The Fly (1958): A Reaction Paper

Royce Tee 2013-71153

I've previously heard about the film before from some of my friends, so I had an idea of what was happening, but I never got around to watch it. At first, I was confused because I immediately expected to see the teleporter device and the fly, but instead I was watching a murder case. To be honest, for me it only got interesting after the wife was interacting with her half-fly husband, with elements of shock and suspense and disgust in it. Nevertheless, after watching the whole movie I can say that it was one of the more interesting concepts to be had in film.

The film showed the consequences of a man trying to create a teleportation device, and ending up exchanging atoms with a stray fly that got in when he was doing a teleportation run. I think that this film aims to point out the dangers in the pursuit of science, that there should be a line drawn where we should stop ourselves from going any further. Because of this, I do think it's a morality play, saying that even though the consequence wasn't intended or even anticipated, people should still think twice before venturing into scientific research.

The film ends with the uncle telling the child that his father doing something very dangerous but beneficial to humanity, which is "the search for the truth", to which the child responds that he wants to be like his father someday. I think based on this conversation, the view on science in the 1950's is that yes, while there should be precautions taken in science and technology, nevertheless we should not be afraid to progress.

The Fly

2013- 44153 
Jay Anne Bacayo

I personally think the movie “The Fly” was entertaining. From the start of the film, it already effectively captured my attention and I became really interested in finding out why Helen killed her husband. The movie had a lot of twists and unexpected events, so it wasn't boring and predictable at all. It’s funny and mind-boggling how a little creature like a fly could cause many problems to a happy family. It was also really tragic that even after all the time Andre spent inside his laboratory to work on his experiment, in the end, he destroyed all his notes and the machine, which he created and was so proud of, caused his demise. This shows the importance of accuracy in the field of Science because even the smallest mistakes can already destroy the scientist’s progress and can pose potential threats to humans.

The Fly might have reflected the view of the people during the 1950s. It seems like there were two conflicting opinions on science and technology. Some people might have thought of it as a blessing since it can provide them with convenience, can surely make activities easier to accomplish and can save their time and effort. In contrast, other people might have seen science and technology as a curse or a tool for destruction. 

Although there was no internal conflict between two virtues, “The Fly” still gave a very valuable lesson to its viewers. Every decision and action, including Andre’s invention of the matter transporter in the movie, will have its good and bad effects.

The Most Important Quest: A Reaction on Neumann’s The Fly

Christine Darla A. Bautista

                  Kurt Neumann’s The Fly (1958) is a thoroughly intriguing film that palatably combines gore and suspense with a slightly comedic atmosphere to provide a striking scientific commentary beyond sheer entertainment. The film is engaging mainly because of the plot. It kicks off with intriguing questions: Why would a woman crush her husband’s head and arm with a metal press? Could the woman’s fly-triggered paranoia be related to the murder? The flashback further hooks my attention first because of the dramatic idea of a passionate scientist’s unfortunate death due to his own creation; Second, the mutation begins as utterly terrifying but eventually becomes hilarious; Third, the teleporter’s creation process raises more questions: Have similarly scary incidents happened before? Do scientists face consequences for unethical practices? Will the development of a teleporter and such mutations ever be possible?

                  Moreover, the film shows that when scientists attempt to play God, do not exercise prudent zeal, and commit inhumane acts, such as experimenting with animals and even themselves, they will face consequences.  Clearly, it is a morality play because it critiques a scientist’s ethics and his self-control; the moral of the play is that one should never be too engrossed with his pursuits to the point of abusing others and especially himself.

                  Ultimately, the film shows that during the 1950s, science was a noble pursuit, and people viewed it as the ultimate field for gaining knowledge and innovation. A lot of people were enthralled by the sciences and sought to create technology and find answers to their questions. Actually, perhaps they held a solid passion beyond fascination such that they were willing to sacrifice their lives for science. Indeed, as Andre’s brother said in one of the closing lines, to the people in the 1950s, “search for the truth is the most important quest.”

Perceptions

       The Fly is a 1958 American science-fiction horror film directed by Kate Neumann. It dwells on the morality issues of science and its inventions.

         It has a simple yet catchy plot. Yet, scenes appeared to a bit boring and strange. Overall, personally, it was not that good in the entertainment criterion. It was okay, just okay. However, the plot was quite interesting. I think it was a book-type of story rather than a movie story.

