Crystal Willis
ART 441, Professor DeLappe
Midterm Paper
Word Count: 1760
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.
Citations
Redmond, Sean. "The Imagination of
Disaster." Liquid Metal: The Science Fiction Film Reader. London:
Wallflower, 2004. 40-47. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment