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Metropolis
In the 1920's a great fear was industrialisation and Metropolis is based in a futuristic city where working class are unknown from the higher classes that live in the industrial city. During the 20's Karl Marx's work was prominant which very much talked about the differences between classes. -
Things to Come
The theme of industrialisation carries on in to the 1930's. In Things to Come a war leaves the world in anarchy and people try to reconstruct civilization and even try to travel into space. Space travel would have been a very modern and industrial thought at the time and would be a scary thought for people of the 30's. -
On the Beach
During the 1950's many film narratives were based on the cold war. It was in the cold war that nuclear threat was high and On the Beach is based after a nuclear war; so at the time it may have been viewed as a possible reality. -
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the living dead is based in a Post-Apocalyptic world where a group of people are forced to hide in a barn to stay away from a zombie attack. PA films during the decade would often be based in worlds like this. -
Dawn of the Dead
A lot of PA films during this time were a sort of portrayal of the Vietnam War and this is no exception. During the war many soldiers were stranded in Vietnam jungles whilst the vietnamese soldiers would use their Guerilla Warfare tactics. In the film 4 people are stuck in a abandend mall whilst being attacked by zombies. -
Mad Max 2
In the 1980s people feared technology taking over and the human race turning on each other. Mad Max 2 takes place after a nuclear war (dangerous technology) and former police officer has to help protect a remote oil refinery from a biker gang. In this narrative oil has become valuable and has caused the surviviors to turn on each other. The film deals with two fears that people had which is why it is a good representative of the worries of the 80s. -
The Postman
It was thought that during the 90's PA films were based around unnatural science experiments but The Postman is about the more common PA film narrative of trying to take down a powerful gang that have risen in the apocalyptic world. -
The Day After Tomorrow
In the 2000s a big scare is enviromental disasters and The Day After Tomorrow is about a abrupt global warming and an ice age. This narrative is effective for this decade because of natural disasters which are happening at the time (Tsunamis and earthquakes). The film shows a possibility of what could happen because of global warming. It may not happen as quickly, but the result could be similar.
