Viaje a la Luna (Trip to the Moon)

One of Spain's greatest literary figures, the Andalusian poet and playwright 
Federico García Lorca, was living in New York City in 1929 and working on his 
book A Poet in New York when he wrote his only film script, inspired by 
local avant-garde filmmakers and the Surrealist classic Un Chien Andalou.

Not published until after his death, the script was finally filmed by director 
Frederic Amat and shown for the first time at the Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, 
on June, 17 1998 during Lorca's centennial.

Here are three versions (two English translations and in Spanish):


------------------------------------


Trip to the Moon 

1
White bed against a gray wall. The numbers 13 and 22 start to dance on top of 
the blankets. From two, they increase in number until they cover the bed like 
tiny ants.

2
An invisible hand snatches the blankets off.

3
Huge feet run quickly in exaggerated stockings covered with black and white 
diamonds.

4
Frightened head staring fixedly at a point and dissolving into a head of wires 
with water in the background.

5
Letters that read "Help Help Help," moving up and down, double-exposed over a 
woman's sex.

6
The camera dollies down a long hall with a window at the end.

7
View of Broadway at night.

8
Dissolve all back to preceding scene.

9
Two legs flash back and forth very quickly.

10
Legs dissolve into a group of trembling hands.

11
The trembling hands double-exposed over a crying child.

12
And the crying child double-exposed over a woman who is beating him.

13
The scene dissolves into the long hallway, and the camera once more dollies, 
backwards and very quickly.

14
At the end, a close-up of an eye double-exposed over some fish, that dissolves 
into the following.

15
Rapid fall. Through a window in double exposure pass the words "Help! Help!" 
... colored blue.

16
Each of the signs reading "Help! Help!" dissolves into a footprint.

17
And each footprint, into a silkworm on a leaf, against a white background.

18
From the silk worms comes a large death's-head, and from the head comes a sky 
with the moon it.

19
The moon is cut in half and there appears the drawing of a vomiting head that 
opens and closes its eyes, and dissolves into

20
Two children who walk along singing with their closed eyes.

21 
Heads full ink spots of the children singing.

22
A white plane on which are thrown drops of ink. 

23
Door.

24
Enter a man in a white gown. From the opposite side comes a boy in a bathing 
suit with big black and white spots.

25
Shot of the bathing suit with double exposure of a fish.

26
The man in the gown offers him a harlequin's costume, but the boy refuses it. 
Then the man in the white gown grabs him by the neck, the other cries out, but 
the man in the gown covers his mouth with the harlequin's costume.

27
Dissolves all into a double exposure of snakes, this into crabs and these into 
fish, all in rhythm.

Close-up of a live fish held in someone's hand, who squeezes it until it dies 
and advances with the little open mouth until it covers the lens.

Inside the fish's mouth, a shot in which two fish jump in agony. These change 
into a kaleidoscope where a hundred fish jump or undulate in agony.

28
Title: Trip to the Moon.

Room. Two women dressed in black sit and cry with their heads on a table where 
there is a lamp. They raise their hands to the sky. 

29
Shots of their busts and their hands. Their hair is fallen over their faces 
and their fake hands are made with spirals of wire.

30
The women go on lowering their hands and lifting them to the sky.

31
A frog falls on the table.

32
Double exposure of the frog, made huge, on a background of furiously waving 
orchids. 

The orchids go away and there appears a huge outline of a woman vomiting, 
which quickly changes from negative to positive and from positive to negative.

A door is slammed shut, and another door and another and another against a 
double exposure of the women who lift and lower their arms.

As each door closes there will emerge a title that reads ... "Elena Helena 
elhena eLHeNa."

33
The women go quickly to the door.

34
The camera descends the stairs in greatly accelerated rhythm, and in double 
exposure climbs them.

35
Triple exposure of ascending and descending the stairs.

36
Double exposure of window bars passing over a drawing of "The Death of Santa 
Radegunda."

37
A woman in mourning falls down the stairs.

38
Close-up of her.

39
Another view of her, very realistic. She wears a scarf in her hair, after the 
Spanish manner. View of her nostrils bleeding.

40
Her face-down head in double exposure over a drawing of veins and big grains 
of salt, in relief.

41
The camera, from below, focuses on the stairs and climbs them. Above there 
appears the nude of a boy. He has the head of an anatomist's model, with the 
muscles and the veins and the tendons showing. And on the nude is drawn the 
vascular system, and it drags a harlequin's costume.