         Looking at its content, it was obvious that there was an attempt to question the morality of science and technology. The danger and other adverse effects that science can bring about were stressed in the movie. During the 1950s, bombs and rockets were some of the focus of the scientific world.This could somehow and somewhat cause society to think of science as something to be risky and unethical rather than helpful and constructive like what was shown in the movie. 

         On a lighter note, it also showed how science progressed through out the years and how more people now rely on the benefits of it. It made me realize that science did not start as a universally accepted and trusted means of development and innovation. Although it brought about fundamental improvements to the world,  other factors such as beliefs and culture affect  someones perception on science.

- 2009-50781

Sacrifice and a development 

2012-98083 Hayashi, Daiki

It is ironic that human beings have been sacrificing their lives to make a better future human society. The scientist in the film examined to develop a warp machine by using his own body. And the consequence is that he turned to be a fly-man. The film was interesting for me simply because it describes scientists in the real life who sacrifices oneself for his achievement.

Hanaoka Seishū is recorded as a first surgeon who succeeded the surgery by using general anaesthesia (Ariyoshi, 1970). He devoted his life to innovate an anesthetic with his will to lessen the pain of patients during a surgery. He had examined an effect of anesthetic on animals but he could not proceed to an experiment on human because if he experiments it on himself,  so no one can succeed to achieve making an anesthetic. Thus, his mother and his wife offered themselves for his experiments. Finally, he was able to complete the anesthetic. However, as a consequence of the experiment, his mother died and his wife became blind.

The film is not a morality play because there is no good or no bad in the film. It simply describes the ethical issues on the development of science and technology. Today, plague is no longer an incurable disease. We now can avoid and lessen the risk of surgery by using anesthetic. Our great lives and knowledge now are the blessings from those who contributed for the future. Progress of the science often faces to ethical issues. Especially, the society now is quite strict about this ethical issue. In 1950’s, there were still human experiments that can harm their lives. The view of science and technology that time would have been viewed as something which can either be helpful or harmful to the human society. 

Reference:

Masumura, Y. (1967) The wife of Seishu Hanaoka. Tokyo, Japan. Shincho Bunko. 

Throwback Thursdays

          Last Thursday, a movie from the 1950’s entitled “The Fly” was shown in class.  It seemed to be a throwback of how humans then perceived science and technology and its effect on society.

          Despite the fact that it’s already an “ancient” film, it was able to catch my interest and even entertain me.  What really caught me was the mysterious effect that the film was projecting throughout the scenes.  It started out as a murder case and unpredictably twisted into a story about Science and teleportation.  They were able to effectively combine the essence of a suspense-thriller with the aspects of a sci-fi.  The plot was perfect and some parts were a little bit funny especially the reaction of the lead actress in many of the scenes.  It is a typical 19^th century film with nothing typical in it.  It seems like a paradox but that is the description that best fits the movie.

          The film showed the price that the cat pays for curiosity: death, hence the quote, “Curiosity kills the cat.”  It exhibited the reality of the negative effects that being too passionate about Science can bring.  It showed indirectly implied that scientists should be careful not to go over the limits when in search for a new discovery.  It is a morality play exhibiting that even in Science one must follow ethics to avoid bringing harm to oneself and to others.

          The film showed that the people of the 1950’s viewed Science as a potential danger to mankind.  They showed that Science, if not coupled with ethics, will bring destruction to the human race in one way or another.  The film portrayed the fact that people during that time had a high regard for morality even in terms of Science and Technology.

-David Bryan Lao

Catching Fire Reaction Paper

Royce Adrian T. Tee 2013-71153

In addition to watching the movie, I have also read the book Catching Fire. With that I was able to spot some of the differences between the book and the movie, and I really loved the adaptation. However, from both of these media, if I were to say if it is Catching Fire or not, I wouldn't really agree that it is, mostly because of the themes of the plot.

Sure, I can agree that because the Hunger Games is set in the future, technology would be more advanced. This would explain how several phenomena within the Hunger Games happen, such as force fields and the use of the clock. However, the plot of Catching Fire is about the conflict between The Capitol and the rebellion. Does advanced science and technology actually have importance in this? I would say not, since the only use I see it is in the execution of the Hunger Games as well as transportation, but not in the fighting.

