Monday, October 21, 2013

midterm paper



Crystal Willis
ART 441, Professor DeLappe
Midterm Paper
Word Count: 1760
Science Fiction: An Escape From Reality
     Over the last century, science fiction films have allowed society to explore realms of the unknown. This can be a metaphorical investigation into the possible effects to a current cause, whether that cause may be a war or adaptation to a certain technology, or it can be an exploration into the future and what could happen if machine surpasses the supremacy of man. To obtain this objective behind science fiction films, there are several minute considerations that compose the bigger picture and lead a film to success. These components consist of (but are not limited to) the relationship between man versus the machine, emotions and values, the relationship between the past and the future, and death. Although forty-five years apart, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Gravity (2013) will be compared and contrasted to illustrate these supporting ideas.
     When considering the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the primary concepts is that of man versus the machine. HAL, a futuristic computer series programmed with zero error, turns on the men of the mission upon reading their lips and realizing that they plan to shut his system down due to speculation that he does not have their best interest in mind. This idea of whole-heartedness is challenged throughout the film, especially in correlation to the humanistic feelings that HAL has been verbally appropriated as a machine. These feelings are questioned throughout the film, from one crew member to the next, as well as by the public eye back on earth during an interview. From the essay, The Imagination of Disaster, Sontag discusses how:
“Science fiction films invite a dispassionate, aesthetic view of destruction and violence – a technological view. Things, objects, machinery play a major role in these films. A greater range of ethical values is embodied in the décor of these films than in the people.” (Sontag, pg. 43)
From the very actions of HAL, an audience is expected to give HAL the benefit of the doubt and believe that there is good in his system, as if he perceived the world with ethical values, but HAL proves to be the very being that ignites a series of adverse events. With HAL acting as the primary source of destruction in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the opposite side of the spectrum is present in the 2013 film, Gravity. In Gravity, the initial issues arise between man and phenomenon, as opposed to man versus machine. At the beginning of the film, the crew is investigating and servicing a space telescope and are suddenly informed that debris from a Russian satellite is headed rapidly to their current location. The aftermath of the event leads to the death of the entire crew, with the exception of a mission specialist and a veteran astronaut. As the film progresses, both characters rely on what technology remains at their disposal, but from one scene to the next, uncontrollable circumstances will primarily dictate the fate of each of the characters.
    When considering the ideas of choice and fate in each of the films, there were opportunities that could have indubitably lead to different outcomes, had they been seized. The very errors that instigated future tragedies in both films can almost be perceived as self-inflicted, as opposed to anything else. Had the crew members of 2001: A Space Odyssey rotated the pod out of view from HAL, their primary mission could have been carried out more efficiently and with the possibility of fewer deaths. Secondarily in Gravity, had Dr. Stone yielded her work on the telescope when instructed to by Lt. Kowalski, they may have had the opportunity to retreat with the late Shariff Dasari still intact.
     Aside from the influence of fear in society, the future, and technology, there’s a subtlety present in both films, where they selectively incorporate aspects of art history into their storylines. In the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the most frequented unidentified objects that appear are vertical black slabs. With its consistent appearance in new destinations, it’s reminiscent of the stele’s that were adapted in ancient Mesopotamia over 5000 years ago. Typically made of diorite, a dark igneous rock, steles were often used to carry significant inscriptions, ranging from stories of deities to the “law of the land.” In relation to the latter, Hammurabi’s The Law Code is a prime example. With having an empire across ancient Mesopotamia that was continuously growing, it was impossible for him to be present from one location to the next at all times, so the stele would not only outline Mesopotamian laws, but it also served as a visual representation that that land had been conquered. Similarly to 2001: A Space Odyssey, this idea is reminiscent when the black slabs appear from one world to the next. Although they lack an inscription, they can be perceived as holding the same sense of power.
