The Woman in the Moon (1929)

Fritz Lang (METROPOLIS, M. THE BIG HEAT) used a scenario by his then wife Thea von Harbou about a trip to the moon to continue his early investigations into science and technology. When scientist Manfeldt finally gets the chance to go to the moon and prove his theory of the existence of lunar gold deposits, he is disappointed to discover that he must travel with various strangers. They include Frieda and Hans--a newly wed couple, a scheming financier named Turner, Wolf Helius--the engineer in charge of the expedition, and Gustav--a young castaway. When the crew actually discovers gold in the lunar caverns, the greedy Turner faces off against the bewildered professor, and violence ensues. Fritz Lang focused much of his attention on creating the rocket launch as well as the lunar landscapes in keeping with his many scientific advisors' advice. The resulting film offers many images and artifacts that would prove to be extremely accurate when space travel became a reality. The human struggles with greed, jealousy and idealism are played out against a stunning backdrop of rockets and white lunar landscapes, and the tender moments between the protagonists are some of the most touching in any of Lang's oeuvre.