The coronaretrospective of anticipation cinema

Cinema Wednesdays - Special edition: Les coronarétrospectives du cinéma - Loris S. Musumeci

C’is now a genre of cinema that we're going to explore, a sub-genre to be precise, a world, shall we say... from worlds. But also mankind's past, what we're living through now and, based on that, projections for a future, rather distressing, that will overtake us, but which will nonetheless remain the direct consequence of the thread of History. Our choices, our crimes, our blindness.

Science fiction

The genre is science fiction. Its origins lie in the myths of antiquity, the most traditional tales, the most optimistic utopias, the most scathing satires and the most realistic prophecies. In science fiction, the aim is not to deny reality, but to expand it. Even the most wonderful worlds, where fairies, ogres and magic wands dominate, draw their primary inspiration from reality. Above all, they speak to us of reality. Metaphor isn't just poetry that loves beautiful images; it's really a way of expressing reality as perceived by our imagination and not just by our senses.

With The Sons of Man (2006), Planet of the Apes (1968), Perfect Sense (2011), Apocalypse 2024 (1975), Matrix (1999) and La Route (2009), our films of the day, we're in a sub-genre of science fiction. Science fiction as such, even if it remains a category in both literature and cinema, has broken up. It has exploded into a host of sub-genres between which there are no real boundaries. It has also exploded in its production. More abundant and legitimate than ever. It is no longer the prerogative of the geeks, or teenagers not mature enough to confront the real thing. More popular than ever in its audience, more noble than ever in its view of the world.

A cinema that raises questions

More involved in film than literature in recent years, she has penned such dizzying masterpieces as Inception (2010) or Interstellar (2014) by Christopher Nolan, a master, or if we go back in time: the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Narnia, Mad Max, Alien, Avatar, Matrix and so many others. Not to mention the fact that minor works, in terms of quality and recognition, such as the Avengers or other sagas whose heroes come directly from comic strips, pose profound and intelligent questions to the general public.

Science fiction in the cinema took its first steps, always based on previous literary production. It is now taking on a life of its own. And even if adaptations of novels - some of which date back a long way - are a major source of inspiration for science fiction in the cinema, the films that emerge from them are considered works in their own right, and not just as ’science fiction".’adaptations of.

It's not just a question of putting images and sounds onto the printed characters of a book. It's about taking inspiration - only the stupid or pretentious would do without it - to go further in the best of cases. Or at the very least, to popularize a particular literary work that's worthwhile, or simply to offer something else. In the worst case, to make an adapted novel totally unpopular; this is never a goal, but the consequence of a botched job that has illegitimately made use of someone else's effort.

Technology

Science fiction is escapism and entertainment. But that doesn't mean it can't uplift the viewer's soul. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by Stanley Kubrick is a spectacle of color, space, light and special effects prowess, while remaining a fully philosophical work. The Matrix, with its suits, its raincoat It's also a thrilling action film, from the finesse of its kung-fu shots to the opulence of its explosions. Yet the trilogy still raises questions. And these questions are becoming increasingly important as the years go by and technology develops.

These technologies that push our knowledge beyond the terrestrial sphere, these technologies that shape our daily lives, these technologies that make us no longer live in caves, these technologies that are growing, accelerating, speeding up the course of History. These technologies are central to our evolution. However, evolution is not infinite, and can quickly enter a regression phase. Perhaps we're already in that phase. These technologies which, by changing our lifestyles, can go so far as to emancipate themselves from humans, to become their masters. Technologies that can lead to our downfall. Leading to crisis and catastrophe.

The apocalypse

The catastrophe is the apocalypse. A term that means «revelation». Yes, but revelation of what? Of the consequences of our actions and of our condition, which will eventually catch up with us. With our six films of the day, we're always talking about future catastrophes linked to our current situation. But catastrophe doesn't necessarily mean the end of everything. Indeed, post-apocalyptic works try to imagine the condition of survivors after the catastrophe, after the revelation of the consequences of a world that has fallen by dint of trying to rise.

While the films we have selected always involve a catastrophe that changes the course of things, it would be more appropriate to speak of anticipation cinema, a sub-genre of science fiction. Anticipation cinema anticipates, prophesies, observes, fears and warns. It is a revelation, through the work of fiction, of what revelation could be in the work of life, of our lives. In anticipation, let's take these films as mirrors that speak volumes about us. They may not be able to provoke major political revolts, but they can certainly awaken our consciences. It's up to us to see where we go from here.

Write to the author: loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Metro Goldwyn Mayer (HAL 9000: the robot from 2001: A Space Odyssey)