Aelita | First Men in the Moon

            In earlier films, space environments were seen as harsh conditions that were in complete contrast to earth conditions.  Zero-gravity environments were depicted as exotic that adapted to rocky baron landscapes suggested in the film sets.  Through films such as: Aelita and First Men in the Moon, abrasive materials arranged in constructivist style scenes portray a harsh, cold and brutal environment.

            In these movies the materiality of space construction is illustrated in juxtaposition to a delicate environment on Earth.   In Aelita, domestic scenes, (with the use of warmer materials), are in contrast with the brutalism of the stone-like materials of Aelita’s palace on Mars.  Similarly, in First Men in the Moon, the Victorian cottage in the English landscape, with its wood interiors and plush finishes completely contrasts the subterranean empire of Mars.  Here the kingdom of space is revealed as an empire built out of rock formations, and accessed only through substantial doors or domes that lock out the outdoor conditions.

            The portrayed environments in these movies provide an outlook of man in relation to a world zero-gravity.  In each case, the film portrays the outer spaces in a condition unsympathetic to humans.  A notion that, we as humans have been conditioned to environments that would disallow us to adapt well to zero-gravity environments, is portrayed. Cold, hard and brutal, these environments are not meant for human inhabitation, and further express the delicacy of humans as a race.  It is also noted that conditions in space are quite unique from earth, especially in First Men in the Moon, where the humans are confronted with strange mechanisms and natural phenomenon composed of foreign and unusual substances. The only material that would allow men to space travel, is a substance that when painted onto matter, caused it to lose it's gravitational pull.

            The materials and space construction in the movie also denote the knowledge of space the earlier years of the 20th Century.  At this point space travel was a curious subject and space environments were quite foreign to the common man.  This is definitely evident in the materiality of the space suits in First Men in the Moon.   The suits were basically rubber swimming suits.  The helmets, somewhat reflective of modern space masks, had holes in them and in reality would not provide proper protection from the atmosphere in space.    Each movie portrays space travel in a very loose way. The materials of the space capsules were flimsy in both cases; poorly constructed, (in that they fall apart landing on Mars).  In any case, the movies depict a general understanding of the harsh conditions of zero-gravity, but do not show a firm grasp on the implications of space travel on humans.  They only understand general obstacles that men might face,( like defying gravity, when space travelling.