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how has frankenstein influenced pop culture
frankenstein in popular culture
Frankenstein's impact on pop culture
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Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in The Shell Science fiction has been a staple of film entertainment since George Melies first explored the genre in his 1902 Le Voyage Dans La Lune. While even as early an example as this contained many defining features of the genre which are still present today, over 100 years of exploring the genre has both expanded and more accurately defined what makes a film fit the science fiction niche. This paper seeks to explore elements of Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in The Shell and how they conform to science fiction genre standards. These topics will include plot and thematic elements, as well as film techniques and iconography. Furthermore, the film will be examined through the reflectionist approach to determine how the story speaks to society’s mindset during the time of its production. In Sam Moskowitz’ Explorers of the Infinite: Shapers of Science Fiction he gives us a broad definition of the genre as a whole – not just specific to film: “Science fiction is a branch of fantasy identifiable by the fact that it eases the ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ on the part of its readers by utilizing an atmosphere of scientific credibility for its imaginative speculations in physical science, space, time, social science and philosophy.” (11) Because this definition speaks to the genre as a whole, including both literature and film, it is a good starting point for identifying plot and thematic elements in the movie that speak to the genre. Many notable elements in the film speak to utilization of “an atmosphere of scientific credibility.” Unlike other works in the fantasy genre, Ghost in the Shell sets itself into the science fiction niche with this distinction. While typical fantasy includes fantastic... ... middle of paper ... ...ed doors. The prominent thematic element which hearkens to the science fiction genre is that of the creation turning against its creator – the often-utilized “Frankenstein Theme.” By utilizing a computer creation, Project 2571, the film speaks to the societal mindset at the time of its making. By constantly asking what it means to be human, the film speaks to society’s fear of the loss of self amongst an influx of computer technologies. In a world where super computers are quickly approaching the processing speed of the human brain, robotic technologies are coming to more closely resemble fluid human movements, and artificial intelligence is continually becoming better able to “think” independently, it is no wonder that an underlying societal reflection of this film is a fear of losing one’s own sense of self while surrounded by computers gaining their own.
One example that pertains to this are the events that lead Chris McCandless to his death. In the section Following The Word, it was learned that McCandless had an extremely passionate desire to read which allowed led him to escape reality, a reality that he thought was “fiction.” Although the real fiction was that came about through books, he was reading from authors such as London, Thoreau, Muir, and Tolstoy. In Miller’s words, “who McCandless is…intimately connected to [his] approach to reading,” and this reading helped him to keep and flourish his beliefs Miller 429). In regards to McCandless’s manufactured reality, he had used his keen eye and knowledge of books to understand nature around him, at least, he believed so. He thought that his actions were valiant and noble; they were without fault because he has learned that they were not through the authors aforementioned. He used his education to fornicate connections for how he sought to be one with nature, and by his reasoning, he believed it was
Literature and film have always held a strange relationship with the idea of technological progress. On one hand, with the advent of the printing press and the refinements of motion picture technology that are continuing to this day, both literature and film owe a great deal of their success to the technological advancements that bring them to widespread audiences. Yet certain films and works of literature have also never shied away from portraying the dangers that a lust for such progress can bring with it. The modern output of science-fiction novels and films found its genesis in speculative ponderings on the effect such progress could hold for the every day population, and just as often as not those speculations were damning. Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein and Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis are two such works that hold great importance in the overall canon of science-fiction in that they are both seen as the first of their kind. It is often said that Mary Shelley, with her authorship of Frankenstein, gave birth to the science-fiction novel, breathing it into life as Frankenstein does his monster, and Lang's Metropolis is certainly a candidate for the first genuine science-fiction film (though a case can be made for Georges Méliès' 1902 film Le Voyage Dans la Lune, his film was barely fifteen minutes long whereas Lang's film, with its near three-hour original length and its blending of both ideas and stunning visuals, is much closer to what we now consider a modern science-fiction film). Yet though both works are separated by the medium with which they're presented, not to mention a period of over two-hundred years between their respective releases, they present a shared warning about the dangers that man's need fo...
Schatz, Thomas. “Film Genre and the Genre Film.” Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. Oxford University Press: New York, 1998.
Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.
Bordwell Thomson, David. “Sex in Science Fiction Films: Romance or Enginnering?”. (New York: BFI Publishing, 1984)
"The text [magical realist text] contains an 'irreducible element' of magic, something we cannot explain according to the laws of the universe as we know them" (Faris 167). In addition to these "magical" elements, Magical Realist fiction, by name, includes "realistic" elements that serve to counterbalance the "magical" elements. The plots are logically conceived (Leal 120). An amalgamation of realistic and magical elements is presented by true Magical Realist authors through specific devices. These devices serve as the first basis for evaluating a work of literature and determining whether or not it fits into the Magical Realist mode.