Hunger Games is also under what is called dystopian fiction. If a utopia is where everything is perfect and everyone is happy, then a dytopia is the opposite, wherein a societal structure oppresses people, in this case the Capitol. Part of dytopian fiction involves giving a reason to how it evolved from the past to its present condition, in this case the thirteen districts rebelling, which in this case could be said to be a commentary of the past, present and future of human society.

The presence of advanced science and technology in Catching Fire is there, but it is being misused. As said before, it is only in the Hunger Games and the transportation that this is present. However, though advanced, we do not see any indication of how this could have improved the lives of the people in the Districts. They are still poor, have little wealth, and still most likely use the same methods we use today for doing their work, so in this sense science and technology fails because it isn’t used to improve their lives. If there is an aspect where it does succeed, I would say maybe it is the transportation such as the large helicopters and trains, probably to transport the products of the different Districts to the Capitol.

Hayashi, Daiki                                                                                                                         STS

2012-98083                                                                                                                     CAS-UPLB 

Do a development of technology, science, and society really make a better world?

Catching Fireis a science fiction movie because in the film, there are surly advanced science technologies that do not exist in the real world today. In the battlefield, people are using primitive technologies such as bow, arrow, and lance to fight each other or survive in the field. On the other hand, the game makers have a technology to make a thunder¹. It is actually a technology which is being developed even in the real world today. There was also a scene that characters that were chosen as players in the survival game were taken to capitol by very fast train. It looks like a linear motor car which can speed 500km per hour. It is now an available technology. That is why those technologies in this movie are very realistic and will be used in our society soon. Therefore, this is considered as a science fiction movie which will be attained in the foreseeable future.

Secondly, the film is commentary on past, present and future human society. The society of hunger game is dystopia which describes the negative image of the future world. The structure of society in hunger game is just same as our society now. And actually, it hasn’t changed from the past to now. In the past of our society, only few of powerful persons such as king, commander, religious leaders have been enjoying their privileges on the mass of people who contribute for them. They made a hierarchical society and made people to live only in their classes. Even now, in India, there is a caste system. The world in hunger game is exactly same as our human society in present and the past. And most probably, this system will remain in our future society however the technology developed.

In the world of hunger game, some people are suffered from poverty while some people are enjoying the wealth. There is no difference in the world today. A lot of people from developed countries don’t know what is the feeling of hunger is while people in developing countries don’t even know the feeling of being full. While children in first-world countries skip classes to play videogame at home, children in third-world countries are not even given chances to study at school.　

Today, closed-circuit television is being used in public places. It is being discussed because it might invade an individual’s privacy. Now, mass-media has so much influence on mass. People easily believe in what the mass media says. It is sometimes used by the government to control citizens even in the real world. It is absolutely true that science, technology and society have been developed now. However, it does not really mean that it succeeded to make our each individual happier with those developments. A lot of people watch this film because we all know that development of technology and science makes our life easier however, it does not necessary mean that all humans can enjoy the development in the society.

¹Rocket Triggered Lightnings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN4QRwHCOXQ

Catching Science In Action: A Reaction and Analysis of Catching Fire as Science Fiction

by Christine Darla A. Bautista

Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games, is a perfect example of a science fiction film. Basically, science fiction is a classification for works on imaginary, futuristic scenarios involving science. Beyond amazing the audience with still non-existent technology, sci-fi films tackle philosophical ideas or critique society through the effects of innovations on the film’s characters.

Catching Fire was able to catch the attention of its audience by featuring an innovative scenario: as a Hunger Games sequel, it still tackles the idea of a dystopia, where the government reiterates its ferocity by taking children from the rebelling districts and bringing them into a high-tech arena to fight for survival. This concept is already fantastically futuristic and sci-fi, but Catching Fire elevates the story by presenting a plot twist. President Snow calls for the 3rd Quarter Quell, a special Hunger Games with past victors The high-tech arena embodies science fiction: shaped and working like a clock, the arena has divisions with astounding but deadly hourly surprises created by man—blood rain, crazy mutant monkeys, force fields, poisonous fog, giant wave, simulated lightning zone. To top it off, Panem was already very imaginary as advanced surveillance systems, long hologram videos, and hovercrafts, were utilized. Even the smallest details, like clothing, evoked a sci-fi vibe because Katniss’ gown of synthetic fire-creating fabric has yet to be created.

