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When we talk about streaming culture, we’re usually enthusing about what’s new, but one of the best things about streaming is how it’s made old and obscure cult hits available to a new generation. Presenting Cult Corner: your weekly look into hidden gems and long-lost curiosities that you can find on streaming.

Even if you don’t know Georges Méliès by name, you’d recognize his contributions to pop culture. The French film pioneer was one of the very first directors to play with special effects and fantastic storytelling. His trademark style influenced one of the most famous music videos of the ’90s — The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight” — and he’s a major character in Martin Scorcese’s feel-good family film, Hugo. During his career, Méliès directed over 500 films, but today you can stream two versions of his most legendary classic: A Trip To The Moon.

A Trip To The Moon, or “Le voyage dans la lune,” was made in 1902. While it was initially filmed in black and white, Méliès also made a hand-painted color version. For decades, it seemed that the color version was lost to time. In 1993, the Filmoteca de Catalunya uncovered a terribly damaged — but intact — copy of the mythical color version. In 2011, the film was re-released, fully restored, and digitized in color. Right now, this version (and an original black and white copy) are both available to stream on Netflix.

So, which one should you watch? Uh, maybe both? They’re both under 15 minutes long and both versions offer something different to the modern viewer. The black and white version is the classic one and it looks slightly crisper. That said, the color version gives new dimension to Méliès’s artistic vision. When the explorers face off against the Selenites, the aliens don’t just explode. They burst into glorious fogs of pastel beauty.

The one really off-putting part of the color version might be its hip soundtrack. Though many noteworthy composers have offered their own musical accompaniments to the film over the years, Méliès never had an official soundtrack for the film. The 2011 reissue comes with a soundtrack from the French electronica duo Air. It’s at turns trippy and cool and fun, but it’s undeniably modern sounding. Air is best known for their collaborations with Sofia Coppola.

The black and white version does have a more appropriate soundtrack, but there is also a really obnoxious English-speaking voiceover explaining every part of the silent film. Why? Because while Méliès’ films didn’t come with a preferred soundtrack, it was expected to be played with some kind of music and narration in the theater.

[Watch the COLOR version of A Trip To The Moon on Netflix] or [Watch the ORIGINAL BLACK & WHITE version of A Trip To The Moon on Netflix]

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