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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 819

The Conquest of the Pole

191244 minFrance
FantasyScience fictionAdventure

Synopsis

An international gathering of explorers chooses an extraordinary flying machine for an expedition to the North Pole. Their confidence in engineering carries them into a landscape ruled by impossible creatures and dangerous attractions. A giant and a powerful magnetic force make the journey less a triumph of science than another test of the travelers' ability to survive their own ambition.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs
30:11
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Georges Méliès · Public domain

This copy runs shorter than the reference runtime. Editing and playback speed can differ between editions.

Cast

DirectorsGeorges Méliès

Historical context

One of Méliès's late fantastic voyages, the film draws on contemporary polar exploration and the tradition of Jules Verne's adventures. Its elaborate spectacle arrived when the director's style was becoming difficult to sustain commercially.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

  • Georges Méliès — Georges Méliès; Publicity materials for an exhibition at La Caixa Foundation: http://press.lacaixa.es/socialprojects/exhibiton-georges-melies-magic-of-cinema-caixaforum-barcelona-eng__816-c-17952__.html · Public domain

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