How the films of the past envisioned the future
What will the world of tomorrow bring? Will humans walk on other planets? Will we meet intelligent life? Films have offered up bold and imaginative visions of the future. A new exhibit in Berlin takes a closer look.
Real or fake?
Are these people real? And what is real, anyway? Good science fiction movies ask the essential questions. Recently, TV series have also been weighing in - like the Swedish drama series "Real Humans." A new exhibition at the Berlin Museum of Film and Television looks into the science fiction genre, and has chosen to look beyond the well-known classics.
Boldly going for 50 years
The legendary sci-fi saga "Star Trek" is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and still has a loyal following. It began with a TV series in 1966; the first movie came out in 1979. The latest film in the series, "Star Trek Beyond," hit theaters this summer. In Berlin, the original cast is on hand - at least in the form of photos and film clips.
Early sci-fi
The science fiction of today is colorful and digital. But in the early days of film, it was different. The first science fiction adventures were silent films, and in black and white. The genre was there in the beginning, when cinema got its start. Early designs for the 1902 French film "A Trip to the Moon" by Georges Méliès bear witness to this tradition.
Reaching for the moon
People have long yearned to travel to the moon, and the same is true of film directors. In 1969, the Americans were the first to set foot there and see what it was like firsthand. But before then, it was only possible at the movies. In the 1950s, the sci-fi genre boomed. Among the hits was the 1950 Hollywood classic "Destination Moon," directed by Irving Pichel.
Outer space dreams
But reaching the moon wasn't just an American dream. German culture in the 1960s also fantasized about the future, with the TV series "Raumpatrouille - Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion" ("Space Patrol - The fantastic adventures of the Spaceship Orion") premiering in 1966. At the time it was a big hit. Today, it's a cult classic.
Science fiction, GDR-style
What the enemy can do, we can do better - at least, that's what the state-owned East German film studio DEFA thought. East Germany also produced imaginative science fiction movies, often with subliminal socialist messages. But the images were similar. The crew of the spaceship in the 1976 "In the Dust of the Stars" could have just as easily appeared in a Western cockpit.
A look at the fringe
The exhibition showcases great successes of the genre, but also looks at lesser known works. "The Visit," a 2015 docu-fiction film from Denmark, doesn't immediately spring to mind when thinking of sci-fi. But in his film, director Michael Madsen speaks with military, scientific and philosophical experts to find out how humans would react if aliens visited our world - a key question of the genre.
Making new friends
With 300 exhibits, the museum offers plenty: a reflection on 120 years of science fiction film from the East and West, a study of the interplay between art and science, and a look at the clash between fiction and reality. Among the exhibits is the alien from Wolfgang Petersen's 1985 film, "Enemy Mine" (pictured). "Things to Come" shows at the Berlin Film and Television Museum until April 23, 2017.