Compare And Contrast Cold War And Post 9/11

2 Critical Comparison of Cold War and Post-9/11 Apocalyptic Film: War of the Worlds 1953 and 2005 The initial version of War of the Worlds, produced in 1953 by Byron Haskin, was one of the first Cold War apocalyptic films. The story is based on H.G. Wells’ novel of the same name from 1898, which criticizes colonialism. Aired by the New York Times as a radio show, it already shocked people throughout the U.S in 1938. In 2005, Steven Spielberg shot a remake of War of the Worlds, which was one of the first apocalyptic films published after the terror attacks. The general story of both versions is similar: Martians try to invade the earth and are finally defeated naturally by a bacterium. However, each version uses different approaches to

In the initial version, this new external threat is an allusion to the contemporary topic of the Cold War and atomic weapons; depicting the Martians as “godless communists, attempting to invade the United States for their own nefarious purposes” (Wetmore 48). This “enemy stereotyping” (Shaw 65) is typical for Cold War apocalyptic films and fits in the historical context of 1953, namely the third year of the Korean War. Still in the beginning, a comparison of the new “War of the Worlds” with World War I and II, clarifies the novelty and exceptionality of the threat and therefore parallels it to the Cold War. The comparison functions as a foresight that America’s role as world leading super power and its persistent success might be proven. Government’s first reaction towards the invaders is a military response, which should save society but also functions as a demonstration of power. In contrast to prior successful military responses, the U.S. in War (1953) is not able to defeat the enemy, which implies a clear failure of the military. The following use of an atomic bomb, which demonstrates the real readiness of the U.S. to use such weapons in the new war, fails and by that reveals a breakdown of technology. In general, atomic bombs and references to radiation (e.g. the signal of the Geiger counter) were common tools in apocalyptic films of the Cold War era, used to help “people [...] to grasp the

He is also helpless in the war against the Martians and instead of trying to find a solution, he wants to escape. The attempt fails, which is a symbol of the real powerlessness of technology and furthermore, of God’s judgment over humans or even over the scientists, who were jointly responsible for the atrocities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A natural reaction triggered by bacteria, finally kills the Martians and saves the human race, which indicates that only God is allowed to judge over life and death. Again, a criticism on America’s use of the atomic bomb and their attempt to take possession of God’s role. In the 2005 version, the external Cold War threat was no longer topical and instead terrorism as the new external threat was contemporary. Due to Rachel and Robbie’s idea that the invaders are terrorists, the film directly equates the Martians with terrorists. This parallel shows how deep the anxieties of terror attacks are rooted in society’s believes and additionally symbolizes American’s naivety and the 9/11 trauma leading to everything bad being directly connected to terrorism. Furthermore, the development of the Martians into huge Tripods, also able to act under water, indicates to a development of the enemy. In contrast to the 1953 version, in which the