Méliès drama about an expedition to the North Pole.
0:00 Copyright warning “Film Office presente: “ “Un des derniers films de Georges Melies (1912)” ‘Star Film’ logo. “À la Conquête du Pôle”.
00:59 “Les savants du monde entier reunis en congres. discutent le meilleur moyer de parvenir au Pole Nord.” Scene in room, with three men waving to onlookers.
1:11 “ Le professeur Maboul presente son genial appareil qui doit affronter les glaces du Pole. Professor presents a model of a flying machine to assembled group of congress members.
2:12 L’usine electique. ou le professeur Maboul a realise son oeuvre”. Workers in a factory making the machine, professor leads group around.
2:45 “ Le Professeur Maboul et sa compagnie de savant font leurs preparatifs de depot”. Full sized machine is wheeled in, and the congress members get in (except for one, who arrives too late). The machine takes off vertically and is waved off by people .
3:48 “ Les savants qui n’ont pu prendre place dans l’appare du Professeur Maboul cherchent a le rejoindre par differents moyens”. Hot air balloon, in which Maboul and the congress member who missed getting in the flying machine, ascend, farewelled by townspeople. As the balloon rises, the congress member who is clinging on the side of the basket falls, lands on a church spire, and explodes. The balloon rises through space.
4:53 “Les automobiles affrontent la redoubtable expedition”. Two (model) vehicles travel over mountainous terrain, and crash down a ravine where a bridge has been damaged.
5:21 “ Maitre souverain de l’air. le Professeur, doublant les constellations, rend visite aux signes du Zodiaque”. Machine flies through space, past a star constellation of scales, shooting stars, a grinning planet. An explosion occurs on the machine, and the men inside are shaken about. The machine continues, past a catherine wheel, seven women holding stars, and a moving constellation of a scorpion, which flicks its tail, and sends the machine spinning. It continues, past twins and a planet supported by four women.
9:12 “Le glorieux appareil atterrit sur les terres arctiques”. The machine lands on the icy Arctic landscape, takes off again, and moves through the ice, before having an accident which damages the tail of the machine.
10:18 “Le mystere du Pole. Le geant des neiges. The men walk into the ice, trying to keep warm. A monster ascends from under the ground, and the men throw snowballs at it: it captures and eats one of them, while others escape. It spits the man out, and disappears back under the ground.
13:01 “L’aiguille magnetique. axe du Pole Nord”. A revolving structure appears, which is jumped on by the men, who cling on as it revolves. It tips over into water, and the men scramble ashore. The flying machine descends, a rope ladder is dropped, and one man climbs aboard. Others are winched up, from the Arctic landscape with seals and seabirds.
15:06 “ Apres la victoire. le Club aeronautique recoit avec solemnite, le triomphant Professeur Maboul”. Maboul enters the club.
15:20 “Fin”.