42
Appears from the waist up.

43
And looks from one side to the other. Dissolve into a street at night.

44
On the street at night there are three fellows with overcoats who show signs 
of being cold ... their collars are turned up. One looks up at the moon, 
lifting his head, and the moon appears on the screen; another looks at the 
moon, and there appears the head of a bird in close-up, whose neck is wrung 
until it dies before the lens; the third looks at the moon, and there appears 
on the screen a drawing of a moon against a white background that dissolves 
into a man's sex, and the sex into a screaming mouth.

45
The three flee down the street.

46
The man of the veins appears in the street and stops with arms extended. 

He comes forward in fast motion.

47
Dissolve into a railroad crossing with a triple exposure of speeding trains.

48
The trains dissolve into a double exposure of piano keys and hands playing.

49
Dissolve to a bar where there are several boys dressed in smoking jackets. The 
waiter pours them wine, but they can't bring it to their mouths. The glasses 
become very heavy and struggle in the anguish of dream. Enters an almost naked 
girl and a harlequin and they dance in slow motion. All of them try to drink 
but they can't. The waiter keeps filling the glasses that already are full.

50
The man with the veins appears gesturing and making desperate signs and 
movements that express life and accelerated rhythm. All the men have fallen 
asleep.

51
A head looks on stupidly. It approaches the screen. And dissolves to a frog. 
The man with the veins squeezes the frog between his fingers.

52
Enter a sponge and a bandaged head.

53
Dissolve into a street where a girl dressed in white runs off with harlequin.

54
A vomiting head. 

And immediately everyone in the bar vomits.

55
The preceding dissolves to an elevator where a little black boy also vomits. 

56
The boy harlequin and the naked woman ride up in the elevator.

57
They embrace.

Shot of a sensual kiss.

58
The boy bites the girl on her neck and violently pulls her hair.

59
A guitar appears, and a hand quickly cuts the strings with a pair of scissors.

60
The girl defends herself from the boy and he, with great fury, gives her 
another deep kiss and puts his index fingers over her eyes, as though to sink 
them into their sockets.

61
The girl screams and the boy, his back to us, removes his jacket and a wig, 
and appears as the man with the veins.

62
Then she dissolves to a white plaster bust and the man with the veins kisses 
her passionately.

63
The plaster bust is seen with tracks of kisses and hand prints.

64
Again appear the words, "Elena elena elena elena."

65
These words dissolve to faucets that spout water violently.

66
And these faucets to the man with the veins dead on top of old newspapers and 
sardines.

67
A bed appears, and hands that cover a corpse.

68
Along comes a boy in a white coat and rubber gloves and a girl dressed in 
black. With ink, they draw a mustache on a terrible death's-head. And they 
kiss with great laughter.

69
A cemetery rises around them and they are seen kissing on top of a tomb.

70
Shot of a fake-elegant screen kiss with other characters in the background.

71
And at the end hurriedly the moon and trees in wind.


End 


------------------------------------


Trip to the Moon 

A Filmscript

1
White bed against a grey wall. A dance of the numbers 13 and 22 appears on the 
bedclothes. From two they begin to multiply until they cover the bed like 
minute ants.

2
An invisible hand pulls off the bedclothes.

3
Big feet run quickly wearing extravagant, black and white lozenge-pattern 
socks.

4
A frightened head stares at a point and fades into a head made out of wire with a background of water.

5
Letters saying Help Help Help, moving up and down, double-exposed over a 
female sexual organ.

6
Length of a long corridor passed through by the camera with window at the end.

7
View of Broadway at night with a tick-tock movement. Which fades into the 
previous scene.

8
Six legs swing to and fro very quickly.

9
The legs fade into a cluster of trembling hands.

10
The trembling hands, double-exposed over a crying boy.

11
And the crying boy, double-exposed over a woman who is giving him a beating.

12
This hiding fades into the long corridor again, the length of which is covered 
by the camera at high speed.

13
At the end, a close-up of an eye double-exposed on fish. Fades into the 
following:

14
Rapid fall down a roller coaster in blue, double exposed over letters that 
read: Help Help.

15
Each word Help Help fades into a footprint.

16
And each footprint, into a silkworm on a leaf against a white background.

17
From the silkworms a large death's-head emerges and from the death's-head a 
sky with a moon.

18
The moon is cut open and there appears a drawing of a head vomiting and 
opening and shutting its eyes. It fades into

19
two children walking along and singing with their eyes closed.

20
Heads of the singing children covered with inkspots.

21
A white surface on which drops of ink are spattered. 

All these scenes quick and very rhythmical. Here a sign saying: Not Through 
Here.

22
Door.

23
Out comes a man wearing a white coat. From the opposite side a boy enters 
wearing a bathing costume with big black and white checks.