Beyond mere exhibition of future technologies, Catching Fire critiques future society. The film explores and deplores the abuse of technology by institutions. Although there were clearly several advancements in science, as shown by the power to manipulate nature in an arena, the technological developments were negatively correlated to societal progress because technology was used to hurt the people. As such, Catching Fire asks about future society: Will the evolution of cutting-edge technology lead to societal regression? If future man has the knowledge to invent such state-of-the-art technology, will he also hold the wisdom to use it properly? Nevertheless, can abuse of technology eventually backfire on its own manipulators? The Mockingjay as an inspiration for the people is critical because it is an image of the government’s downfall as caused by its own cruelty (“Historically,” jabberjays were government-created hidden recording machines that ended up annoying its creators by breeding with mockingbirds.).

Furthermore, the film also critiques the past and present. On a large scale, it critiques the extent of government’s desire to pacify the opposition and reiterate that it is above its people through creating fire. It is a reference to past dictatorships that eventually failed because futile attempts at instilling fear lead oppressed people to take up arms against government. It is a reference to current leaders, who enjoy almost effortlessly wealthy lifestyles, as their people toil tirelessly but remain in poverty. On a smaller scale, the film critiques human behaviour in survival scenarios: when faced with death as a consequence, can we resort to killing others, and can we maintain the personality “masks” of our daily lives?

             

Ultimately, Catching Fire shows the failure of technology and science. Although it has greatly improved, it was used against the lives of the innocent. With this kind of government abuse, science has failed to fulfill its goal of making life easier for others. As symbolically shown by Katniss’ arrow destroying the Clock Arena, it is only through taking a stand on technological abuse can science and society actually progress.

Hunger Games: Catching Fire Reaction Paper

       Futuristic settings, plausible science and technology, existence of another possible dimension and even a new and different kind of social system, these are some of the imaginative contents when talking about the genre of science fiction or what commonly known as sci-fi. 

        Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a science fiction. The movie takes us to a futuristic world that can possible be the future of our present universe. It makes the audience easier to believe that the setting is in the futuristic world with the presence of the ultra-advanced technologies. Technology in Panem is very advanced and utilises such things as the High-Speed Capitol Trains that travel at an average speed of 250 miles per hour and are often used to transport tributes to the Capitol for the Hunger Games, the Hovercrafts that are equipped with some form of cloaking ability, since they are often described as "materializing" and the presence of Forcefields which Katniss Everdeen used to destroy the forcefield arena. 

        Some people believe that Hunger Games: Catching Fire is not merely a science fiction but more of a dystopian fiction as well. According to readwritethink.org (2006), dystopia is a futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system. The movie tackles issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression, and the effects of war among others which prevalently exist in this day and age in almost all parts of the globe. It is a commentary not just on what our future world will look and be like but also showing the present situation which we have to be aware and concerned about. 

        In the end, the science, technology and society in the world of the 13 Districts faced both failure and success. Failure for the the brutal social hierarchy that even they make range of technological advancements just to lord and oppress other people, there will come a point that loopholes will be discovered that will eventually weaken their power. On the other hand, it will be a success for the people of the 13 Districts because after all the failed uprising against the Capitol many years earlier, people now become more firm and vehement in fighting for their rights with the presence of the mockingjay that is the symbol of rebellion and hope among the districts. 

Dhalal M. Maaño                                                                                                                        12.05.13

The Unquenchable Thirst

            We all long for something more, we all long for something better.  We don’t want to stay where we are, we desire for positive change.  We long to improve, we long to progress. We long to grow, we long to step up.  That same longing has been burning up inside Katniss’ heart and has captivated her to the point of decision.  She will fight against Capitol, she won’t run away.

           

            Portraying advanced science and technology, (some of which are non-existent as of the present) “Catching Fire” can be considered a Science Fiction.  It showcased a lot of scientific and innovative machineries, tools and equipment that are, as of now, just a product of imagination but has the capability to be patented in the future.  A very good example of this would be the Arena.  The Arena was depicted to be an area covered by a force field (which is theoretical as of now) where the tributes fight.  It acts like a clock in the story, setting off traps at certain points in time.

