The movie we screened in class last week, THX 1138, is a very a good example of how conservative ideas are expressed in movies. George Lucas portrays the world that the movie takes place in as a technology driven and that humans are stripped from their individualism, freedom, and family. Everyone in the society is placed at the same class. Everyone dresses the same, does the same work, wears the same clothes, and is suppressed from their problems from medication given by computers. This idea of conservatism in this film also shows the division between nature and technology as Ryan and Kellner discuss in their article. The ideas of technology and the natural are clearly separated in early movies in the 60’s and 80’s. Again referring to THX 1138 the audience is able to see how technology is running and ruining peoples life in the society and that the natural or human life is what the society wants. Compared to radical science fiction films were conservatives views are throw out, like Terminator and Blade Runner, technology and nature seem to blend together more than in movies like THX 1138. In the 80’s we start to see robots and replicates taking human forms and qualities. In the film Blade Runner Roy Baty status towards society in the movie is undetermined, so there is a boundary between human and replicate. Roy is a replicate that gives him the human form. This allows audiences to view how nature and technology are combined together to give sci-fi films a new edge compared to the conservative ideas.
301 Alex Moehn
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Alex Moehn
Film 301
Star Wars VII: A Cultural Revolution
Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977, United States and Guatemala) even though it’s in a galaxy far, far away it was able to still revolutionize the science fiction films in America. Before the release of Star Wars in the late 70’s sci-fi films hadn’t been able to take a front sit to American audiences. When Lucas took the stage he easily won audiences over with introducing new special effects and adding new meaning and ideas to sci-fi genre. Star Wars put a new meaning to space travel, space ships, the ray gun, and aliens. Not only did Lucas create a craze for sci-fi films he brought together a country with Luke Skywalker era. By Lucas evolving the sci-fi genre and winning the American hearts Star Wars was able to revolutionize sci-fi films.
The father of Star Wars, George Lucas, didn’t always have a vision of a Star Wars trilogy. In Lucas’s younger days he desired to become a racecar driver, but soon found out that his calling was in the film industry. After graduating from USC Lucas had already produced his first film THX 1138 in which Harrison Ford acted in before his career as Han Solo. Star Wars being the first major movie Lucas produced led him to create another six Star Wars movie, theIndiana Jones series, and Tucker just naming a couple. Aside from Lucas’s award winning movies, Star Wars swept the nation off their feet in the late 1970’s.
Star Wars not only gave its audience the thrill of a science-fiction movie but it brought back sci-fi films from the pits. As stated about Star Wars “it ultimately helped to resurrect the financial viability of the science-fiction genre” (1). Producing a high budgeted movie allowed Lucas to incorporate everything from generic expectations to unexpected features in the movie.The 1970’s in America had showed rapid growth towards new technology. Everything from the neutron bomb and first test tube baby, to Atari and computers led America into a technology era. Also the space race with Russia had America still competing for newer and better weapons and spaceships. The ships in Star Wars set themselves apart from other movies before this with ships like The Millennium Falcon, Death Star, and TIE fighters that extended a key science fiction feature, space travel. Having these ships capable of flying at light speed and to numerous different planets which engraved in viewers minds of what an endless universe could really hold. Lucas was able to incorporate many computer and digitally—time special effects that let audiences get lost in the never ending galaxy of planets and ships filled with hundreds of different characters. Star Warsnot only had pinnacle special effects it had an arsenal of new weapons that drew out the oohs and awes from audiences during the actions scenes. The special effects were a huge influential factor to not only the success of star wars, but on what sci-fi films would become. With so many new and improved special effects it opened doors to other sci-fi movies competing for the new and best technology in their films. Lucas was not only able to contribute to factors in sci-fi films he was able to expand the sci-fi genre in America.
In the late 1970’s hit movies were being made and turned into blockbusters and feature films. Like mentioned in our text about movies in the late 70’s into the early 80’s, “Lucas and Spielberg went on to produce and direct a large number of science fiction films and were central figures in the re-creation of the film series”(2). Lucas had a major contribution to this growing genre. Since Star Wars was such a big hit in 1977 it opened many sci-fi and other genre movies producers into thinking they would be able to produce the best new blockbuster. Film makers were now funding for higher action and budgeted films expanding the ideas of what sci-fi was capable of. Examples of some movies would be Blade Runner, Robocop, Alien, E.T, and Terminator just listing a few feature films thathit it big. The use of mise-en-scene in Star Wars helped Lucas to incorporate all the characters and ships he had in the movie. Throughout the entire movie each scene was filled numerous troops, battle ships, or scenery. This allows audiences to see an array of different sci-fi elements like space ships, space travel, aliens, and technology throughout the movie.
Star Wars not only helped modernize sci-fi films it created a wider audience in America.George Lucas culturally revolutionized sci-fi films in the late 1970’s setting a foundation for what sci-fi movies were soon to become.
Notations
(1) Kerks, Tim. "Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)."
(2) Cornea, Christine. Science Fiction Cinema. Rutgers UP.
