This is a hard movie for me to talk about because not many people know about it, and add on to the fact there are multiple versions that may or may not have things in common, it makes discussing the details kind of inconsistent. The version I saw is almost 3 hours (about 2h and 50m), but I recently found out thanks to this site there's a restored version made in 2000 that is 200 minutes. I can't seem to find it anywhere, unfortunately, and the one I saw remains the longest I know of. Like always let's start with the storyline. The movie focuses on a scientist who tries convincing his peers to build a rocket to fly to the moon with because he's sure there is gold on it, but they only laugh and pity him. Helius has a feeling that what the scientist is up to holds scientific significance and agrees to help him build the rocket. While all this is going on they're being pursued by a gang of crooks who are also interested in the scientist's work but mainly only to sabotage it. Later on, the rocket is finally assembled, and after a particularly impressive countdown and preparation sequence, it launches. The cast (along with the spy) arrive on the moon's surface, which the movie predicts the appearance of rather accurately. While on the moon, they attempt to study minerals and geysers and other bizarre things. My only real criticism of the movie is that it's a little slow to get going, and the first hour or so only focuses on the planning involved with putting the rocket into space. After that, and once the countdown starts, the movie officially begins with by far the most accurate depiction of a spaceship up to that point. The rocket (named Friede) features many things that would later become standard technology for rocket ships, such as multiple stages that break off in flight, liquid fuel, and a speedometer. It was very uncanny how Lang managed to predict rocketry with such unerring accuracy, and I think many would agree the rocket is the most impressive and defining part of this movie. If you've already seen metropolis, this movie is worth seeing because just like that film, it was extremely ahead of its time in terms of science.
Review of Woman in the Moon
