What Film Represents Planet Earth The Best?

[Guest Frank Gossimier]

Ok a philosophical type of question:

 

You have been given the task of picking one film, one film only, that will be shown to a conference of aliens being held on Mars. This film is the one film that best "represents" earth. The thousands of aliens gathered know absolutely nothing about the earth, and they will base their opinion of the earth on the one film they see.

 

There is only time for one film, since other planets will be screening their one film as well. Yes I know, it comes as a big shock to us all that other planets make films as well :D

 

So what would it be? Would you pick some thing that shows only the good, like say the "Sound Of Music?" (ok there are a few Nazis in that.) Could you pick a sci-fi film? Would Star Wars represent the earth since it doesn't take place on our world?

 

There are lots of considerations. Perhaps the best choice is not even an American film?

 

What is your choice and why?

 

Frank

[David Mullen ASC]

I wouldn't want to sugar-coat things (unless I was worried about causing an invasion to wipe us out, which "Showgirls" might cause...) so I'd look for films that showed are basic decency and humanity under difficult conditions, maybe "Grand Illusion" or "The Burmese Harp" or "Schindler's List" (all war films), or semi-action films like "The Seven Samurai" or "Stagecoach."

 

Or show them the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray. Or some Capra movies like "Meet John Doe" or "It's a Wonderful Life". Or Kurosawa's "Red Beard". Lynch's "Elephant Man".

 

Or just entertain them with "Ball of Fire" or "Trouble in Paradise."

 

Or some Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin films. See if even Martians will cry at the last scene of "City Lights."

[Ignacio Aguilar]

I would choose Ron Fricke's "Baraka".

[David Mullen ASC]

How about "The Searchers" and "Vertigo" to show how twisted we can get?

[Guest Frank Gossimier]

Yeah ok David, so pick ONE, and tell us why? :D

 

Frank

[Elhanan Matos]

I wouldn't want to sugar-coat things (unless I was worried about causing an invasion to wipe us out, which "Showgirls" might cause...)

 

Oh come on now.... "Showgirls" wasn't that bad... you know... if you muted the volume... and if your a huge "Saved by the bell" fan... :rolleyes:

[Jonathan Spear]

Hey,

 

I'd have to go with "Mars Attacks" because if one was to actually be in a situation like that, he/she would probaby be a compassionate scientist/astronaut, open-midend and idealistic enough to get him/herself into that position in the first place, and hopefully, as history has proved several times, he/she would have the heart to give these magnificent aliens a heads up before our invasion of their planet.

 

 

 

 

...Or Showgirls.

[Bob Hayes]

?Quest for Fire? would be a good choice because they wouldn?t have to dub it into all those different languages.

[Guest Frank Gossimier]

But Bob wouldn't that show us as a primitive society, instead of the modern advanced great people that we are?

 

Frank

[Wendell_Greene]

I'd show them Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" Self explanatory :)

[Bill DiPietra]

I'd show them Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey"  Self explanatory :)

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My thoughts exactly.

[David Mullen ASC]

But Bob wouldn't that show us as a primitive society, instead of the modern advanced great people that we are?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yes, but it might lower their expectations, making it easier to impress them with how far we've come. Unless they ask what happened to all the forests...

[Keith Mottram]

If it was an honest representation, then sadly at the moment i'd choose "Dude where's my car".

 

Keith

[Filip Plesha]

I'd show them Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey"  Self explanatory :)

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That was my first thought too.

 

That film shows human beings striped of all masks, irrelevant and passing things,

and shows the core of human being and its possible evolution in the future.

 

I just don't know how would aliens interpret that movie-incarnation of psychadelic experience at the end.

[Bob Hayes]

But Bob wouldn't that show us as a primitive society, instead of the modern advanced great people that we are?

 

Have we changed that much

Edited January 3, 2005 by bob1dp

[Guest Frank Gossimier]

Well come on Bob, when the cavemen had battles they maybe killed a few dozen people, tops!

