“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” Humans have been fascinated by space for generations. They are intrigued by its lovely mystery that contains a multitude of possibilities. Significant improvements in space discovery opened many opportunities for filmmakers to go to infinity and beyond. Outer space has been portrayed on the silver screen countless times, from Star Wars, the epic space opera series, to Le Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon), the iconic French silent film, to Gravity, the Academy Award-nominated contemporary thriller. After the moon landing in 1969, the motion picture industry began to produce more stories about space travel; thus, a wide variety of space films that appeal to different audiences was created. Moviegoers were eager to see both outlandish science fiction films and strictly historical biopics alike. A new era of film had begun and it revolutionized Hollywood as we know it.
Georges Méliès’ Le Voyage Dans La Lune is universally recognized as the first science fiction film. It was produced in 1902, 14 minutes in length, and hand-colored. Méliès pioneered the concept of space travel--specifically, travel to the moon--in film more than fifty years before Neil Armstrong took one giant leap for mankind. “The silent film's plot, a light-hearted satire criticizing the conservative scientific community of its time, was inspired by Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and H. G. Wells' First Men in the Moon (1901)” (“Voyage Dans La Lune”). Le Voyage Dans La Lune showed the uptight scientists of the early 20th century a new way to look at the fathomless space and unknown sky. Many people were afraid of space exploration, but Méliès demonstrated it in a funny and informative--for the tim...
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...gs scientifically wrong with Gravity, but Cuáron did not fail to stun the audience with jaw-dropping views of space and amazing cinematography.
Space is infinitely fascinating. It caught the eyes of filmmakers around the time that the film industry was being revolutionized and growing in more ways than one. Although space films may not be completely scientifically accurate to the very last tiny detail, the scientific accuracy is not always what matters. It is always a nice treat to see a film for fun without worrying whether the science is totally correct. In addition, space films encompass a variety of topic matters within its broad genre. They are an enormous part of the motion picture industry and coalesce many different ideas about space into one film. Space may or may not always be portrayed completely accurately in film, but they can still be excellent films.
Booker, M. K. Alternate Americas: Science Fiction Film and American Culture. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2006. Print.
The many debates about art cinema versus classical cinema have been going around for a while. The mainstream Hollywood classical film and the art cinema are frequently presented as opposites. In one, the style of the film is bland, while the other seeks to center its focus on the visual becoming central as narrative unity. Throughout the movie directed by Stanley Kubrick called 2001: A Space Odyssey, we see that this film can be classified as an art film. On the other hand, it can also be seen as classical film. Even though these two are the complete opposite and they contradict themselves, they are both apparent in the film.
defined what makes a film fit the science fiction niche. This paper seeks to explore
Dale Earnhardt once said, “finishing races is important, but racing is more important.” The 35th president of the United states, John F. Kennedy, also portrayed this in his Moon Speech. This speech was delivered on September 12, 1962, with the object of entering the space race for improvements, discoveries, along with becoming the first in the world. Through his words, John F. Kennedy, uses ethical appeal, logical appeal, and lastly the audience’s sympathies to persuade that the race space is only a challenge intended to be won.
Forbidden Planet (1956), directed by Fred Wilcox, is the first science fiction film to take place on an exoplanet. The film is about a military class vessel and crew dispatched to investigate the status of a scientific exploration team on a planet in the Altair system. The captain and crew of the investigating team is surprised to find only one original crew member remaining on the planet; furthermore, the investigators find out that all the other crewmembers of the science team were viciously attacked and killed by a mysterious, unseen entity. Many elements present in the film inspired later films and shows that were of a space exploration, science fiction type. The inspiration is strongly visible in Roddenberry’s Star Trek series. One of the most interesting facets
On May 25, 1961, just two weeks after the US had successfully got an American into space, John F. Kennedy gave a speech addressing it and exclaimed, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project...will be more exciting, or more impressive to mankind, or more important...and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish..." (Kruse). The Space Race became an important event for all of humanity during the 20th century because it improved our knowledge of space, improved and inspired new technology, and improved our education. It sparked a mix of both friendly and non friendly competition between the Capitalist United States and the Communist Russia (USSR) from the launch of Sputnik in 1957, all the way to the Apollo-Soyuz project that ended the race in 1975 .
