The Conquest of the Pole

The Conquest of the Pole
Poster for The Conquest of the Pole
Directed byGeorges Méliès
Written byGeorges Méliès
Based onThe Voyages Extraordinaires series
by Jules Verne
Produced byCharles Pathé
StarringGeorges Méliès
Production
company
Distributed byPathé Frères
Release date
  • 3 May 1912 (1912-05-03)
Running time
  • 650 meters
  • 44 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageSilent
The Conquest of the Pole (1912) by Georges Méliès

The Conquest of the Pole (French: À la conquête du pôle) is a 1912 French silent science fantasy trick film directed by and starring Georges Méliès. The film, loosely inspired by contemporary events and by Jules Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires, follows the comic misadventures of an international group of explorers on an expedition to the North Pole, where they encounter a man-eating frost giant and a dangerous magnetic needle.

The film, one of Méliès's last cinematic works, was released by Pathé Frères to critical acclaim in France and the United Kingdom, but was a box-office failure and contributed to Méliès's mounting financial difficulties. It continues to be seen as one of his masterpieces and is sometimes named as his greatest work.