Fritz Lang - Woman In The Moon - 1929. Launch

Launch sequence from Fritz Lang's underrated science fiction classic "Woman In The Moon" (Frau Im Mond) from 1929 (A.K.A. "rocket to the moon").

Featuring the talents of Willy Fritsch, Gerda Maurus,Fritz Rasp, and Klaus Pohl.

It should be noted that during the third reich, which happened a few years after the movie was made, the nazis had the models destroyed and the film withdrawn from release. They considered the rocket to be too close to reality. It was after all, designed by none other than Hermann Oberth, one of the fathers of rocketry and astronautics, who was also Wernher Von Braun's teacher, boss and collaborator.

A lot of contemporary science went into the making of Woman In The Moon. It shows the very first ever countdown to launch of a rocket. An idea invented as a dramatic device for the movie, but later adopted in real life. Also depicted for the first time are the use of liquid rocket fuel, a rocket with two stages, and zero gravity in space.

Of course, there were also bad calls, like the submerged launch and the moon atmosphere.

Woman in the moon was the first "serious" science fiction film.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Fritz Lang
• Willy Fritsch
• Gerda Maurus
• Fritz Rasp
• Klaus Pohl
• Woman in the moon
• frau im mond
• rocket to the moon
• 1929
• silent

[DoktorTim]

is this the original soundtrack? It's fantastic!

[gtgene]

And this is where the "countdown" used in rocket launches to this day originated.

[9tome6]

is that gustav von wangenheim?

[lopescone]

this is where the whole NASA space race came from ...remember Werner von Braun .....one of Hitlers best man and big friend of JFK .....everything concerning rocketry in was inspired by this movie from the twenties !!!!!

[ivlfounder]

@straker2

Yeah but how many directors had the unreal courage to do that while living in Germany?

[straker2]

@ivlfounder Cool. I'm sure Lang was not exactly Robinson Crusoe for not liking Hitler, I think a few Directors satirised Hitler in their films at that time.

[ivlfounder]

@straker2

I think the director didn't like Hitler.

If anything the resemblence between the dictator and the film's villan is an epic swipe at Adolf.

[straker2]

I see they took Hitler to the Moon in this film! LOL! :) And was that Eva? German women in shirts and ties, eh? Hmm...this is amazingly prescient film making for the period and looks brilliant after so many years. The launch from a submerged position, presumably to prevent damage to the surrounds by the rocket ignition, is an interesting idea. Great to see this here! A great upload!

[reddiaperbaby]

Anyone notice Hitler-esque character at 2:49 ? Even has the shadow of a hangman's noose behind him.

[justtestingthething]

@fjdmusicman and the crew could stand a lot : max. "Andruck" 37 m/(sec*sec) = 37 g ... wow !!!!

[levraiguthix]

the music is epic