Captain Zip's 8mm Sci-fi Show

A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la lune, 1902) 

French black and white silent science fiction film, made by and starring George Méliès. A group of astronomers and astrologers plan a trip to the Moon in a gigantic bullet and have an adventure with the Selenites after landing in the eye of the Man in the Moon. The Selenites arrest the astronomers and bring them to their leader. Star Film. Paris. Standard 8mm. Silent. 16fps. 15 mins


Conquest of the Pole (Conquête du pôle, 1912) 

French black and white silent science fiction/ fantasy film, one of only four films produced by Georges Méliès in his final year as a film maker. A group of explorers attempt to reach the Pole and have an adventure with a gigantic menacing (man eating!) iceman. Star Film. Paris. Pathé. Standard 8mm. Silent. 16fps. 15 mins

The Crazy Ray (Paris Qui Dort, 1923) 

An experiment shot in 21 days by Rene Clair, who was until then a young film critic and actor in film serials. The night watchman on the Eiffel Tower comes off his shift to find people all over Paris frozen in motion. Paris has been brought to a complete standstill except for a few people who are out of range of Dr Bardon's ray. This film is said to be an affectionate look back at early trick films, the film concerns a group of people trying to survive in post-ray Paris, with some stunningly dangerous Eiffel Tower location work. Films Diamant. France. 1923. Standard 8mm. Silent. 16fps. 30 mins

Taxi Dolls (1929) 

American silent black and white slapstick comedy from Sennett’s Keystone Comedy Studios. Fritz Lang's Metropolis wasn't the only 1920s film to have a robot woman. In Taxi Dolls, Professor Schmidt's astounding European novelty Beatrice the Mechanical Doll is the latest thing in obedient flappers until a stage hand accidentally starts her up and she becomes confused with an identical woman in one of the city's Owl Cabs. Mack Sennett Keystone Comedy. USA. Cert U. Super 8. Silent. 18fps. 15 mins

The Swamps Of Jupiter, Space Patrol, 25 minutes (1963)
Contact has been lost with the Scientific Headquarters on Jupiter and Colonel Raeburn despatches Galasphere 024 with Captain Larry Dart with his crewmen Husky and Slim to investigate. In orbit, they receive a transmission in Jovian and land. The cause of loss of contact is the Martian Doctor Mall and his assistant, who are killing the native Lumis for their skins. The expedition was killed when they refused to be involved but Mall also offers Dart a cut of the profits in return for his silence...

And The Moral Is:

• Don’t Be Cruel To Dumb Animals - Encase Them In Plastifoam Instead... (Think About It...)

Today I Will Be Mostly Learning... :

• It takes a long time to reach the outer planets, even in the future.

• Storms in the ionosphere can cause radio communications to be interrupted..

• Freezing could halt or slow aging.