryhausen managed to persuade Schneer to make it{{sfn|Kinnard|1979|p=49}} as it solved the problem of Schneer's misgivings by bringing the storyline up to date, while still preserving the essence of Wells' story.<ref>[[Yours Retro]] magazine; Issue 75; June 2024; p. 37</ref>

Schneer said Kneale "is a very dour, straightforward, serious classicist. He was recognized in England as being the contemporary science-fiction 
screenwriter. I hired him because we needed his technical expertise. Then, we superimposed on that what we thought audiences 
would appreciate".<ref name="three">{{cite magazine|magazine=Starlog|url=https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-151|page=[https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-151/page/n69 70]|date=February 1990|title=Maestro of the Magic Tricks: Part Two of Interview with Charles Schneer|first=Steve|last=Swirde}}</ref>

Another writer was brought on to rework Kneale's script. According to Kneale: "They wanted to jazz it up, make it funnier than I had imagined". He says this inspired the casting of [[Lionel Jeffries]].{{sfn|Warren|1989|p=56}}

Kneale said in the book, Judd's character "was a blundering creature and it seemed important to keep that".<ref name="Warren p 62">{{harvnb|Warren|1989|p=62}}</ref> The writer says he knew that a country would get to the Moon relatively soon and discover there were no Selenites. This is why he added to the script that the Selenites were wiped out by a cold virus carried to the Moon by the professor, an idea Kneale says he took directly from ''[[The War of the Worlds]]''.<ref name="Warren p 62"/>

===Director===
This was the third collaboration between producer Charles Schneer and director Nathan Juran.<ref name="juran"/> Schneer said Juran "was an excellent man for what he did, but he wasn't an actor's director. Many of our actors were used to more help from a director than he gave them. They felt a little adrift when they were expected to get on with their work without any great directorial assist. Jerry wasn't very patient with actors. He couldn't tolerate actors who wanted to know what their character's motivation was. He wanted to get on with the job he was hired to do".<ref name="three"/>

===Casting===
Schneer cast Judd from his performance in ''[[The Day the Earth Caught Fire]]'' (1961).<ref name="three"/> Edward Judd was under contract to Columbia Pictures. "I had never done anything like that at the time, so I thought it would be fun", Judd said. "Since Lionel was already a great chum of mine, I knew we would have laughs on the set".<ref name="judd">{{cite magazine|magazine=Starlog|issue=160|url=https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-160|page=[https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-160/page/n17 18]|title=First Man on the Moon|first=Steve|last=Swires}}</ref>

Martha Hyer's character was not in the original drafts of the scripts but was introduced later.<ref name="Kinnard p 54">{{harvnb|Kinnard|1979|p=54}}</ref>

Some of the Selenite characters were played by children.<ref>Yours Retro magazine; Issue 75; June 2024; p. 37</ref>

===Designs===
Ray Harryhausen used NASA blueprints as inspiration for the UN's lunar lander when he was designing the film's sets.<ref name="juran"/>

Sculptor Bryan Kneale constructed the Selenites from Harryhausen's designs.

===Spacesuits used===

The spacesuit type worn by the film's UN Astronauts is actually the Windak high-altitude pressure suit,<ref name="spacesuit">{{cite web|url=http://sayhellospaceman.blogspot.com/search/label/Windak|title=Say; Hello Spaceman}}</ref> developed for the [[Royal Air Force]]. Each was fitted with a 1960s-type aqualung cylinder worn as a backpack. These pressure suits would also be used in two ''[[Doctor Who]]'' stories: [[William Hartnell|William Hartnell's]] final story "[[The Tenth Planet]]" (1966) and the [[Patrick Troughton]]-era "[[The Wheel in Space]]" (1968). They also appear in the original ''[[Star Wars]]'' trilogy as the costumes for [[List of Star Wars characters#B|Bossk]] and Bo Shek. 

