First on the Moon
- For the science fiction novel by Hugh Walters, see First on the Moon (book)
| First on the Moon | |
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| Directed by | Aleksey Fedorchenko |
| Produced by | Dmitri Vorobyov |
| Written by | Aleksandr Gonorovskiy Ramil Yamaleyev |
| Starring | Aleksei Anisimov Viktoriya Ilyinskaya Viktor Kotov Andrei Osipov Anatoli Otradnov Igor Sannikov Aleksei Slavnin Boris Vlasov |
| Music by | Sergei Sidelnikov |
| Cinematography | Anatoliy Lesnikov |
| Editing by | Lyudmila Zalozhneva |
| Release date(s) | September 1, 2005 (Venice Film Festival) September 29, 2005 (Russia) |
| Running time | 75 min. |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian/Spanish |
First on the Moon (Russian: Первые на Луне, Pervye na Lune) is a 2005 Russian mockumentary about a 1930s Soviet landing on the Moon. The film, which went on to win many awards, was the debut of the director Aleksey Fedorchenko.
The film is not related to the actual Soviet Moonshot program.
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[edit] Plot
A group of journalists are investigating a highly secret document when they uncover a sensational story: that even before the Second World War, in 1938, the first rocket was made in the USSR and Soviet scientists were planning to send an orbiter to the moon and back. The evidence is convincing; it is clear that in this case, Soviet cosmonauts were first.
The film's story stretches across a broad swath of time (from the Middle Ages to the modern day) and geography (Russia, Ukraine, Malaysia, Polynesia, Chile).
The movie follows the selection and training of a small group of cosmonauts. The one who shines above the others (similar to the clear front-runners in the early historical Soviet space program) is Captain Ivan Sergeyevich Kharlamov (spelled Harlamov in the subtitles, and possibly a reference to the real-life cosmonaut Valentin Varlamov). He is helped into a space suit and loaded into the capsule, and the rocket lifts off for the Moon—but contact with it is soon lost.
Most of the remainder of the film seems to follow the search for information about what happened next, as the 1930s space program appears to have dissolved immediately after, with no reason given (but presumably as a part of Stalin's purges). It is implied that Kharlamov returned to Earth, but with no fanfare and apparently no assistance from the space program. A number of men are shown as suspected of being Kharlamov—the NKVD seems to be conducting a criminal investigation of the program and it is implied that those involved, including Kharlamov himself, are in hiding.
It seems that the capsule returned to Earth and landed in Chile, and that Kharlamov journeyed to the Soviet Far East by way of Polynesia and China, yet feared capture on his return. His wife (widow?) seems to have covered for him when interrogated as to his whereabouts. The narrator never ties the story together coherently, however; the interviews and footage are shown without supporting commentary, in a (non)narration style reminiscent of an actual documentary of the Soviet lunar program, The Red Stuff.[1]
The very end of the movie shows the only footage of the mission itself after launch, a film which was found at the Chilean landing site and is currently in the possession of "the Natural museum in the town of Antafagasta". First there is a brief clip showing Kharlamov piloting the vehicle, presumably on final approach to the Moon (a still from which is featured on the movie's cover). Following that is an equally brief panorama of a lunar landscape with the capsule or lander (it's unclear whether this was a direct ascent Moon landing) resting on the surface, apparently taken by Kharlamov during lunar EVA. Then there is a short clip of the other cosmonauts walking through a hangar with the 1930s space program director, and the credits roll.
[edit] Filming
The cosmonaut space training was filmed in Chelyabinsk, at the Institute of Aviation, where there exists equipment from Star City which even Gagarin used for training. The actors worked without stunt doubles; they were really spinning in the centrifuge, despite the fact that this training is difficult even for professionals.
[edit] Reaction
When elements of the plot started leaking out, a number of Russian newspapers treated it as a documentary about a real 1938 event, referring to it as the Santiago Meteorite (метеорит "Сантьяго").[1][2] In reality, the film is a falsification from beginning to end. To quote the director: "Some type of new genre. It was very difficult to decide on a name. So far, for me this is either historical drama or documentary fantasy." He also said: "Our film is about how the Soviet state machinery manufactured major products - the best people. Fine, strong and clever heroes, then rendered [them] unnecessary to the native land – some have been destroyed, others lost in obscurity, yet others still broken by fear."
Julia Vassilieva[3] credits cinematographer Anatoliy Lesnikov and set designer Nikolai Pavlov with a form "... mimicking so successfully the documentary mode" as the reason that First on the Moon won 2005 Venice Film Festival award for a documentary."
[edit] Technical details
- Black and White and Color, 75 minutes
- Director: Aleksey Fedorchenko
- Screenplay: Aleksandr Gonorovskiy and Ramil Yamaleyev
- Cinematography: Anatoliy Lesnikov
- Set Designs: Nikolay Pavlov
- Cast: Boris Vlasov, Aleksey Slavnin, Andrey Osipov, Anatoliy Otradnov, Viktoriya Ilinskaya.
- Producers: Dmitriy Vorobyov and Aleksey Fedorchenko
- Production: Sverdlovsk Film Studio and Film Company Strana
[edit] In numbers
- Work on the film took three years
- The budget was $1 million
- The rocket built for the film was 80 meters long
- 1000 people took part in the film
[edit] Awards
- 2005—Cottbus Film Festival of Young East European Cinema: First Work Award of the Student Jury and Special Prize
- 2005—Flanders International Film Festival: Grand Prix
- 2005—Venice Film Festival: Venice Horizons Documentary Award
- 2005—Warsaw International Film Festival: Special Mention
- 2005—Zagreb Film Festival: "Golden Pram" award
- 2005— "The best debut" prize, Kinotaur festival, Sochi, Russia
- 2006—Eurocon: Best performance
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Кто был первым в космосе? (Russian)
- ^ СМИ: Русские покорили космос в 1938 году (Russian)
- ^ The Totalitarian Echo in New Russian Cinema
[edit] External links
- Official website (Russian)
- First on the Moon at AllRovi
- First on the Moon at the Internet Movie Database
