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Politics and Science Fiction Films
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 May 2020
Extract
The movie theatre may seem like an odd place for politics, but almost all movies could be considered “political.” Even stranger is the notion that those spacemen, monsters and aliens we are so accustomed to seeing in science fiction films may be more than just entertaining us, they may be conveying a political message. In fact, most science fiction films make deeply political statements about the society from which they emerge.
Science fiction films provide a unique opportunity for movie makers to comment on the implications of both human and “non-human” behavior. Through science fiction, one can look ahead to the way the world “might” look if the right wing, left wing, scientific rationalists, corporations, etc., take over and create their own “Brave New World.” It is an opportunity to play out the implications of various political philosophies for all to see and evaluate.
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- Research Article
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- Copyright © American Political Science Association 1985
References
Notes
1 Kracauer, Siegfried, From Caligari to Hitler (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1945) p. 65.Google Scholar
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