Assignment 2 for Film form and Genre

Assignment 2 for Film form and Genre

 

Topic 2: Using two or more films of the same Genre, discuss how genre films can be seen to evolve through time

 

Introduction

Science fiction is one of the popular film genres. It has deep historical background. The first science fiction film The Trip to the Moon known as fantasy genre then was made by French filmmaker Melies in 1902 (Sobchack, V. 1996. The Fantastic. In The Oxford History of World Cinema. Ed. by Geoffrey and Nowell/Smith. Oxford University Press, 1996, p 312). Since then many films were shot about science, technology, adventure and scientists. The development of film technology and emergence of computer animation helped to make better quality movies as well. Thus in the last century science fiction genre changed a lot and each of them was understood as a reflection of the culture it was made. From this point of view it is worth to analyse movies of the same genre created in the beginning and in the end of the 20^th century. In order for this paper will make analysis of two science fiction films: The Lost World (1925), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) and Godzilla (1998).

The main body consists of the following parts:

1. Science fiction: Narrative similarities (similar plot elements and thematic genre conventions)
2. Science fiction: Historical and Social Reflections
3. Science fiction: Image and Sound differences (film techniques, iconography)

 

Main body

1. Narrative similarities

              Two movies which this paper will compare structurally and thematically belong to the genre science fiction. First film The Lost World was released 22 June of 1925. This silent movie was based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, the screenplay was written by Marion Fairfax, and the film itself was directed by Harry O.Hoyt (The Lost World (1925). Available from http: //www.imdb.com/title/tt0016039). The second movie is The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). Based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same title this film was directed by Steven Spielberg.

              The Lost World (1925) tells about an expedition into the jungle of South America. Professor Challenger (Wallace Beery) had already visited an isolated plateau in South American jungles before and witnessed of giant creatures. But just few people believed him, and all his colleagues ridiculed him. But in order to prove his words he returns to jungles with small group accompanying him. That group includes Paula White (Bessie Love), journalist Edward E. Malone (Lloyd Hughes), Sir John Roxton (Lewis Stone) and others. In their expedition they witnessed many dinosaurs. They were also trapped in the plateau, expedition also devastated by sudden volcanic eruption. They survive and take one dinosaur with them to London as well. That dinosaur escapes and destroys iconic Tower Bridge and heads back to its world by sea.

              Spielberg’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) is about a scientist (Jeff Goldblum) who returns to an island with his girlfriend (Julianne Moore). They made several video recording of dinosaurs but something goes wrong, film turns into action and they need to survive.       

              There are several similar narrative conventions of both films. First similarity is the theme of the film (what is film about). Both films are about expedition to unknown, about dangerous monsters (dinosaurs), about survival and about how scientist made contribution to science. This is the main similarities in science fiction movies as well. Vivian Sobchack suggests:

              ‘The SF films, however, even when its narratives are cautionary in relations to such things as alien invasion or monstrous creatures, exceeds the bounds of contemporary knowledge more sanguinely; the genre’s drive into the ‘unknown’ is characterised by bold epistemological curiosity and its limited satisfaction, and is fuelled by an ‘infinite’ and ‘progressive’ deferral of any final satisfaction’ (Sobchack, V. 1996. The Fantastic. In The Oxford History of World Cinema. Ed. by Geoffrey and Nowell/Smith. Oxford University Press, 1996. p 314).

 

According to her there are several similarities in narrative of The Lost World (1925) and The Jurassic Park (1997). When The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released in 1997 many critics found common narrative conventions between these films (IMDB. Available from: www.imdb.com/title/tt0016039 or http://imagesjournal.com/issue10/reviews/lostworld/). Actually both films feature:

1.    an expedition into a land where dinosaurs exist

2.    the capture of a dinosaur

3.    the return to civilization

4.    the escape of the dinosaur (destroying streets and buildings)

 

2. Historical and Social Reflections

These four above mentioned similarities are worth discussing. Even when they are similar in each film they have particular and unique attribute as well which can identify the beliefs and cautions of the time and the society in which films were released. Vivian Sobchack comparing horror, SF and fantasy genres suggests:

‘Horror, SF and fantasy films, then, attempt to imagine and literally to picture what escapes personal, social and institutional knowledge, control, and visibility and, through making the invisible visible, to name, contain and control it’ (Sobchack, V. 1996. The Fantastic. In The Oxford History of World Cinema. Ed. by Geoffrey and Nowell/Smith. Oxford University Press, 1996. p 316).