     Secondary to the slabs is the scene when Dr. David Bowman exits the spacecraft in a pod to retrieve the body of Dr. Frank Poole. When carrying Dr. Poole back to the spacecraft in the arms of the pod, the imagery is reminiscent of Michelangelo’s late 15th century Pietà. Aside from a similar aesthetic, the ideology between the two is comparable as well. At this point, Dr. Poole can be proclaimed dead, as the same for Jesus in the sculpture; meanwhile Dr. Bowman and Mary are left to endure a sense of abandonment. This idea of abandonment continues on in 2001: A Space Odyssey when Dr. Bowman is no longer in communication with his companions on Earth, as well as the crew that had been placed in cryogenic hibernation have been stripped of their habitat and left to pass in their sleep by HAL.
     On the opposite side of the spectrum are the references to art history in Gravity. Upon Dr. Stone and Lt. Kowalski being separated from the Explorer, the two begin their journey through space with hopes of survival. Upon crossing paths with the International Space Station, the two are placed in a situation where either Dr. Stone will have the opportunity to make it home, or collectively they will both be lost in space. This moment of separation is reminiscent of Michelangelo’s depiction of the Creation of Adam, an early 16th century fresco fostered within the Sistine Chapel. When looking at the aesthetics of the scene, the two attempt to reach out to one another. Dr. Stone, who is bound to the ship, takes the role of Adam on Earth, whereas Lt. Kowalski takes the role of God, extended out in space. Upon dissecting the subject matter, it can also be compared that Lt. Kowalski takes the role of God by attempting to give Dr. Stone an opportunity to live, similar to God’s extension of the spark of life to Adam in Michelangelo’s fresco. This idea of Lt. Kowalski as a pseudo-god carries over later in the film, where he becomes the voice of reason to Dr. Stone to persevere through the challenges that are set forth before her, as opposed to succumbing to death and joining “his” kingdom.
     As a whole, the idea and perception of death becomes a dominant theme within both works as well, but in much different ways. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the idea of death is presented with a lack of emotion. This is part in parcel to the idea that, “reasonableness had achieved an unbreakable supremacy over the emotions,” (Sontag, pg. 45) which correlates back to the film’s overall heavy reliance on logic. This is a result of the influence of a machine that had been previously investigated, but it doesn’t stop at feelings associated with death, but with the representation of it too. When death presented itself, the scenes were aesthetically peaceful and generalized. The characters succumbed to death as if it were the inevitable, whereas on the reverse side of the spectrum is the way death was interpreted in Gravity. In the subsequent film, death presented itself as gruesome and instantaneous. This is implicit not only for the storyline, but also due to the technology that has emerged over the last half a century. Sontag explains how:
“Recent science fiction films have a decided grimness, bolstered by their much greater degree of visual credibility … modern historical reality has greatly enlarged the imagination of disaster, and the protagonists – perhaps by the very nature of what is visited upon them – no longer seem wholly innocent.” (Sontag, pg. 42)
This explains the leap in intensity when it comes to the representation of death, both aesthetically, as well as in relation to an audience’s attachment and engagement with the characters of the film.
     As death is represented uniquely to both films, a single resolution is shared between the two. The protagonist of each film is given the opportunity of rebirth, in one way or another. In the case of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr. Bowman enters a new realm, where the audience is able to view his fate as he ages and eventually faces death. After his passing, it is implied that Dr. Bowman has been given the opportunity to experience a second life, when the imagery of a baby is suspended out in space. Whether this is a reincarnation of the human form or a metaphor of the new life of a star, Dr. Bowman’s life will continue in one way or another. Secondly is Dr. Stone in Gravity. Upon evacuating the International Space Station and escaping from space’s grasp with a Chinese evacuation pod, she emerges on Earth. Carrying with her the words of Lt. Kowalski, Dr. Stone has discovered a new outlook on life and now has the opportunity to reinvent herself and her future.
     Considering the two films at hand, they both illustrate unique aspects of the wide genre acknowledged as science fiction. Though at given points, they are conflicting in view, it should be remembered that, "science fiction films are not about science. They are about disaster ... it is a matter of quantity and ingenuity," (Sontag, pg. 41) as opposed to being driven by a single fact. If science fiction films were to be solely based on reality, they would stray from being a medium that allows for the purging of emotions, immense wonder, and the drive to discover; they would become documentaries solely based on what is known and proven fact. It is through science fiction that an audience can escape their known reality and emerge oneself into an unexplored territory that they can develop and acknowledge as their own.

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Citations
Redmond, Sean. "The Imagination of Disaster." Liquid Metal: The Science Fiction Film Reader. London: Wallflower, 2004. 40-47. Print.

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