Someone on Reddit this morning posted a link to what is apparently the first ever science fiction movie: Le Voyage dans la Lune (The Voyage to the Moon), released in 1902.  The link was to a clip from the restored, color version of the film, with a new soundtrack from the band Air.

The modern, electronic soundtrack adds a bit of je ne se quoi (you know, ’cause the film’s French) that makes even the dated backdrop and special effects come alive.  I tried for quite a while this morning to find the full version of the restored color film streaming online somewhere, but it doesn’t seem to exist.

I did, however, come across the full black and white version with a soundtrack that–while not as cool as Air’s–was quite trippy in its own right.

Something about all of the tonal singing in this version gives the whole film the feeling you get from the last 15 minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey.