Advanced Writing Skills BAN 4007
13 December 2016
Future worlds in film from the 1920s to the 1980s
“Reality cannot be separated from fantasy” says Rushton (71) , a researcher of film theory and a professor at Lancaster University, who believes that fantasy in films offers no escape from reality; it is rather a reflection of it. Therefore, even films depicting an imaginary future actually reflect on the present when the film is made. The principal question this essay is concerned with is how the depiction of the future in science fiction films has changed between the 1920s and 1980s due to people’s attitude towards the future also changing.
When it comes to the depiction of the future in films, probably the first genre coming to one’s mind would be science fiction. This film genre is almost as old as film itself: the first science fiction film dates back to 1902 (Dirks, Science Fiction 1), whereas the very first motion picture was made in 1888[1] (Dirks, Timeline no pag.). The genre’s definition in the Oxford English Dictionary is the following: “Fiction in which the setting and story feature hypothetical scientific or technological advances, the existence of alien life, space or time travel, etc., esp. such fiction set in the future, or an imagined alternative universe.” (“science fiction” no pag.). However, even though there can be one given definition of the genre, many different types of science fiction have been made over the decades. This is the result of people’s changing view of the world and of the future, and this is what will be examined in detail in the next paragraphs.
In the 1920s the first science fiction feature films appeared (Dirks, Science Fiction 1). This is the period after World War I and the time of futurism, a “movement . . . that emphasised the dynamism, speed, energy, and power of the machine and the vitality, change, and restlessness of modern life” (White 1) . According to Samuel, World War I was viewed as “the war to end all wars”, after which would come a new age of technical advancement and great progress (18) . Even after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, people were looking forward to the future, which they believed is full of possibilities and where the “machine” will be in the centre (ibid.). Surprisingly, this mentality did not disappear after World War II[2]; people still believed there is a better future ahead of them (Samuel 51-52) . This is the time when Frank Sinatra sang “the best is yet to come”, which could be the motto of the period up until the early 1960s.
According to Franklin, there were two “archetypal images of the future” in the science fiction films of the time: the “wonder city of the future”, and the “marvelous flying machine” (Franklin 71) . These were in the centre of most films, two examples of which are: Just Imagine (1930), a film about the New York of 1980, an incredibly advanced city by then; and Things to Come (1936), which starts with a decades-long world war, but ends with great progress, well developed cities, and humanity starting to explore the universe. Technological process and fascinating machines are crucial parts of both these films and of most others made during this period as well. Moreover, the first golden age of science fiction was during this period (Clute and Nicholls 258) (more specifically, between 1938 and 1946), at which time the genre was incredibly popular.
The situation was not so bright anymore by the time the second half of the 60s had arrived. The cold war had left its mark on society, which resulted in a much darker view of the future. There was an increasing fear in people of a possible atomic war, and the Vietnam war had already lasted over a decade. The economic boom that characterised the post-war period came to a halt; even to a decline. This was a time of social, political and economic crisis, and Samuel uses the expression “Future shock” to describe it (109) . The future was no longer about something better to come but instead “visions of decay and doom had become the normal Anglo-American cinematic view of [the] possible future” (Franklin 70) .
In the science fiction of the late 60s, the 70s and the 80s, the “wonder city of the future” was replaced by destroyed, desolated cities; and the “marvelous flying machines” brought only terror and destruction (Franklin 72-73) . In the films there were no working democracies displayed, politics was characterised by totalitarianism, scheming and corruption (ibid). The theme of many films is a catastrophic future, which is often the result of natural disasters caused by human demeanour, or the consequence of a nuclear apocalypse (which so many were afraid of at this time). The films of this time are about dystopias, destruction, desolation and decay. A few examples are: A Clockwork Orange (1971), Sleeper (1973), and Mad Max (1979).
Science fiction is popular ever since. Due to technological development, it is still able to renew and show something different. Its topics are, however, basically the same. Depending on society’s view of the future, science fiction films either show bright days of development to come or a depict a dark vision of devastation and decadence. This even resulted in the rise of different subgenres, such as apocalyptic and superhero films, which could even probably be distinguished as separate genres themselves. Further studies of these genres and how future worlds are shown in films could lead to a greater understanding of our present as well.
Works Cited
Clute, John and Peter Nicholls. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Granada, 1981.
Dirks, Tim. “Filmsite Movie Review: Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon) (1902).” n.d. filmsite. Web. 10 December 2016. <http://www.filmsite.org/voya.html>.
—. “Science Fiction.” n.d. filmsite. Web. 10 December 2016. <http://www.filmsite.org/sci-fifilms.html>.
Franklin, H. Bruce. “Don't Look Where We'Re Going: Visions of the Future in Science-Fiction Films, 1970-82 (“Ne Cherche Pas à Savoir Où on Va”: Les Visions De l'Avenir Dans Le Cinéma De SF De 1970 à 1982).” Science Fiction Studies Vol. 10, No. 1. 1983.
Rushton, Richard. “Filmic Reality and Ideological Fantasy.” The Reality of Film: Theories of Filmic Reality. Manchester University Press, 2011.
Samuel, Lawrence R. . Future: A Recent History. University of Texas Press, 2009.
“science fiction, n. and adj.” OED Online. Oxford University Press. 2016. Web. 10 December 2016. <http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/172674?redirectedFrom=science+fiction#eid>.
White, John James. “Futurism.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. 2015. Web. 10 December 2016. <https://www.britannica.com/art/Futurism>.
[1] Though both are debated, these are the most widely accepted. The first motion picture was titled Roundhay Garden Scene; and the first science fiction film was the Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon).
[2] This might not be true concerning Europe; however, it is true about the USA, which, being the centre of film-making, is the main concern if this essay.
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