            “Catching Fire” depicts part of the past, the present and the future of the human society.  It depicts the past as in the time of the Romans where they had these gladiators or armed men who were put into an arena to fight and kill lions or fellow gladiators for the purpose of entertaining the higher social classes.  It portrayed the inhumane side of humans and also the disparity between people of low and high social statuses.  Regarding the present, it showcased the reality of a corrupt government as in the state of the Capitol and also showed how the government abuses its power as in the state of the Capitol in relation to the thirteen districts.  It is just like our present society in the Philippines.  The government is choking the Filipino people by robbing them of their money (from taxes), by establishing political dynasties to make sure that the same families can continue to rob the Filipinos, and by many other ways of corruption.  On the other hand, the story also depicts the future in a sense that one day (in the context of the Philippine society) a group of people will rise up as rebels against the old system and will fight for the rights of the Filipino people.  We’re not talking about people who will just rally out but people who will really be visible in the Philippine government and will start the change in the country; people who are so nationalistic and have so much passion that they would really rise up and destroy every form of corruption in this nation.  They might not yet be here but they will be.

            Science, technology, and society succeeded in the thirteen districts in the sense that they used their knowledge about these three concepts to stand up against the Capitol.  Science, technology, and society helped them to exhibit their unquenchable thirst for change.

-David Bryan Cubing Lao

Catching Fire Reaction Paper

by Jay Anne Bacayo

The movie, Catching Fire, is science fiction because the events and locations mentioned in the movie are, as of the moment, not yet real. The movie also contains futuristic themes or ideas. Take the arena, which is prepared for the Hunger Games every year, for example. The Gamemakers, situated in a control room, closely watch all the activities of the tributes. They manipulate the environment and introduce potential threats for the tributes like blood rain and monkeys.  At present reality, the technology required to be able to influence our surroundings or change weather conditions has not yet been developed and is actually banned by the United Nations. 

Catching Fire presents people with an idea of a future that could only be made possible through advances in science and technology. For example, the Training Arena, where tributes prepare and train their skills for the Hunger Games, features unconventional weapons and devices. The place also features the use of hologram to simulate obstacles and attackers for the tributes’ training. 

The movie can also reflect the past and present experiences of many countries and their citizens under a dictatorship or a tyrannical rule. In his “reign of terror”, President Snow has all the power in Panem. He never fails to remind the citizens of his dominance and uses the Hunger Games “as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol.” He even tries to have media censorship and uses the yearly Games to entertain and distract the people from the real problems of Panem. 

The favoured people of the government, the citizens of the Capitol, have lives full of wealth and luxury, including extravagant clothing and bountiful feasts of food, while the citizens of the 12 districts are marked by their poverty and are only used as means to provide goods like coal and lumber for the Capitol. 

Science and technology succeeded in making the lives of the people more convenient but sadly, this convenience is most evident in the Capitol. The Capitol has used the developments to have comfortable lives and to feed their indulgences. On the other hand, for the 13 districts, they failed to maximize the uses of the developments in science and technology, maybe also because of the limitations set by the government. They continue to live in scarcity and the quality of their lives still did not improve significantly. 

Science and technology have contributed to the accomplishment of the government’s plans but also to the misery of the districts’ citizens.  The government headed by President Snow utilizes the developments in science and technology and uses them to their advantage to achieve their goals of maintaining the “order” of the society and “disciplining” the people. The Peacekeepers use advanced tools to instill fear among the people and fight against their rebellion. They immediately punish those who show even the smallest signs of defiance to the government through whipping or even execution that is broadcasted all throughout Panem.

Catching Fire Reaction Paper

by Princess Rosales

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the second installment of the Hunger Games film series which is based on Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games Trilogy. The series revolves around the government of Panem which is composed of the wealthy and dominant Capitol and the twelve poor and submissive districts. But aside from the issues on human society, the film also showcases the technological advancements and environmental changes which are shown by their weaponry, transportation, housing, multimedia and a lot more. And because of this, the film Catching Fire is considered as a science fiction.

The concept of the Hunger Games, in which the tributes must survive the games by finding food, shelter, water, weapons and other necessary things in order to continue living, presents the past human society. The main goal of the tributes is to be the last man standing in order to be called a victor. One of the common strategies at the start of the game is forming an alliance which we could attribute as a tribe in the past human society.  And when the number of tributes starts to trim down, a tribute will start killing the member of his alliance. This illustrates how the past human society deals with survival. But some parts of the film demonstrate the present human society. Their government is such an example. Just like in the present society, it is the wealthy who controls the poor.   

Even with the technological advancements, the science, technology and society still fails in the world of the 13 districts. One of the goals of science and technology is to help the society. But it is evident in the film that instead of helping the districts, they were manipulated by it because of how the Capitol implements science and executes technology. With this, the society also weakens.