24
Close-up of the checked bathing costume on a double exposure of a fish.

25
The man in the white coat offers the boy a harlequin's costume, but he refuses 
it. Then the man in the white coat grips him by the neck. The boy screams, but 
the man in the white coat stops up his mouth with the harlequin's costume.

26
Close-up of hands tightly gripping the harlequin's costume.

27
Fades into a double exposure of sea-serpents from an aquarium, and these into 
crabs from the same aquarium and these into other fish, all done rhythmically.

28
A live fish held in a hand, in close-up, until it dies and then advances with 
its little mouth open until it covers the lens.

29
There is a close-up of the inside of the fish's mouth in which two fish are 
writhing in their death throes. 

These turn into a kaleidoscope in which a hundred fish are writhing or 
throbbing in their death throes.

30
Title: Trip to the Moon.

Room. Two women dressed in black are sitting down, weeping, with their heads 
lying on a table on which there is a lamp. They are stretching their hands 
upwards. 

31
Shots of their hands and the upper part of their bodies. Their hair has fallen 
over their faces and their hands are made up of twists of wire.

32
The women continue lowering their arms and raising them to the sky.

33
A frog falls on the table.

34
Double exposure of the frog seen close-up against a background of orchids 
shaken back and forth furiously. 

The orchids disappear and there appears the outline of an enormous head of a 
woman vomiting which changes quickly from negative to positive and positive to 
negative.

35
A door is slammed and another door and another and another on a double 
exposure of the women raising and lowering their arms.

As each door shuts, words will appear saying ... Elena Helena elhena eLHeNa.

36
The women rush to the door.

37
The camera goes down the stairs quickly and rhythmically and in double 
exposure ascends them.

38
Triple exposure of going up and down stairs.

39
Double exposure of bars which pass over a drawing: Death of Saint 
Radegund.

40
A woman dressed in mourning falls down the stairs.

41
Close-up of her.

42
Another very realistic view of her. She is wearing a headscarf in the Spanish 
style. Exposure of her nostrils shedding blood.

43
Her head face down in double exposure over a drawing of veins made three-
dimensional by means of large grains of salt.

44
The camera, from below, focuses on the stairs and goes up them. At the top  
the naked figure of a boy appears. His head is like an anatomist's model with 
muscles, veins and tendons. The circulatory system is drawn on his naked body. 
He drags along a harlequin's costume.

45
He appears from the waist up. And looks from side to side. Fades into a street 
at night.

46
Soon after, in the street at night, there are three figures wearing overcoats 
who are obviously cold. Their coat collars are turned up. One man raises his 
head to look up at the moon and the moon appears on screen. Another looks at 
the moon, and a bird's head appears in close-up. Its neck is squeezed until it 
dies in front of the lens. The third man looks at the moon and an outline of a 
moon appears on screen against a white background that fades into a sexual 
organ and the sexual organ into a screaming mouth.

47
The three of them run away along the street.

48
The man with the veins appears in the street and freezes as if crucified with 
his arms outstretched. He goes forward by jump cuts.

49
He fades into a criss-crossing in triple exposure of express trains.

50
The trains fade into a double exposure of piano keyboards and hands playing.

51
Fades into a bar where there are several boys dressed in dinner jackets. The 
waiter pours them wine, but they cannot raise it to their mouths. The glasses 
become extremely heavy and they struggle in the anguish of dream. An almost 
totally naked girl enters with a harlequin and they dance in slow motion. They 
all try to drink, but they cannot. The waiter does not stop filling their 
glasses which are already full.

52
The man with the veins appears gesticulating and making signs of exasperation 
and movements which convey life and quick rhythm. All the men remain drowsy.

53
A head stares stupidly. It comes up to the screen. And fades into a frog. The 
man with the veins squeezes the frog with his fingers.

54
A sponge and a bandaged head appear.

55
Fades into a street. The girl, dressed in white, is running away with the 
harlequin.

56
A vomiting head appears. And immediately all the people in the bar are 
vomiting.

57
Fades into a lift where a little negro boy is vomiting. The girl and the 
harlequin go up in the lift.

58
They go up in the lift and embrace each other.

59
Shot of a sensual kiss.

60
The boy bites the girl in the neck and violently pulls her hair.

61
A guitar appears. And a hand quickly cuts its strings with a pair of scissors.

62
The girl resists the boy, and the latter violently gives her a deep kiss and 
puts his thumbs over her eyes as if to plunge them into her eye sockets.

63
The girl screams and the boy, with his back turned, takes off his jacket and a 
wig and reveals himself to be the man with the veins.

