Replications: A Robotic History of the Science Fiction Film - Softcover

Telotte, J P.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0252064666 ISBN 13: 9780252064661

Publisher: University of Illinois Press, 1995

Synopsis

A haunting fascination fuels our interest in the robot, the android, the cyborg, the replicant. Born in science fiction literature, the artificial human has come into its own in films, lurching to life, holding a mirror to humanity's soul.
Beginning with a pre-history of the filmic robot, J. P. Telotte traces its development through early sci-fi landmarks such as Metropolis (1926), the alien films of  the 1950s (including Forbidden Planet), and recent explorations of the artificial human in Blade Runner, Robocop, and the Terminator films.
Replications also considers the tension between the technological wonders that science fiction depicts and the human values it champions. Film-makers employ the latest developments in technology to fashion ever more realistic human doubles, and then use them to explore what it means to be human. Telotte shows us how the sci-fi genre has always addressed changing cultural attitudes toward technology, the body, gender roles, human intelligence, reality, and even film itself.
 

About this title

From the Back Cover:

A robotic history of the Science Fiction Film.

Review:

"A new addition to the study of film history as collective unconscious. Telotte puts our cultural obsession with artificial humans on the stand... Offers complex insights into many robotic gems." -- Hotwired

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0252064666
• ISBN 13: 9780252064661
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232