==Shooting==
Filming began on 1 October 1963.<ref>'TOM JONES' FILM OPENS HERE OCT. 7: British Adaptation of Novel Stars Albert Finney Johnston Award Established Miss Hyer Plans 'Moon Trip' 3 Return to Movies 'The Suitor' Opens Today New York Times 17 Sep 1963: 31.</ref>

Schneer convinced Harryhausen the film's commercial prospects would be improved if it was shot in [[Panavision]]. "Ray was terrified of Panavision", said the producer. "All I had to do was suggest something different to him, and he would get nervous".<ref name="three"/>

"After you got past the first couple of reels, it was a funny film", said Juran. "Lionel was a swell actor. I liked him very much. His performance added immeasurably to the picture's entertainment value. He played it tongue-in-cheek but being such a good comic actor he controlled himself and never went too far. He made a great team with Edward Judd. Their personalities, one against the other, were just perfect".<ref name="juran"/>

"It was fun to do, but it was bloody hard work," said Judd. "Lionel called it 'acting with chalk marks' because we were pointing at things that weren't there and dealing with blue backing and traveling mattes".<ref name="judd"/>

Harryhausen would explain to the actors what the creatures would eventually look like just before they shot the scenes involving them.<ref name="judd"/>  He was effusive about Jeffries saying, "Lionel is one of those rare breed of actors who is not only accomplished in his field but also enjoys what he is doing and has the added bonus of having an imagination.  I would show him drawings of the effects scenes and he would know instantly what was required and how it would look, even offering suggestions".<ref name="ReferenceA">Yours Retro magazine; Issue 75; June 2024; p. 38</ref>

"Lionel and I didn't like Jerry's working methods too much," said Judd. "He was more of a technician than an actor's director. We always thought of him as an art director, which of course he had been".<ref name="judd"/>

In the scene where Kate is X-rayed by the Selenites, the stop-motion skeleton seen was one that previously appeared in the 1963 movie ''[[Jason and the Argonauts (1963 film)|Jason and the Argonauts]]''.<ref>Yours Retro magazine; Issue No. 75; June 2024; p. 37</ref>

==Reception==
===Critical reception===
Among contemporary reviews, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote, "Ray Harryhausen and his special effects men have another high old time in this piece of science-fiction hokum filmed in [[Dynamation]]", adding that "Wells' novel and has been neatly updated", and concluding that "The three principals play second fiddle to the special effects and art work, which are impressive in color, construction and animation".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1963/film/reviews/first-men-in-the-moon-1200420650/|title=First Men in the Moon|date=1 January 1964|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

However, ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "Only the most indulgent youngsters should derive much stimulation - let alone fun - from the tedious, heavyhanded science-fiction vehicle that arrived yesterday from England".<ref>{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Howard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/11/26/archives/the-screen-moondust-new-space-trip-film-opens-at-the-capitol.html|title=The Screen: Moondust; New Space Trip Film Opens at the Capitol|work=The New York Times|date=26 November 1964|access-date=17 April 2020}}</ref>

''[[The Guardian]]'' called it "good of its type".<ref>"Cynical, but impressive". ''The Guardian''. 21 September 1964: 4.</ref>

''[[TV Guide]]'' called it "An enjoyable science fiction film".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/first-men-in-the-moon/review/126207/|title=First Men In The Moon|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> and ''Blu-ray.com'' highly recommended the film as "a fun and exciting viewing experience".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/First-Men-in-the-Moon-Blu-ray/48992/#Review|title=First Men in the Moon Blu-ray}}</ref>

===Box-office===
''[[Kinematograph Weekly]]'' called the film a "money maker" at the British box office for 1964.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://archive.org/details/KineWeekly2985/page/n8/mode/1up?q=%22john+guillermin%22|magazine=Kinematograph Weekly|first=Bill|last=Altria|title=British Films Romp Home - Fill First Five Places|date=17 Dec 1964|page=9}}</ref>

Nonetheless, the film was a box-office disappointment. Harryhausen felt this was due to the inclusion of too much comedy.<ref name="Kinnard p 54"/>