Film 301
Star Wars VII: A Cultural Revolution
Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977, United States and Guatemala) even though it’s in a galaxy far, far away it was able to still revolutionize the science fiction films in America. Before the release of Star Wars in the late 70’s sci-fi films hadn’t been able to take a front sit to American audiences. When Lucas took the stage he easily won audiences over with introducing new special effects and adding new meaning and ideas to sci-fi genre. Star Wars put a new meaning to space travel, space ships, the ray gun, and aliens. Not only did Lucas create a craze for sci-fi films he brought together a country with Luke Skywalker era. By Lucas evolving the sci-fi genre and winning the American hearts Star Wars was able to revolutionize sci-fi films.
The father of Star Wars, George Lucas, didn’t always have a vision of a Star Wars trilogy. In Lucas’s younger days he desired to become a racecar driver, but soon found out that his calling was in the film industry. After graduating from USC Lucas had already produced his first film THX 1138 in which Harrison Ford acted in before his career as Han Solo. Star Wars being the first major movie Lucas produced led him to create another six Star Wars movie, theIndiana Jones series, and Tucker just naming a couple. Aside from Lucas’s award winning movies, Star Wars swept the nation off their feet in the late 1970’s.
Star Wars not only gave its audience the thrill of a science-fiction movie but it brought back sci-fi films from the pits. As stated about Star Wars “it ultimately helped to resurrect the financial viability of the science-fiction genre” (1). Producing a high budgeted movie allowed Lucas to incorporate everything from generic expectations to unexpected features in the movie.The 1970’s in America had showed rapid growth towards new technology. Everything from the neutron bomb and first test tube baby, to Atari and computers led America into a technology era. Also the space race with Russia had America still competing for newer and better weapons and spaceships. The ships in Star Wars set themselves apart from other movies before this with ships like The Millennium Falcon, Death Star, and TIE fighters that extended a key science fiction feature, space travel. Having these ships capable of flying at light speed and to numerous different planets which engraved in viewers minds of what an endless universe could really hold. Lucas was able to incorporate many computer and digitally—time special effects that let audiences get lost in the never ending galaxy of planets and ships filled with hundreds of different characters. Star Warsnot only had pinnacle special effects it had an arsenal of new weapons that drew out the oohs and awes from audiences during the actions scenes. The special effects were a huge influential factor to not only the success of star wars, but on what sci-fi films would become. With so many new and improved special effects it opened doors to other sci-fi movies competing for the new and best technology in their films. Lucas was not only able to contribute to factors in sci-fi films he was able to expand the sci-fi genre in America.
In the late 1970’s hit movies were being made and turned into blockbusters and feature films. Like mentioned in our text about movies in the late 70’s into the early 80’s, “Lucas and Spielberg went on to produce and direct a large number of science fiction films and were central figures in the re-creation of the film series”(2). Lucas had a major contribution to this growing genre. Since Star Wars was such a big hit in 1977 it opened many sci-fi and other genre movies producers into thinking they would be able to produce the best new blockbuster. Film makers were now funding for higher action and budgeted films expanding the ideas of what sci-fi was capable of. Examples of some movies would be Blade Runner, Robocop, Alien, E.T, and Terminator just listing a few feature films thathit it big. The use of mise-en-scene in Star Wars helped Lucas to incorporate all the characters and ships he had in the movie. Throughout the entire movie each scene was filled numerous troops, battle ships, or scenery. This allows audiences to see an array of different sci-fi elements like space ships, space travel, aliens, and technology throughout the movie.
Star Wars not only helped modernize sci-fi films it created a wider audience in America.George Lucas culturally revolutionized sci-fi films in the late 1970’s setting a foundation for what sci-fi movies were soon to become.
Notations
(1) Kerks, Tim. "Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)."
(2) Cornea, Christine. Science Fiction Cinema. Rutgers UP.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The science fiction genre sets its self apart from western and gangster genres because it doesn't have the typical iconographic figures. Western films are full of the basic's cowboys, train robberies, and shootouts. The same is true for gangster movies besides they have their tommy guns, crimes, and drugs. With science fiction themes have a wide range from time travel, aliens, space, to robots, etc. The opportunities are endless for the different themes and features in the story lines of science fiction. Since there is really no basic setting like the typical train robbery or drive by gang shooting, Science fiction is a very diverse genre that has many different iconographic features that challenge it to stray away from the basic themed genres.
I thought Hel did not fill the uncanny expectation that most people view as robotic when she was recreated from Maria. She was just as human looking as her former self because most films don’t portray robots as human like. Even though this isn’t the typical robot style it helps separate the science fiction genre away from the typical iconographic films. Science fiction is a genre that can be appreciated by a diverse group of people.
I thought Hel did not fill the uncanny expectation that most people view as robotic when she was recreated from Maria. She was just as human looking as her former self because most films don’t portray robots as human like. Even though this isn’t the typical robot style it helps separate the science fiction genre away from the typical iconographic films. Science fiction is a genre that can be appreciated by a diverse group of people.
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