week three - film reviews

Things to Come, 1936, 97 minutes, Great Britain, Director William Cameron Menzies
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     When considering H.G. Wells’ Things to Come, one cannot help but to observe the underlying themes that begin to unravel and present themselves throughout the film. The first is the recognition of how impactful and influential technology can be when exploited to a society. In most cases, when a technological advancement is made, you see communities adapt to the new development and, as a whole, continue to move forward in research. In the film, there’s a fear of the unknown within the city-state of Everytown, where a complete rejection for technological advancements is implemented and the community as a whole reverts to a way of life without the materials of a mechanized world, such as planes, gas, et cetera. This of course was part in parcel to the position Everytown was left in post-war and post-epidemic, as well as an example of how in times of war, there’s a shift in priorities, but it was nonetheless a choice. Upon being faced with conflict from an outlying territory, you begin to see a parallel to reality, in particular to World War II. At a point in the film, the viewer begins to see a development of an arms race, where both societies are attempting to build a more efficient aircraft. With the exterior community having continued their research, whereas Everytown had yielded their own, it’s evident which of the societies has a stronger sense of knowledge and resources, and in turn, which society would be the successor of the city. Secondary to the arms race, is the aftermath. Upon Everytown being overtaken by an outside community, there’s a shift within society as a whole; there’s a sense of prosperity and equilibrium from one location to the next. This is an unrealistic expectation of our world today, but it makes sense in the case of the film due to a hard-headed leader being extracted from his authority (the chief of Everytown) and being replaced by an authority that oversees a larger community elsewhere. In a sense, you can see how both societies are on the same sheet of music, causing less conflicts within themselves and a unanimous vision for the future.

The Atomic Café, 1982, 86 minutes, United States, Directors Jayne Loader, Kevin Rafferty, and Pierce Rafferty

    Upon being exposed to the documentary The Atomic Café, the film can be analyzed from two outlooks – the film as concrete fact and depictions of the cold war era, or the manner the film was portrayed. When considering the film for what it is – a documentary – it’s successful in its actual depictions of what occurred around the 1950s; with the visual representation of the film being speeches from world leaders, the aftermath of bombs on a “virgin” city, or physical copies of newspaper articles, there’s a stronger sense of the film being real, as opposed to a farfetched, exaggerated interpretation of events that had taken place. Although some scenes were difficult to view and understand, a sense of black humor is integrated to almost make the heavy material tolerable. In a sense, that relationship between truth and wit can almost translate directly over to the way that we are relayed information – whether it be in the 1950s, 1980s, or now. There’s a relationship between how things are scientifically defined and understood, to the way that that same information is regurgitated and commercialized to the community. There’s a sense of sugarcoating, where what is actually occurring or yet to occur is much more devastating than what is anticipated. Throughout the film, there’s a glorification of the hydrogen bomb, where citizens of the United States have this dream-like perception of what it has the ability to do, because it’s placed on a pedestal and develops into a scare tactic to threatening countries. It’s evident in the conversations that are held around the dinner table, the exercises that are held in the class room, as well as the interviews that occur on the streets with everyday people. With all of this said and done, when considering the target audience of the film in the 1980s, the revival of the 1950s almost served as an opportunity for Americans to see the countries past and how the country was able to maintain a high level of morale and passion through times of war.