After a brief lesson in basic (and now dated) selenography, glimpses of a possible future are offered in which humanity explores, then colonises the Moon, establishing underground bases and, by using the high-resolution telescopes made possible in the airless environment, observes evidence of intelligent life on Mars. The film describes a number of 'firsts' (many Russian, some American) and failures (many American, some Russian) in lunar exploration, which are historically quite interesting. Notably, there are numerous women shown to have contributed to Soviet space science. There is a lot of physics explained in accessible ways, sometimes illustrated by entertaining cartoons (I liked to explanation about the fuel-to-payload ratios - if you want to go to the moon verses if you want to land on the moon verses if you want to land on the moon and return). The film ranges from deep and dry to light-hearted and amusing. There is even a touch of self-referential whimsey as the sighting of life on Mars includes spotting Aelita, the central character in the first Russian sci-fi film: the silent pean to interplanetary workers revolution: 'Aelita, Queen of Mars' (1924). The last third of the film is the most fun, as a potential future of lunar exploration and colonisation is depicted, including discussions of on-site production of oxygen and the conversion of caves to pressurised shelters. The miniature work and special effects are nicely done (reminding me of the excellent silent Russian space epic 1936's 'Cosmic Journey'). All-in-all, Pavel Klushantsev's 'Luna' should find an appreciative audience in anyone interested in the history of space exploration or in Russian sci-fi or speculative-documentary films.