Schneer said he preferred the film to ''Jason and the Argonauts'' because "it was set in the Victorian era, whereas ''Jason'' took place in a much further removed period of history. Also, I thought the humor in it was delicious, whereas there wasn't much humor in ''Jason''." The producer says Harryhausen felt "fantasy film fans are dead serious about these pictures and have no sense of humor. So, who am I to quarrel with him?"<ref name="three"/>

Kneale says the final film was "...all right. It could have been better if it had been a bit less farcical; that would have been more imaginative."<ref name="Warren p 62"/>

==Legacy==
Schneer says that when the real Moon landing happened, NASA "had no footage showing the space capsule separating from the 'mother ship' and landing on the Moon's surface. All they had were shots of Neil Armstrong walking around". NASA went to Columbia Pictures and used the opening sequence of ''First Men in the Moon'' for illustration purposes during the 1969 moon landing. "They used those portions of it which were applicable to their needs," said the producer.<ref name="three"/>  This was a returned favour as, five years before the real-life event, [[NASA]] had given Ray Harryhausen access to its blueprints for reference.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Following the film, Harryhausen and Schneer did not work together for five years.<ref name="three"/>

==Comic book adaptation==
* [[Gold Key Comics|Gold Key]]: ''First Men in the Moon'' (March 1965)<ref>{{gcdb issue|id=19027|title=Gold Key: ''First Men in the Moon''}}</ref><ref>{{comicbookdb|type=issue|id=324897|title=Gold Key: ''First Men in the Moon''}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite magazine|first=Roy|last=Kinnard|url=https://archive.org/details/Fantastic_Films_010_September_1979_vol2_no4_c2c-Tranzor-HQS|magazine=Fantastic Films|title=First Men on the Moon|pages=[https://archive.org/details/Fantastic_Films_010_September_1979_vol2_no4_c2c-Tranzor-HQS/page/n47 48]–54|date=September 1979}}
* {{cite magazine|first=Ted|last=Newsom|url=https://archive.org/details/Imagi-Movies_v02n03_Spring_1995|title=Dynamation Ray Harryhausen Part Two|magazine=Imagi Movies|volume=2|number=3|date=Spring 1995|pages=[https://archive.org/details/Imagi-Movies_v02n03_Spring_1995/page/n13 14]–28}}
* {{cite magazine|magazine=Starlog|url=https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-037|title=The A to Z of Creating First Men in the Moon|first=Kenneth|last=Walker|date=August 1980|pages=[https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-037/page/n1 38]–41}}
* {{cite magazine|magazine=Starlog|first=Bill|last=Warren|url=https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-140|title=Nigel Kneale Part Two|date=March 1989|pages=[https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-140/page/n51 52]–56, 62}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0058100}}
* {{TCMDb title|4568}}
* {{AFI film|22693}}

{{H. G. Wells}}
{{Nigel Kneale}}
{{Nathan Juran}}
{{The First Men in the Moon}}
{{Ray Harryhausen}}

[[Category:1964 films]]
[[Category:1960s science fiction adventure films]]
[[Category:British space adventure films]]
[[Category:British science fiction films]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films about astronauts]]
[[Category:Films based on works by H. G. Wells]]
[[Category:Films set in 1899]]
[[Category:Films set in 1964]]
[[Category:Films set in England]]
[[Category:Films set in outer space]]
[[Category:Films set on the Moon]]
[[Category:Films shot in England]]
[[Category:British monster movies]]
[[Category:1960s monster movies]]
[[Category:Films using stop-motion animation]]
[[Category:Films directed by Nathan Juran]]
[[Category:Films adapted into comics]]
[[Category:Films scored by Laurie Johnson]]
[[Category:Films produced by Charles H. Schneer]]
[[Category:1964 English-language films]]
[[Category:1964 British films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction adventure films]]
[[Category:1964 science fiction films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=First Men in the Moon (1964 film)|access_date=2026-03-03}}