The discovery of the North Pole
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The discovery of the North Pole |
| Original title | À la conquête du pôle |
 | |
| Country of production | France |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1912 |
| length | 33 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Georges Méliès |
| script | Georges Méliès |
| production | Georges Méliès |
| camera | Georges Méliès |
| occupation | |
| |
The discovery of the North Pole , subtitles: an aviation-fantasy journey across the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole (original title à la du conquête pôle ) is a French science fiction - feature film from 1912 by Georges Méliès , stands out for its trick design caused a sensation. According to the information in the opening credits, the German version was colored in a black and white copy . The plot is roughly based on Jules Verne's novel The Adventure of Captain Hatteras .
action
In Paris in the near future, an international congress will be held under the direction of engineer Klaps, which will discuss the possibility of a trip to the North Pole . Various options are considered through display boards: by land, by sea or in a balloon. The engineer Klaps, on the other hand, praises his Aerobus , a single-wing aircraft with helicopter properties made of bronze and aluminum.
Congress is briefly disrupted by the appearance of a group of suffragettes who are demanding that women also travel to the North Pole. The protesters are led out of the congress hall by the police. The congress decides in favor of the Aerobus . Other fellow travelers besides the French pat are the delegates:
- Run-Ever (England)
- Bluff "Allo" Bill (America)
- Choukroutman (Germany)
- Cerveza (Spain)
- Tching-Tchun (China)
- Ka-ko-ku (Japan)
The future travelers are shown a model of the Aerobus , which explains pat. The Aerobus has propellers for propulsion, lift and side steering. It is built in an electrical factory and its cabin is modeled on a carriage.
The suffragettes try to take off with an aeroscaphe , a kind of air sled , which however fails. The Aerobus, on the other hand, got off to a successful start; one of the delegates is late and stays behind in Paris. A balloon, which is also heading for the North Pole, falls on fire from the sky. Various automobile designs attempt to reach the pole by land, but one after the other crashes over a collapsed bridge.
The delegates play cards in the Aerobus . As they pass the signs of the zodiac , the Scorpio stabs the Aerobus and makes it spin. After surviving a thunderstorm, the travelers crash-land in the icy landscape of the North Pole; the Aerobus is no longer airworthy.
While exploring the pole, a gigantic snow giant suddenly appears, of which only the head, shoulders and arms are visible. The giant smokes a pipe, which one of the delegates shoots in two with a rifle, whereupon the giant swallows one of the travelers and holds the others in place. One of the prisoners manages to escape. He fetches a cannon , apparently from the Aerobus , and opens fire on the giant, who spits out the eaten researcher and then disappears.
Finally, the group comes across the magnetic needle of the North Pole. The individual members are attracted to it and stick like flies to a flycatcher. The movements of the researchers break the needle and the travelers are free again. An airship appears and saves the group. It leaves a French and an American flag at the North Pole. The expedition's victory celebration will take place in the Paris Aeroclub .
criticism
A very beautiful and imaginative film, the particular merits of which are a balanced structure and an amazing construction of the ice giant ... Despite its qualities, the film was not a hit with the public.
Reclam's film guide , quoted from Hahn / Jansen, p. 128.
Trivia
- The names of the delegates from America and Germany are allusions to Buffalo Bill and the supposedly pronounced German predilection for sauerkraut .
- Amazingly, there was no Anglo-American version.
See also
literature
- Ronald M. Hahn / Volker Jansen: Lexicon of Science Fiction Films. 720 films from 1902 to 1983 , Munich (Wilhelm Heyne Verlag) 1983, p. 128. ISBN 3-453-01901-6