Film genres help familiarize the audience with the film’s plot. Professor Jon Sufrin, in his lecture at York University, defines genre as “[the] grouping of texts with similar distinct and reoccurring patterns of writing (i.e. Romance, Western, […] etc.)” (Sufrin). The audience finds comfort in this pattern of reoccurring themes, character tropes, plot progressions, and general elements. As a result, many films follow the genre’s conventions with little to no deviations from the plot tropes. One genre of film that rarely deviates from its predictable patterns is the romance film genre.
“If I was indeed going to die, what did I want to say before I go?” After a tragic bike accident, Tom Shadyac, the director of many successful comedies suddenly finds himself on a different side of the movie industry. In I Am, Shadyac asks the audience one of the most complex, controversial questions known to Man: “what’s wrong with our world, and how can we change it?” It’s not a simple question to ask, but Shadyac attempts to answer it by enlightening the audience and changing the perspective of what it means to be human. What are the root causes of poverty and war? In this documentary, you’ll discover the true way humans are designed to live, and the “mental illness” we all suffer from. Shadyac lays it all out on the table, along with the inevitable truth that if humans do not change for the better, we will go extinct.
Star Wars (1977) is one of the world’s most successful films of all time. It has made a terrific impact on popular culture since its release. Furthermore, Star Wars changed the narrative and aesthetic style of future Hollywood films. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, illustrates how cinema has evolved since Fred Ott’s Sneeze (1894). Ultimately, this essay will explain the set up of Star Wars and how it connects to cinema history, in the point of views of the: narrative and cinematic style, genre, auteur theory and the global film industry.
The 1970s was a time where the film industry began to strive of the usage of television and its ability to presell films while reducing the possibility of losing tons of money on films. Producers began to shift genres and venture outside of the box. This set up George Lucas’s Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope to be a huge blockbuster. It took the audience’s desire and passion for technology and heroism to the next level. A shift from the traditional American West to the galaxy and beyond, “Americans were no longer willing to follow the lone cowboy” (Quart 122). The old traditional Hollywood had seemed to be long gone, especially in the 1960s, however in the 1970s, Hollywood still had the ability and resources to create worlds that paralleled
Science fiction is considered by scholars to be, rather, speculative fiction. The genre raises questions often about the state and the fate of humanity and seeks to define what the parameters of human identity may be. Although the speculative authors of science fiction have disparate takes on these essential questions, there often are distinct commonalities. One important trend across many works of science fiction is that humanity’s collective curiosity for curiosity’s sake is the defining characteristic of humankind.
By the 1950s, the film industry was in full swing, and going to the movies became a routine pastime for many. One way in which studios kept audiences returning to movie theatres occurred with the development of science fiction films. Though science fiction films had already been around for decades with films such as A Trip to the Moon and Frankenstein, it became an overwhelmingly popular genre and was in its prime throughout the 1950s. The production of science fiction films drew audiences in, becoming one of the most significant genres of the decade. There were a number of different categories of science fiction films, including space exploration, alien invasion, and monster movies. The reason for the rise in popularity of science fiction films leads back to World War II, and the genre remained popular
Shipman, David. A Pictorial History of Science Fiction Films. In and Out of this World. Hamlyn Publishing, Middlesex, 1985.
Movies take us inside the skin of people quite different from ourselves and to places different from our routine surroundings. As humans, we always seek enlargement of our being and wanted to be more than ourselves. Each one of us, by nature, sees the world with a perspective and selectivity different from others. But, we want to see the world through other’s eyes; imagine with other’s imaginations; feel with other’s hearts, at a same time as with our own. Movies offer us a window onto the wider world, broadening our perspective and opening our eyes to new wonders.
In the setting of the Ghost in the shell, robots and humans can make no difference in appearance - even more human than real humans. This relies on highly developed artificial semantic technology. In the world of Ghost in the shell, no matter the limbs or organs, except for the brain, everything in human body can be replaced -- maybe the brain can also. The heroine is only able to retain the brain because of an accident before birth. So the heroine is a man with only a brain and a machine. So I want to ask a question, is the heroine a person? I think it is! Because there are many people rely on artificial limbs to live in society now. So I'd like to ask another question, if AI has the self - consciousness, the emotion, like the heroine in the