First on the Moon
Encyclopedia
First on the Moon is a 2005 Russia
n 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.
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.http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/282742/The-Red-Stuff-The-True-Story-of-the-Russian-Race-for-Space/overview
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.
, at the Institute of Aviation, where there exists equipment from Star City
which even Gagarin
used for training. The actors worked without stunt double
s; they were really spinning in the centrifuge
, despite the fact that this training is difficult even for professionals.
Meteorite
(метеорит "Сантьяго"). 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."
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
about a 1930s Soviet landing on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. 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
Soviet Moonshot
The Soviet manned lunar programs were a series of programs pursued by the Soviet Union to land a man on the Moon in competition with the United States Apollo program to achieve the same goal set publicly by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961...
program.
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
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
to the modern day) and geography (Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Malaysia, Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
).
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
Valentin Varlamov
Valentin Varlamov was a Russian jet pilot who was selected for Tsentr Podgotovka Kosmonavtov or TsPK-1, the first intake of 20 cosmonaut candidates in 1960...
). 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
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
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
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, 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.http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/282742/The-Red-Stuff-The-True-Story-of-the-Russian-Race-for-Space/overview
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
Direct ascent
Direct ascent was a proposed method for a mission to the Moon. In the United States, direct ascent proposed using the enormous Nova rocket to launch a spacecraft directly to the Moon, where it would land tail-first and then launch off the Moon back to Earth...
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.
Filming
The cosmonaut space training was filmed in ChelyabinskChelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
, at the Institute of Aviation, where there exists equipment from Star City
Star City, Russia
Star City is a common name of an area in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which has since the 1960s been home to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center...
which even Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
used for training. The actors worked without stunt double
Stunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
s; they were really spinning in the centrifuge
Centrifuge
A centrifuge is a piece of equipment, generally driven by an electric motor , that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying a force perpendicular to the axis...
, despite the fact that this training is difficult even for professionals.
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 SantiagoSantiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
Meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
(метеорит "Сантьяго"). 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."
Technical details
- Black and White and Color, 75 minutes
- Director: Aleksey Fedorchenko
- Screenplay: Aleksandr Gonorovskiy and Ramil Yamaleyev
- Cinematography: Anatoliy Lesnikov
- Set Designs: Nikolay PavlovNikolay PavlovNikolay Pavlov may refer to:* Nikolay Pavlov , Bulgarian footballer* Nikolay Pavlov, co-chairman of the Russian National Salvation Front-See also:* Nikolay Pavlov-Pianov, Russian chess master...
- Cast: Boris Vlasov, Aleksey Slavnin, Andrey Osipov, Anatoliy Otradnov, Viktoriya Ilinskaya.
- Producers: Dmitriy Vorobyov and Aleksey Fedorchenko
- Production: Sverdlovsk Film StudioSverdlovsk Film StudioSverdlovsk Film Studio is a Russian film studio based in Yekaterinburg . It was established by a decision of the Council of People's Commissars on February 4, 1943-Feature films:...
and Film Company Strana
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
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 FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
: Venice Horizons Documentary Award - 2005—Warsaw International Film FestivalWarsaw International Film FestivalWarsaw International Film Festival , also known as the Warsaw FilmFest, is a film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland. The festival has been held every year since 1985....
: Special Mention - 2005—Zagreb Film FestivalZagreb Film FestivalZagreb Film Festival is an annual film festival established in 2003 and held in Zagreb, Croatia.The festival features three separate international competition programs , and one competition program for short films made by Croatian authors...
: "Golden Pram" award - 2005— "The best debut" prize, Kinotaur festival, SochiSochiSochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... - 2006—EuroconEuroconEurocon is an annual science fiction convention held in Europe. The organising committee of each Eurocon is selected by vote of the participants of the previous event. The procedure is coordinated by the European Science Fiction Society. The first Eurocon was held in Trieste, Italy, in 1972. Unlike...
: Best performance
See also
- Alternative 3Alternative 3Alternative 3 is a television programme, broadcast once only in the United Kingdom in 1977, and later broadcast in Australia and New Zealand, as a fictional hoax, an heir to Orson Welles' radio production of The War of the Worlds...
- Capricorn 1
- Apollo 18 (film)Apollo 18 (film)Apollo 18 is a 2011 American science fiction horror film directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego and produced by Timur Bekmambetov and Ron Schmidt. The film's premise is that the officially canceled Apollo 18 mission was actually launched in December 1973 but never returned, and as a result the United...
- The First Men in the MoonThe First Men in the MoonThe First Men in the Moon is a 1901 scientific romance novel by the English author H. G. Wells. The novel tells the story of a journey to the moon undertaken by the two protagonists, the impoverished businessman Mr Bedford and the brilliant but eccentric scientist Dr. Cavor...