Danger at a Distance
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3 word format
document in english
film studies
school essay
date published 19/11/2007
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level : Advanced
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SummaryThe nomenclature of “disaster movie” is as difficult a classification to place upon a film as any; for its definition is extremely malleable. Many movies incorporate a disaster, or even numerous disasters, and are still not known as “disaster movies”; the definition is not that simple. A disaster movie is usually declared as such when, and only when, the entire essence of the film revolves around disaster. Characters, and the realities which they inhabit, seem to exist only in order to be affected by the disaster(s). Disaster movies of all types (from alien invasions to in-peril travel movies), operate within the same formulaic realm; the death toll is large, the disasters horrific, and hero(s) nearly always saves the day. The allure of the disaster movie is that of “danger at a distance”; the audience can live (and nearly die) vicariously through the characters facing the disaster, while remaining safe in the knowledge that it’s only a movie. The thrill is the heart of the disaster movie. However, there is more to the average disaster film than meets the eye; these films have a way of acutely reflecting the times in which they are created. Disaster movies are often capable of analogizing the fears and concerns of contemporary society in particularly inspired and insightful ways.
Table of Contents
- In the 1950's and 1960's, disaster movies based in the realm of science fiction reigned supreme.
- What set these sci-fi disaster movies apart, other than their enhanced visuals and massive scales of destruction, was the fact that they were not based in a tangible reality.
- One of the largest fears during this time period was the use/misuse of nuclear weaponry.
- Within all the sub-genres of sci-fi disaster movies (nuclear monsters, space invaders, etc.) at least one similarity universally existed.
- Another prime example of this form of disaster movie is 1972's The Poseidon Adventure.
- Whether watching the Earth under attack from flying saucers in The War of the Worlds (1953), or rooting for Gene Hackman to save the day in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), audiences have always flocked to disaster movies.
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