64
Then she fades into a white plaster bust and the man with the veins kisses her 
passionately.

65
The plaster bust is seen with the imprint of lips and hands.

66
The words Elena Helena elhena eLHeNa reappear.

67
These words fade into taps which spout water violently.

68
And these taps fade into the man with the veins, lying dead on discarded 
newspapers and herrings.

69
A bed appears and hands covering a corpse.

70
Enter a boy wearing a white coat and rubber gloves, and a girl dressed in 
black. They paint an ink mustache on a dead man's horrific head. And both 
laugh uproariously as they kiss each other.

71
A cemetery rises around them and they are seen kissing on top of a grave.

72
Shot of a vulgar cinematic kiss with other characters.

73
And finally, quickly, the moon and trees swaying in the wind.


------------------------------------


Viaje a la Luna 

1
Cama blanca sobre una pared gris. Sobre los paños surge un baile de números 13 
y 22. Desde dos empiezan a surgir hasta que cubren la cama como hormigas 
diminutas.

2
Una mano invisible arranca los paños.

3
Pies grandes corren rápidamente con exagerados calcetines de rombos blancos y 
negros. 

4
Cabeza asustada que mira fija un punto y se disuelve sobre una cabeza de 
alambre con un fondo de agua. 

5
Letras que digan "Socorro Socorro Socorro" con doble exposición sobre un sexo 
de mujer con movimientos de arriba abajo.

6
Pasillo largo recorrido por la cámara con ventana de final. 

7
Vista de Broadway de noche.

8
Se disuelve el todo en la escena anterior.

9
Dos piernas oscilan con gran rapidez.

10
Las piernas se disuelven sobre un grupo de manos que tiemblan. 

11
Las manos que tiemblan, sobre una doble exposición de un niño que llora. 

12
Y el niño que llora, sobre una doble exposición de una mujer que le da una 
paliza. 

13
Esta escena se disuelve sobre el pasillo largo, que otra vez la cámara recorre 
hacia atrás con gran rapidez. 

14
Al final, un gran plano de un ojo sobre una doble exposición de peces, que se 
disuelve sobre el siguiente. 

15
Caída rápida por una ventana pasa en color azul una doble exposición de 
letras: "Socorro! Socorro!...." 

16
Cada letrero de "Socorro! Socorro!" se disuelve en la huella de un pie. 

17
Y cada huella de pie, en un gusano de seda sobre una hoja en fondo blanco. 

18
De los gusanos de seda sale una gran cabeza muerta, y de la cabeza un cielo 
con luna. 

19
La luna se corta y aparece un dibujo de una cabeza que vomita y abre y cierra 
los ojos y se disuelve sobre 

20
dos niños que caminan cantando con los ojos cerrados.

21
Cabezas de los niños que cantan llenas de manchas de tinta.

22
Un plano blanco sobre el cual se arrojan gotas de tinta.  

23
Puerta.

24
Sale un hombre con una bata blanca. Por el lado opuesto viene un muchacho en 
traje de baño de grandes manchas blancos y negros. 

25
Gran plano del traje sobre una doble exposición de un pez. 

26
El hombre de la bata le ofrece un traje de arlequín pero el muchacho rehúsa. 
Entonces el hombre de la bata lo coge por el cuello, el otro grita, pero el 
hombre de la bata le tapa la boca con el traje de arlequín. 

27
Se disuelve sobre una doble exposición de serpientes, ésto sobre cangrejos y 
éstos en otros peces todo con ritmo.

Un pez vivo sostenido por la mano de una persona, en un gran plano, que le 
aprieta hasta que muere y avanza con la boquita abierta hasta cubrir el 
objetivo. 

Éstos se convierten en caleidoscopio en el que cien peces saltan o laten en 
agonía. 

28
Letrero: Viaje a la Luna. 

Habitación. Dos mujeres vestidas de negro lloran sentadas con las cabezas 
echadas en una mesa donde hay una lámpara. Dirigen las manos al cielo. 

29
Planos de los bustos y las manos. Tienen las cabelleras echadas sobre las 
caras y las manos contrahechas con espirales de alambre. 

30
Siguen las mujeres bajando los brazos y subiéndolos al cielo. 

31
Una rana cae sobre la mesa. 

32
Doble exposición de la rana vista enorme sobre un fondo de orquídeas agitadas 
con furia. 

Se van las orquídeas y aparece una cabeza enorme dibujada de mujer que vomita 
que cambia de negativo a positivo y de positivo a negativo rápidamente. 

Una puerta se cierra violentamente y otra puerta y otra y otra sobre una doble 
exposición de las mujeres que suben y bajan los brazos. 

Al cerrarse cada puerta saldrá un letrero que diga... "Elena Helena, elhena 
eLHeNa."

