Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film

by Vivian Sobchack

Screening Space, the reprint classic from Rutger's University Press, has been significantly enlarged to update the science fiction film since the early 1980s, examining classic and contemporary sci-fi films as a significant genre. Winner of the 1995 Pilgrim Award, the book examines the differences between the religious themes of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the clinical random evil depicted in Event Horizon. Vivian Sobchack's detailed analysis of a wide range of films and inclusion of black-and-white movie stills allows a better understanding of science fiction films as an art form that can often present its characters, a la Blade Runner, as "more human than human."

Genres: Film, Science Fiction, School, Media Tie In

345 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Vivian Sobchack was the first woman elected President of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, and is on the Board of Directors of the American Film Institute. Her essays have appeared in journals such as Quarterly Review of Film and Video, Film Comment, camera obscure, Film Quarterly and Representations. Her books include Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film; The Address of the Eye: A Phenomenology of Film Experience; and Carnal Thoughts: Embodiment and Moving Image Culture, and she has edited two anthologies: Meta-Morphing: Visual Transformation and the Culture of Quick-Change; and The Persistence of History: Cinema, Television, and the Modern Event. Her research interests are eclectic: American film genres, philosophy and film theory, history and phenomenology of perception, historiography and cultural studies.

Reviews

[S.R. Toliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information is good, but the examples become tedious over time. Additionally, the last chapter completely differs in tone from the previous chapters. Of course, this is understandable because it was written well after the first edition, but it is something that readers should be prepared for.

[Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly inspiring and beautifully written.

[Lyla]

#forclass #textbook #alien

[Jeff Eisenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read-all about Sci-Fi tropes-if you like that sort of thing.

[John Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful articles about SF that go way beyond the common movie mag stuff, more into deep ethical dilemnas in SOLARIS and such.