The Great Unknown Steven Spielbergs Close Encounters of...

Why do we fear the unknown? In the process of answering this question, science-fiction genre films successfully capture the history of American society at distinct points in time. The genre is so closely linked to social and historical contexts that its development relies solely on this connection. Sci-fi myths and conventions have remained static for decades, and the only measurable change in the genre lies in the films’ themes (Gehring 229-230). For example, Robert Wise’s The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) argues that fear of the unknown is a flaw in human nature and criticizes the social paranoia of post-war, 1940s America. Conversely, Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) views the human existence through more†¦show more content†¦After all, the social contexts of these eras resonate profoundly with their respective films. Science-fiction films may have emerged as a storytelling medium in 1902 with Mà ©lià ¨s’ From t he Earth to the Moon, but the genre reached cinematic prominence in the 40s and 50s, when it began to reflect the problems of American society (Anderson 2). Produced in 1951, Wise’s Earth manipulates its myth and conventions to cross-examine the social dispositions of 1940s America (Gehring 231). Earth’s portrayal of American culture criticizes the social attitudes of the late 1940s, which were plagued by the fallout of World War II, fear of Communism, and preparation for the oncoming nuclear arms race. America’s concerns about the Soviet Union and nuclear war quickly evolved into paranoia and mass hysteria (Hendershot 7). Although some critics have argued that Earth is anti-America and borderline pro-socialist, the film’s antimilitaristic disposition is ultimately motivated by a desire for peace. Earth merely uses the genre’s conventions to denounce America’s post-war paranoia (Booker 37). In addition, as a post-classical, post-war feature, Wise’s Earth demythed the genre by reinventing the â€Å"invasion† myth with Klaatu (Michael Rennie), an alien who is not truly invading. Klaatu lands on Earth to warn humanity of the dangers of simultaneously developingShow MoreRelatedClose Encounters of the Third Kind: A Review Essay2664 Words   |  11 Pagesâ€Å"Have you recently had a close encounter?† quote from David Laughlin from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Well everyone who has ever seen the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind has had their own close encounter of some kind. Written and directed by Steven Spielberg and Produced by Colombia Pictures in association with EMI Films. Colombia Pictures the same year is credited with the production of four other films which include Bobby Deerfield staring Al Pacino, The Deadly Triangle staringRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand industrial depression from the late 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social tensions and political rivalries that generated and were in turn fed by imperialist expansionism, one cannot begin to comprehend the causes and consequences of the Great War that began in 1914. That conflict determined the contours of the twentieth century in myriad ways. On the one hand, the war set in motion transformative processes that were clearly major departures from those that defined the nineteenth-century