"Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film"
"Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film" - Vivian Carol Sobchack
A series of key point from the history of Amercian science fiction films.
- Science fiction in the 1970's started to change tone as the context of the world changed. Once the issues were nuclear apocalypse and dystopia stemming from the cold war but as this became less relevant the movies started turn to issues within politics, government and other issues on earth rather than extraterrestrial narratives and visuals. (Sobchack(Joan Dean), 242)
-2001: A Space Odyssey was the peak and pinnacle of films representing the space frontier for the time. After it's release in 1968 the interest in space and the urgency surrounding technology improvements started to dwindle. No longer were these films just about showing what could be and focus shifted to issues that were based on earth or alternate realities of earth.
-Sobchack suggests that during the mid 70's renaissance of science fiction in which films like Star Wars (1977) and Close Encounters (1977) were released there was an increase in positivity about technology and future extraterrestrial exploration. But after the American Vietnam war the tone of films changed considerably (Coming Home, The Deer Hunter and Apolcalypse Now) reflect on the controversial American involvement in the Vietnam war and show a flipped version of what Star Wars and pro expansion films previously did. They show the human males as being arrogant and responsible for criminal war acts. Although not all Sci-Fi the theme of arrogant and irresponsible humans crossed over into Scifi, the aliens in Starman are innocent and loving creatures while most often the humans are looking for control and power. This is an interesting way to see how Sci-Fi was started to be used as form of communication for issues.
-Sobchack also says that beyond the 1980's technology has lifted much of the veil of the traditional Sci Fi view of space. Technology has made space much more accessible as understandable. But also technology is pervasive to ourselves, to our livelihoods, and social abilities, so much so that humans become the the other, the alien.
-By the 1980's many films started move away from traditional perceptions of space and started to consider the worlds and species that fiction could bring to the table in a positive manor. Previously the aliens found in space were the most feared thing about science fiction as well as the immeasurable depth of space, but in the 1980's the aliens became more a representation of us and became a positive aspect of the many films in the genre. This is true for science fiction films mentioned above where the aliens are the underdog and we can feel connected to them (Starman, The Brother from Another Planet, D.A.R.Y.L, Android).
-Sobchack argues that the technological leap from the 1980's to 1990's lead to an increased consolidation of power as media and information can be transmitted to everyone from once source. American Science fiction films during this period catered for a need to criticize concentrated power, such as Empire for Star Wars being posed as the unequivocal antagonists of the films. Tron is even more explicit in it's intent as the antagonist is the "Master Control Program", and electronic corporate concentration of power that controls the Tron universe. Sci-Films are now being used as a critical genre. Bladerunner, one the most iconic science fiction movies has a plot based around the "Tyrell Corporation" which is extremely powerful as it builds and develops technology which controls much of the earth in the future. The same can be found with Alien which has the character being employees of a space mining mega corporation.
There seems to be a consistent postfuturism view of people being controlled by the wealthier holders of technology.
A series of key point from the history of Amercian science fiction films.
- Science fiction in the 1970's started to change tone as the context of the world changed. Once the issues were nuclear apocalypse and dystopia stemming from the cold war but as this became less relevant the movies started turn to issues within politics, government and other issues on earth rather than extraterrestrial narratives and visuals. (Sobchack(Joan Dean), 242)
-2001: A Space Odyssey was the peak and pinnacle of films representing the space frontier for the time. After it's release in 1968 the interest in space and the urgency surrounding technology improvements started to dwindle. No longer were these films just about showing what could be and focus shifted to issues that were based on earth or alternate realities of earth.
-Sobchack suggests that during the mid 70's renaissance of science fiction in which films like Star Wars (1977) and Close Encounters (1977) were released there was an increase in positivity about technology and future extraterrestrial exploration. But after the American Vietnam war the tone of films changed considerably (Coming Home, The Deer Hunter and Apolcalypse Now) reflect on the controversial American involvement in the Vietnam war and show a flipped version of what Star Wars and pro expansion films previously did. They show the human males as being arrogant and responsible for criminal war acts. Although not all Sci-Fi the theme of arrogant and irresponsible humans crossed over into Scifi, the aliens in Starman are innocent and loving creatures while most often the humans are looking for control and power. This is an interesting way to see how Sci-Fi was started to be used as form of communication for issues.
-Sobchack also says that beyond the 1980's technology has lifted much of the veil of the traditional Sci Fi view of space. Technology has made space much more accessible as understandable. But also technology is pervasive to ourselves, to our livelihoods, and social abilities, so much so that humans become the the other, the alien.
-By the 1980's many films started move away from traditional perceptions of space and started to consider the worlds and species that fiction could bring to the table in a positive manor. Previously the aliens found in space were the most feared thing about science fiction as well as the immeasurable depth of space, but in the 1980's the aliens became more a representation of us and became a positive aspect of the many films in the genre. This is true for science fiction films mentioned above where the aliens are the underdog and we can feel connected to them (Starman, The Brother from Another Planet, D.A.R.Y.L, Android).
-Sobchack argues that the technological leap from the 1980's to 1990's lead to an increased consolidation of power as media and information can be transmitted to everyone from once source. American Science fiction films during this period catered for a need to criticize concentrated power, such as Empire for Star Wars being posed as the unequivocal antagonists of the films. Tron is even more explicit in it's intent as the antagonist is the "Master Control Program", and electronic corporate concentration of power that controls the Tron universe. Sci-Films are now being used as a critical genre. Bladerunner, one the most iconic science fiction movies has a plot based around the "Tyrell Corporation" which is extremely powerful as it builds and develops technology which controls much of the earth in the future. The same can be found with Alien which has the character being employees of a space mining mega corporation.
There seems to be a consistent postfuturism view of people being controlled by the wealthier holders of technology.
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