Benjamin Franklin and the first balloons

UNSEEN - IN MIDDLE SCHOOL COMPETITION

Benjamin Franklin and the first balloons

Directed by

Stéphane Bégoin

Written by

Stéphane Bégoin

Produced by

© ARTE France - Docside Production

Documentary, France, 2013, 52 min

On November 21st 1783 in Paris, a balloon rises over a crowd of spectators spellbound with on board Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes. One of humanity’s oldest dreams was finally coming true. For the first time ever, Man had taken off from the Earth, and was able to fly! On January 7th 1785 in England, two men, one Anglo-American John Jeffries, one French, Mr Blanchard, take off again with the crazy idea: to fly over the English Channel in a balloon! This day is a turning point: the first trip in the air where the man is able to master his shifting. What did those creatures of the sky actually look like? Is it possible to recreate them and to relive, onboard, their most unique moments? Guillaume de Montgolfier, descendant of the famous Montgolfier brothers, will try to answer these questions, by setting himself a challenge: build an exact replica of these high machines, and then fly, in the same conditions, for the first time since the 18th century.

Debate with :

• Jean-Marc Robert, Producer
• Michel Viso, Exobiologist at the CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales)