The Influence of Science Fiction

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Films do and have always reflected society because they show what's important to people. Films demonstrate fads and hot button issues. Film is not only a piece of art but also a tool of social reform as it expresses the feelings of humans and their idea of contemporary society. Films are the mirror that reflect the society. They are controlled by powerful forces that filter information to the public as well as reflect their fears. This has been held true in the film industry for many decades. For example, when society had a fear of widespread crime then there were many films that reflected the police catching the criminals. When society felt that the schools were not educating the children then there were films reflecting inspirational teachers or school administrators who took charge and turned a school around. This has held true for all types of films throughout the decades. Popular science fiction films of the 1950s were no exception and reveal some of the widespread fears of that era.

The 1950s was indeed a decade of contradiction. Americans were both optimistic in the post-war economic times and scared in the shadow of the Cold War and the Atomic Age. Hollywood released many films during this period that reflected society’s paranoia and fears. Their paranoia was perpetuated by their fear of invasion and espionage, the fear of radiation and the fear of social change. Many of the films produced used the science fiction genre to dig deeper into these fears without frightening the audiences off from their political message.

Even though the United States and the Allies won World War II, there was paranoia about Communism including the fear of invasion by the Soviet Union and China. This fear came from the Cold War and the fai...

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...es, we must change for the better. In the movie, Klaatu appears before Barnhardt's colleagues and warns them that because the universe grows smaller every day, threats of aggression cannot be tolerated. Klaatu assures them that they will be under the watchful eye of a robot named Gort, who was invented by an organization of planets determined to stamp out violence. Each planet is guarded by a robot that impartially acts against aggression, and the inhabitants live in peace. He informs the crowd, "Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration."

Popular science fiction films of the 1950s revealed some of the widespread fears of that era. During that time of fear and change it must be remembered that the struggle was not alien versus human. Rather it was man versus himself and man versus the environment.

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