Expeditions into a land where dinosaurs exist in each film are depicted differently as well as the members of expedition. For example, Professor Challenger’s expedition in The Lost World (1925) was framed as civilising mission in which they discover uncivilised world full of dinosaurs. The reason of expedition is to prove his words. As the result of expedition they captured a dinosaur. That world is far from their world and they are the pioneers. They went to that unknown world in order to make in known and to introduce other civilised world with it. Here even the name of professor has allegorical meaning – Challenger – person challenging the public, the society and difficulties in order to prove his theory. It can be explained by social situations in the beginning of the 20^th century when the science was not so organised as today and almost everything was empirical and firstly was based on conjectures.

In The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)featured the expedition but the reason, purpose and the results of expedition are very different. First of all the reason of expedition is to go to an island full of dinosaurs which once was a laboratory where dinosaurs were cloned. First of all, film features today’s life and modern world which is not uncivilised. Secondly, that island is not far from our civilised world: it is in our civilized world. This is the main massage developed in the narrative. In The Lost World (1925) scientists work to contribute to science but in Jurassic Park (1997) they over expected their possibilities. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) examines the dangers of advanced technologies. Here science and new thechnologies over reaches its abilities, it crosses the limits of its possibilities thus creating the unexpected danger. The purpose of expedition is also different. Here the expedition is survival and saving others’ lives. Scientists save their lives and save the world as well. This is what is circulated in our life today: do we really expect the consequences of our activities. Do we really know what we have already done? Do we really realise what we do? Jurassic Park (1997) asks question ‘What if?’ Comparing horror, fantasy and science fiction Vivian Sobchack wrote:

‘Horror, SF and fantasy films are all concerned with the limits of knowledge and with the imaginative making, unmaking and remaking of worlds and human identities. Thus, all tell stories about and give concrete and visible form to that which is not concrete and visible in our daily existence and under our historical and cultural conditions of knowledge, but which, nevertheless, we feel there’ (Sobchack, V. 1996. The Fantastic. In The Oxford History of World Cinema. Ed. by Geoffrey and Nowell/Smith. Oxford University Press, 1996. p 316).

The image of the monster (dinosaur) is also worth to consider. First of all, The Lost world (1925) was the first full length feature film with the images of dinosaurs (IMDB. Available from www.imdb.com/title/0016039/externalreviews or http://www.moria.co.nz/sf/lostworld25.htm). In The Lost World (1925) Professor Challenger’s expedition captures dinosaur and brings it to London. It escapes and destroys buildings in London and heads to its remote land by sea. This film also was the source for idea for many movies like King Kong (1933), The Beast from 20 000 Fathoms (1953), Gojira (1954) (Keane, S. 2001. Disaster Movies: the cinema of catastrophe. Wallflower, London and New York, p 95). In this case it is worth to compare this movie with one of last disaster movies Godzilla (1998). In each movie the image of monsters had definite ideological meaning and particular message to the audience. In The Lost World (1925) monster destroys Tower Bridge. Godzilla (1998) features dinosaur destroying New York and Manhattan. W.J.T Mitchell in his Seven Theses on the Dinosaur wrote that the image of the dinosaur “symbolizes the power of the total state in its constitutional form” (IMDB. Available from www.imdb.com/title/0016039/externalreviews or http://screened.blogspot.com/2005/09/lost-world.html). In Godzilla (1998) the story is slightly different but the beginning is the same as in the Jurassic Park (1997). In the both films the creatures are considered as the unexpected mistakes of scientists. But in Godzilla (1998) the birth of the monster was in a different way. Stephen Keane suggests:

‘The fact that the film is able to begin with the controversial atomic testing in French Polynesia offers a triple convenience – maintaining the nuclear birth of the monster, following it through to the most recent example of Pacific testing, and blaming the French (again, not America’s fault)’ (Keane, S. 2001. Disaster Movies: the cinema of catastrophe. Wallflower, London and New York, p 97).

By the way the destination of monsters in the both movies must be taken into account. In The Lost World (1925) dinosaur is brought to London. It is enforced and thus as the logical result it escapes that world. Here the narrative of the movie follows the story by A. C. Doyle. In Godzilla (1998) the beast created by nuclear weapon heads to New York, destroys it from inside and nests there because that city is perfect place for it. Dr Nick Tatopoulos played by Matthew Broderick tells the reason why the monster chose New York: ‘It is perfect. An island, water on all sides. But like no other island in the world he can easily hide’ (Ibid, p 98). Here it has definite message to its audience. The nuclear birth of a beast, its destruction of the city from inside and nesting there are all subtle hints for an idea about nuclear terrorism and terrorists among common people.

The last idea told in this movie was about nature. In the first movie the having destroyed the Tower Bridge heads to its land because it is beast and it was used to be free. In Jurassic Park the dinosaurs having been created by other became dangerous. In Godzilla (1998) the monster created by nuclear tests became a reason of catastrophe. All of these conventions suggest one idea – scientific works against the ungovernable rules and laws of nature may have unpredictable results.

 

3. Science fiction: Image and Sound differences

 

 

 

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