 

Now with our advanced technology we can kill millions by pushing a button. Are you saying that isn't progress? :unsure:

 

Frank

[Matt Pacini]

I'm thinking Eraserhead.

 

No seriously (as serious as I can be, considering there is no such thing as aliens)...

 

I like the Quest For Fire idea.

 

Any sci-fi flicks with spaceships, etc. (Star Wars, etc.) would be a bad idea, because they'd be so innacurate as to be laughable.

So you're better off with something that's somewhat accurate of the past, then, like David said, they'd be easily impressed.

 

Also, if they had any thoughts of invasion, they would not be well prepared, thinking we would be defending ourselves with stones & clubs...

And I certainly haven't had ny problem finding any forests!

I'm sure they wouldn't as well. Have you looked at any satellite photos lately?

The planet is crawling with trees!

 

Matt Pacini

[DavidSloan]

tough question...I think I'll have to go with David's pick of The Apu Trilogyfor its humanity and portrayl of family. It certainly moved me, greatly.

[David Mullen ASC]

I'm sure they wouldn't as well. Have you looked at any satellite photos lately?

The planet is crawling with trees!

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The planet is much less forested than it was in the past. Greece, for example, was once much more forested. There were tales during the Roman Empire that one could walk for weeks through Europe and never see the sun because of the size of the forests. And look at the rate that the Amazon rainforest is being mowed down.

 

Sure, there are still lots of forest. The East Coast of the USA is more forested than it was during colonial days, before farming moved to the midwest. Trees can grow back given enough time.

 

I was just saying that if one compared the planet back when mankind consisted of a few hominid tribes wandering out of Africa to the 21st Century, one would notice just how much we've altered the landscape. Some aliens who had watched our planet from a million light years away with a telescope might be surprised at how extensive our propagation over the surface of this planet has been, and not necessarily for the better health of the planet.

[Justin Hayward]

Some aliens who had watched our planet from a million light years away with a telescope might be surprised at how extensive our propagation over the surface of this planet has been, and not necessarily for the better health of the planet.

Would they be impressed?

[Mark Allen]

Koyaaniquatsi would have to be my pick if the goal were to show us as we are.

[Bill Totolo]

"Baraka", of course, but since that's been picked how 'bout Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life".

At least they can be brought up to date on religion as we so far know it with a bit of humor.

 

There's always "The Office".

[Matt Pacini]

Whatever it is, it should be the most frightening, scary movie ever, because if they're spying on us, then they just might be eyeing our planet because they've already deforested and poisoned their own, so we should scare 'em off!

 

There's no reason to believe that just because they're more intelligent than us (an unfounded assumption in itself!), they are more likely to be kinder and pore peaceful than us, or to have treated their planet any better than we have ours.

 

Matt Pacini

Edited January 4, 2005 by Matt Pacini

[David Mullen ASC]

Truth is that an alien intelligence would be so, well, alien, that we'd find it easier having a complex philosophical conversation with a dolphin or a whale than to an alien probably. So human values like being more or less peaceful, empathy, kindness, anger, etc., would probably be pointless to try and apply to an alien. I mean, my dog (a black lab-shepherd mix) is one of the sweetest, goofiest, silliest creatures but it once killed a squirrel, for fun I think. And it's easier to understand what's going through a dog's head than what an alien is thinking probably.

[Guest fstop]

Disney's Fantasia.

 

If aliens came to our planet I'd give them Fantasia and they'd not need to see or hear anything else. It's everything you need to know about human life, a complete essay on our existence. You've got nature, life, death, mythology, automation, values, morals, creation and preservation of civilisation, love, reproduction, life cycles, religion, fantasy, art- it's ALL there, completely represented. Totally timeless and univeraally applicable to anything.

 

I have always said that Fantasia served this purpose and this thread fits it like a hand in glove. It's also my favourite film ever. Duh.