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Were the 1950s the Golden Age of Science Fiction Cinema?
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Posted on 05/24/2016 12:33:44 PM PDT by EveningStar

Were the 1950s the Golden Age of Science Fiction Cinema? I think so. What do you think?

From Wikipedia:
List of science fiction films of the 1950s

A list of science fiction films released in the 1950s. These films include core elements of science fiction, but can cross into other genres. They have been released to a cinema audience by the commercial film industry and are widely distributed with reviews by reputable critics.

This period is sometimes described as the 'classic' era of science fiction theater. Much of the production was in a low-budget form targeted at a teenage audience. Many were formulaic, gimmicky, comic-book style films. They drew upon political themes or public concerns of the day, including depersonalization, infiltration, or fear of nuclear weapons. Invasion was a common theme, as were various threats to humanity.

Two of the films from this decade, The War of the Worlds (1953) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) won Academy Awards, while Destination Moon (1950) and The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) won Hugo Awards.

View the list at Wikipedia.


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: cinema; film; movies; sciencefiction; scifi
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To: Vermont Lt

21 posted on 05/24/2016 12:54:45 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: EveningStar


22 posted on 05/24/2016 12:55:11 PM PDT by Donglalinger
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To: EveningStar

I wish they’d put more titles on iTunes. I have THEM, Forbidden Planet, and a bunch of others, but wouldn’t mind Tarantula, or The Deadly Mantis.


23 posted on 05/24/2016 12:56:25 PM PDT by RandallFlagg (Vote for your guns!)
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To: EveningStar

Low budget black and white garbage with surplus world war II radio equipment for props.


24 posted on 05/24/2016 12:56:54 PM PDT by SpaceBar
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To: EveningStar

No. Great books yes, but movies !? I’m not going to get into a argument about what is science fiction and what isn’t. Someone will undoubtedly say that Star Wars I’d not “science fiction” it’s space opera, etc...

Star Wars
Star Trek
Alien
Predator
District 9
Blade Runner
The Terminator
2001
The Matrix
The Thing (John Carpenter version)
Minority Report
Gattica
Sunshine
Interstellar
Mad Max
Avatar
Planet of the Apes
Edge of Tomorrow

Most of these are franchises. Not all are great of course. But since roughly 1977 when Star Wars came out movies have only gotten better. JMHO, your mileage may vary.


25 posted on 05/24/2016 12:57:18 PM PDT by strider44
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To: Borges

Random can be fun. The movies lag way behind literary SF because they’re so stuck in the 50s. Orson Scott Card had a long diatribe about this a few years ago, the short version is that movie SF was about 2 decades behind literary SF (which was OK because it was younger and had to learn) then got stuck. There’s some pushing it, Moon is another good one that breaks away from the old molds, but the blockbuster tent-poll SF is firmly grounded in the 50s (and earlier in some cases) and resolutely refuses to evolve. Subsequently even the stuff that’s moved past the 50s rarely gets past where lit SF was in the 60s, maybe the 70s. It just can’t gain the traction to evolve further. Movie SF can’t even manage to evolve to Cyberpunk, and THAT’S a 30 year old lit movement.


26 posted on 05/24/2016 12:57:45 PM PDT by discostu (Joan Crawford has risen from the grave)
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To: BenLurkin

27 posted on 05/24/2016 12:58:10 PM PDT by Donglalinger
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To: BenLurkin

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

One of my all-time favorites!!!


28 posted on 05/24/2016 12:58:16 PM PDT by Peter W. Kessler ("NUTS!!!")
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To: BenLurkin

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

One of my all-time favorites!!!


29 posted on 05/24/2016 12:58:50 PM PDT by Peter W. Kessler ("NUTS!!!")
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To: henkster

Forbidden Planet was the first big budget SciFi that was shot in color.


30 posted on 05/24/2016 1:00:04 PM PDT by Ancient Man
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To: strider44

Of course most of those in your list are really just making the same movies they were in the 50s, only with better budgets. That was the Star Wars revolution: make B movies with an A budget and schedule and laugh all the way to the bank.


31 posted on 05/24/2016 1:00:10 PM PDT by discostu (Joan Crawford has risen from the grave)
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To: Donglalinger

Robot Monster!!!

So bad, it elevates Plan 9 from Outer Space to Academy Award status.

So bad, it’s good!

Uh... no.

It’s still bad.


32 posted on 05/24/2016 1:00:25 PM PDT by Peter W. Kessler ("NUTS!!!")
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To: Donglalinger
The original “The Thing” with Kenneth Tobey and all the others in the crosstalk scenes while James Arness wandered around killing everything.
33 posted on 05/24/2016 1:01:49 PM PDT by PeaRidge
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To: discostu

If you click on my name you can see some commentary on sf books—it is also a bit dated. I believe none of the great books I reviewed have been made into movies—yet.


34 posted on 05/24/2016 1:01:58 PM PDT by cgbg (Epistemology is not a spectator sport.)
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To: EveningStar

35 posted on 05/24/2016 1:04:00 PM PDT by JoeProBono (SOME IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING ’VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED;-{)
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To: discostu

I would say that 2001 was concurrent with similar currents in literary SF. Blade Runner was Cyberpunk wasn’t it? Actually it probably influenced Cyberpunk.


36 posted on 05/24/2016 1:04:27 PM PDT by Borges
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To: cgbg

Ender’s Game got made into a movie. Card was heavily involved, it was OK, didn’t do well at the box office, no rest of the series (which is probably OK since that series goes down hill at light speed). Other than that I don’t think any of those have been touched. Some are really good too, but they can’t be turned into 50’s action adventure movies.


37 posted on 05/24/2016 1:04:46 PM PDT by discostu (Joan Crawford has risen from the grave)
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To: EveningStar

38 posted on 05/24/2016 1:05:09 PM PDT by Donglalinger
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To: JoeProBono
Yes, and their last words were "weclome to California"

But you have to understand how the situation looked like from the Martians' viewpoint.


39 posted on 05/24/2016 1:06:45 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: EveningStar
The Crawling Eye (1958)


Starring Forrest Tucker

40 posted on 05/24/2016 1:07:47 PM PDT by eyedigress ((Old storm chaser from the west))
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