33
Las mujeres se dirigen rápidamente a la puerta. 

34
La cámara baja con gran ritmo acelerado las escaleras y con doble exposición 
las sube. 

35
Triple exposición de subir y bajar escaleras. 

36
Doble exposición de barrotes que pasan sobre un dibujo: Muerte de Santa 
Radegunda. 

37
Una mujer enlutada se cae por la escalera. 

38
Gran plano de ella. 

39
Otra vista de ella muy realista. Lleva pañuelo en la cabeza a la manera 
española. Exposición de las narices echando sangre. 

40
Cabeza boca abajo de ella con doble exposición sobre un dibujo de venas y 
granos gordos de sal para el relieve. 

41
La cámara desde abajo enfoca y sube la escalera. En lo alto aparece un desnudo 
de muchacho. Tiene la cabeza como los muñecos anatómicos con los músculos y 
las venas y los tendones. Luego sobre el desnudo lleva dibujado el sistema de 
la circulación de la sangre y arrastra un traje de arlequín. 

42
Aparece de medio cuerpo. 

43
Y mira de un lado a otro. Se disuelve sobre una calle nocturna. 

44
Ya en la calle nocturna hay tres tipos con gabanes que dan muestras de frío... 
Llevan los cuellos subidos. Uno mira la luna hacia arriba levantando la cabeza 
y aparece la luna en la pantalla, otro mira la luna y aparece una cabeza de 
pájaro en gran plano a la cual se estruja el cuello hasta que muera ante el 
objetivo, el tercero mira la luna y aparece en la pantalla una luna dibujada 
sobre fondo blanco que se disuelve sobre un sexo y el sexo en la boca que 
grita. 

45
Huyen los tres por la calle. 

46
Aparece en la calle el hombre de las venas y queda en cruz. Avanza en saltos 
de pantalla. 

47
Se disuelve sobre un cruce en triple exposición de trenes rápidos. 

48
Los trenes se disuelven sobre una doble exposición de teclados de pianos y 
manos tocando. 

49
Se disuelve sobre un bar donde hay varios muchachos vestidos de esmoquin. El 
camarero les echa vino pero no pueden llevarlo a su boca. Los vasos se hacen 
pesadísimos y luchan en una angustia de sueño. Entra una muchacha casi desnuda 
y un arlequín y bailan en ralentí. Todos prueban a beber pero no pueden. El 
camarero llena sin cesar los vasos que ya están llenos. 

50
Aparece el hombre de las venas gesticulante y haciendo señas desesperadas y 
movimientos que expresan vida y ritmo acelerado. Todos los hombres se quedan 
adormilados. 

51
Una cabeza mira estúpidamente. Se acerca a la pantalla. Y se disuelve en una 
rana. El hombre de las venas estruja la rana con los dedos. 

52
Sale una esponja y una cabeza vendada. 

53
Se disuelve sobre una calle donde una muchacha vestida de blanco huye con el 
arlequín. 

54
Una cabeza que vomita. 

Y en seguida toda la gente del bar vomita. 

55
Se disuelve lo anterior sobre un ascensor donde un negrito también vomita. 

56
El muchacho arlequín y la mujer desnuda suben en el ascensor. 

57
Se abrazan.

Plano de un beso sensual. 

58
El muchacho muerde a la muchacha en el cuello y tira violentamente de sus 
cabellos. 

59
Aparece una guitarra y una mano rápida corta las cuerdas con unas tijeras. 

60
La muchacha se defiende del muchacho y éste, con gran furia, le da otro beso 
profundo y pone los dedos pulgares sobre los ojos, como para hundirlos en 
ellos. 

61
Grita la muchacha y el muchacho, de espaldas, se quita la americana y una 
peluca y aparece el hombre de las venas. 

62
Entonces ella se disuelve en un busto de yeso blanco y el hombre de las venas 
la besa apasionadamente. 

63
Se ve el busto de yeso con huellas de labios y huellas de manos. 

64
Vuelven a salir las palabras "Elena elena elena elena." 

65
Estas palabras se disuelven sobre grifos que echan agua de manera violenta. 

66
Y estos grifos sobre el hombre de las venas muerto sobre periódicos 
abandonados y arenques. 

67
Aparece una cama y unas manos que cubren un muerto. 

68
Viene un muchacho con una bata blanca y guantes de goma y una muchacha vestida 
de negro. Pintan un bigote con tinta a una cabeza terrible de muerto. Y se 
besan con grandes risas. 

69
De ellos surge un cementerio y se les ve besarse sobre una tumba. 

70
Plano de un beso cursi de cine con otros personajes. 

71
Y al final con prisa la luna y árboles con viento. 

Fin



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