Concepts and Themes

SCIENCE FICTION

THE DIFFERENT ERAS OF SCIENCE FICTION FILM

1904-1940

• -Early attempts (A Trip to the Moon, Metropolis, Frankenstein).

• -German Impressionism (weird lighting, makeup and camera angles and sets).

• -Horror films where science "goes wrong".

• -The first Dystopia film (Metropolis) showing a futuristic world where workers are like automatons and tend the machines for the luxuriously rich. First robot in a film (mad scientist superimposes leader of the workers onto the robot).

1960'S AND 1970'S

• Cultural Critique of contemporary society through Dystopia (Soylent Green, THX 1138, Fahrenheit 451, Silent Running).

• Americans began to react against the conformism and corporate/government control of the 1950's and audiences wanted films that were critical of society.

• During this period, there were many social and cultural movements.

1980’S

• The end of relevance (cultural critique) and the return to simpler good vs. evil themes (Star Wars, ET, Star Trek, Back to the Future, Alien, Blade Runner).

• Americans retreated into their homes, disappointed about society in general.

• Audiences wanted to see films about heroes triumphing over evil, they wanted to escape from reality.

• This was the era when Entertainment became a paradigm.

• This was the era where individualism triumphs over community.

1990'S

• Present: Questioning Reality, remakes, sequels and prequels (The Matrix, Strange Days, Existenz, Virtuosity, Truman Show, Terminator 2)

• First, audiences and filmmakers were intrigued with computer technology and simulation. Films dealt with the boundaries between the real world and virtual worlds.

• Then, producers ran out of ideas and started looking back at previous eras for ideas. So in the 2000's, we entered the era of remakes and the era of expanding previous franchises.

• This is the era where individualism, through differential consumption, becomes

• A major part of society and culture.

DYSTOPIA

• Definition: A dystopia is the projection of a future society where life is far from perfect. In fact, it's not a place you would like to live in.

• Objective: A dystopia is designed to warn contemporary society about specific social or cultural issues that need our attention.

• -Examples of specific social or cultural issues: social inequality, state or corporate control, overpopulation, destruction of the environment, etc. (Try to think of the different films that include these issues)

• Thinking about these social and cultural problems and how they might be present in Chilean society (for example, controlling or regulating the population through the consumption of pharmaceutical drugs).

CONFORMISM

• Definition: Conformism is a tendency within society to behave and think the same as everyone else.

• In the 1950's, there was a move towards conformism, why? (Think about how the mass production of consumer goods --appliances, cars, suburban housing, clothes, etc--- and the advertizing industry helped create a homogenous consumer culture).

• The clash between individualism and conformism. Americans are known for their individualism, and since conformism was contrary to this, a cultural reaction took place. This is why in the 1960's and 1970's, there was a cultural revolution (counter-culture). But instead of this Cultural Revolution leading to a real political revolution, it was absorbed into the culture industry in the 1980's and 1990's.

• Alienation: This is a term that is used to describe what individuals often experience in capitalist society. It is the feeling that in a highly conformist culture, you simply don't belong and that you can't relate to other people. Alienation is experienced, for example, by THX 1138 (the anti-hero in the film of the same name) and by Neo in The Matrix.