Science fiction is a genre, which depicts what life would be like in a world with major scientific and technological developments. When it comes to science fiction, the exploration of future technology is a major element. Many stories and films focus on space, robots, aliens, a mad scientist, and/or artificial intelligence. “The universal themes found in science fiction—themes of freedom and responsibility, power, love, individuality and community, good versus evil, technology run amok, and more—present ample opportunity to explore complex issues and compelling controversies at length and in depth in ways that not only engage the intellect, but involve the emotions and expand the imagination.” The story “Flowers for Algernon,” by Daniel Keyes, is an example of science fiction that examines the impact of artificial intelligence. “The End of the Whole Mess,” by Steven King, is an example of science fiction that focuses on the fall of a mad scientist. The film “Gravity” is an example of a science fiction movie that explores the use of major technological advancement within space. In this paper I will assess the major themes portrayed in “Flowers for Algernon,“ “The End of the Whole Mess,” and the film, “Gravity.” Additionally, I will examine how these models of science fiction teach a major lesson about the imperfections of future scientific and technological advancements on society.
“The Space Race”. Newseum: From the Earth to the Moon. Stories of the Century. 9 March 2010.
In the early 1900’s Georges Melies introduced his film “A Trip To The Moon” to audiences in France. This film, when first seen by viewers at this time, was jawdropping. Melies who happened to be a magician, and illusionist before becoming a filmmaker, made one of the first-ever narratives in motion picture history. Similarily throughout “Trip To The Moon” and many of his later films, Melies, who also worked in theatre, took full advantage of what is known as Mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene is defined as: All the elements placed in front of the camera to be photographed: the settings and props, lighting, costumes and make-up, and figure behavior. In “Trip to the Moon” Melies created a world to which no one had ever seen on film, and utilized all the characteristics to which mise-en-scene is based upon.
The nineteenth-century was an explosion of industry and technology. Evidence of how these advances made an impact on people's lives and how they viewed the world was prevalent in the art of the time. The influence of the Freudian revolution, having given artists insight into the human psyche, would give birth to movements in art such as Expressionism and Surrealism. As the nineteenth-century came to a close, an entirely novel mixture of art and technology found its inception, cinema. Beginning with French filmmaker Georges Melies' fourteen-minute silent film, A Trip to the Moon, released to the public in 1902 and based on a Jules Verne novel, the art of motion pictures would become the epitome of modern medium. As new technology continued to emerge, artists in this field would make of it a revolutionary industry deeply rooted in modern culture.
On 20 July, 1969 Americans landed the first man on the moon; officially ending the space race between the former Soviet Union and the United States. This however was not completed over night. The conflict between the two super powers spanned over two decades and was not only about interplanetary travel but the pride that was to follow. Science fiction played a major role in inspiring the western population of what was to come of space travel and our future. Films and novels about space exploration tended to attempt to remain more realistic in their content and the way that space travel was depicted. One of the most highly impressionable films of this era was Rocket Ship X-M.
It is within man’s blood and nature to explore, and space is our next New World. Man’s first achievement in space travel was the launch of the Sputnik on October 4, 1957. For the next decades, space travel was roaring like a rocket, fueled by man’s desire to explore, man’s desire for knowledge, and man’s desire to beat his enemies. However, these impulses have died out as the well of government funding has been diverted to wars and debts, and the interest of the American people has been diverted to wars and debts. Amidst all these issues it is debated as to whether or not space travel is worth the money and the attention of scientists, particularly since humanity faces so many issues on earth currently. However, because of the past inventions, current services, and future benefits, space travel is indeed worth the money and attention of governments and people. It is within our hands to control man’s advancement, and space travel is the next venue to do so.
The film “Gravity”, released in 2013 and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, is a groundbreaking cinematic piece that exemplifies countless scientific and astronomic analyzations. The film was highly praised for it’s excellent portrayal of astronomic phenomena and the delicateness and dangers of exploration in space.
...h the dreams of landing on the moon, it has progressed to become one of the most appreciated types of genres in books, movies, and other media. Many of these popular ideas include life on other planets in different galaxies and the saving of the universe. The importance of this includes the fact that it can inspire scientists to improve the technology that our society today is surrounded by. This will continue in the future whether or not the science fiction is full of technology or not.
Space has always been a pivotal and utmost important subject for many years. In the past, scientists have made monumental advances in this field such as sending people into orbit and landing a man on the moon. Of course, this has only barely been explored and we still have a lot more to see of the ever-vast outer space. One of the most significant topics of all of science has only been touched and there’s still more to come.