First Men in the Moon (1964 film)

First Men in the Moon is a 1964 Technicolor British science fiction film directed by Nathan Juran and starring Edward Judd, Martha Hyer and Lionel Jeffries. It is an adaptation by the noted sciencefiction scriptwriter Nigel Kneale of H. G. Wells 1901 novel The First Men in the Moon. Ray Harryhausen provided stopmotion effects, animated Selenites, giant caterpillarlike Moon Cows, and a bigbrained Prime Lunar.

In 1899, Arnold Bedford and his fiance Katherine Callender known as Kate meet an inventor, Joseph Cavor, who has invented Cavorite, a substance that will let anything it is applied to or made of deflect the force of gravity and which he plans to use to travel to the Moon. Cavor has already built a spherical spaceship for this purpose, taking Arnold and accidentally Kate with him. Whilst exploring the Moon, Bedford and Cavor fall down a vertical shaft and discover to their amazement an insectoid population, the Selenites, living beneath the surface. Cavor coins this name for the creatures after the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene. After escaping from the Selenites back to the surface, they discover that their ship, still containing Kate who stayed behind because Cavor had brought only two spacesuits, has been dragged into their underground city.The two, following the drag trail, find and enter the city. The city holds a breathable atmosphere, so unwisely they remove and leave their spacesuit helmets. Upon finding the living quarters, they are attacked by a giant caterpillarlike moon bull which pursues them until the Selenites find out and are able to zap it to death with their TASERlike electrical stun ray gun. Cavor and Bedford see the citys power station, powered by sunlight. In the end they reach their ship underground. The Selenites quickly learn English and interrogate Cavor, who believes they wish to exchange scientific knowledge this also leads up to Cavor having a speech with the Grand Lunar, the lead Selenite. Bedford, however, realizes that the Selenites have no intention of letting them leave, and during a struggle with Cavor, accidentally fires a gun at the Grand Lunar. Running for their lives, Bedford manage to find the sphere and escape, but Cavor stays voluntarily on the Moon. ........

Source: Wikipedia