The Vastness of Outer Space: Images from films

By Jeffrey Siniard 7/30/10.

I'm going to poach an idea I saw on a blog that I read rather frequently.  John Kenneth Muir is a terrific genre critic, and he received a challenge that has been spreading from blog to blog, starting with Checking On My Sausages. The challenge here is to select a theme and provide images from films that express that theme.

I don't know if anyone else who sees this blogs about movies on their own time, but if so, I'd like to see what someone else has to contribute.

Myself, I'm choosing the theme of The Vastness of Outer Space.  I've always found that in their rush to provide excitement, many filmmakers(and audiences, unfortunately) never pause to consider just how vast and unknowable space can be.  I've selected images from films going back to the 1950s, up to films that are very recent in our history.  Hopefully, the shots I chose can give you a moment of pause. 

Images with captions follow below...

The Martians consider Saturn.  The War of the Worlds (1953). 

Directed by Byron Haskin.

Earth cruiser C57D passing behind an eclipse of Altair.  Forbidden Planet (1956). 

Directed by Fred McLeod Wilcox.

 

The Discovery navigates the Asteroid belt.  2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). 

Directed by Stanley Kubrick.

 

The Discovery approaches Jupiter, and the Infinite.  2001: A Space Odyssey.

 

The Nostromo approaches LV-426.  Alien (1979). 

Directed by Ridley Scott.

 

The Nostromo, passing behind a moon of LV-426.  Alien (1979).

 

The V'ger cloud, in Klingon space.  Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). 

Directed by Robert Wise.

 

 

A refitted Enterprise, passing Jupiter.  Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).

 

 
The Frontier.  The Last Starfighter (1984).

Directed by Nick Castle.

 

The Lewis and Clark approaches Neptune.  Event Horizon (1997). 

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.

 

Wall-E catches a shuttle to the Axiom.  WALL-E (2008). 

Directed by Andrew Stanton.

 

The Venture Star approaches Pandora.  Avatar (2009). 

Directed by James Cameron.

Comments

[Stephen]

Very interesting choice of theme and beautiful images too.

Loneliness and wonder.

[John Kenneth Muir]

Jeffrey:

Wow! You have assembled a great gallery here, reflecting cinema's fascination (across the decades...) with outer space imagery and the vastness of the final frontier. I love this gallery! I will post a link to it today on the blog.

Thanks for posting this!

regards,
John Kenneth Muir

[The Sci-Fi Fanatic]

This is a beautiful post. I really enjoyed your selections. You not only gave us images of space, but the sense of unending loneliness, vastness, and sheer expanse of the great black. Lovely.

[MovieMan0283]

Great idea - and all without a certain obvious candidate! Btw, if your readers are interested, here is the post where I kicked off the meme:

http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-beginning.html

I'm also linking up to all the participants at the bottom of the post, so anyone who takes this up is invited to drop a comment there letting me know, and I'll slot them in...

[disque dur ssd externe]

I visited multiple blogs but the audio featue forr audio songs present at this webbsite iis actually fabulous.

[Maude]

Hey, I think your site might be having brrowser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog in Chrome, itt loois fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heeads up! Other then that, awesome blog!

[http://www.trampoline-pas-cher.info/]

Hello i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anyplace, when i read this post i thought i cokuld also make comment due to this good article.

[www.tabouretdebarpascher.info]

I usually do not leave a comment, however I looked at a feew of the responses on A Beachfront Cineaste: The Vasdtness oof Outer Space: Images from films. I do have a few questions for yoou if it's okay. Is it simply me or does it look as if like some of these comments look as if they are coming from brain dead folks? :-P And, if you are writing at other social sites, I would like to follow you. Would you post a list of every one of all your social sites like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?

[disquedurmultimedia.info]

Hello to every , for the reason that I am in fact eager of reading this blog's post to be updated regularly. It consists of good material.

[disque dur interne sata]

An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a friend who has been conducting a little homework on this. And he actually ordwred me dinner simply because I found it for him... lol. So let me reword this.... Thanks for thee meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to discuss this subject herfe on your web site.

[enceinte sans fil bluetooth]

We are a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your website provided us with helpful info to work on. You've done an impressive task and our whole community might be grateful to you.

[ipod touch pas cher neuf 16go]

naturally like your website but you have to take a look at the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it very bothersome to inform the reality on the other hand I'll surely come back again.

[lit parapluie]

It's in reality a nice and useful piece of info. I'm glad that yoou just shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

[http://www.luggagesetsgiant.com/samsonite-luggage]

It is perfect time to make some plans for the futujre and it's time to be happy. I've read this post and if I could I want to suggest you some interesting things or advice. Perhaps you can write next articles referring to tthis article. I want to read even more things about it!

[designerhandbagsplaza.com]

I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but good topic. I needs to pend some tie learning more or understaning more. Thaks for excellent info I was looking for this info for my mission.

[breitling watches]

It's in reality a nice and useful piece of info. I am satisfied that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

[www.wirelessheadphonesreviewer.com]

An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this ont a coworker who had been doing a little homework on this. And he actually ordered me lunch due to the fact tha I stumbled upon it for him... lol. So let me reword this.... Thanks foor the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to talk about this subject here on your internet site.

[http://www.designerhandbagsplaza.com/coach-handbags]

Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really llng comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn't show up. Grrrr... well I'm not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say great blog!

[car seats]

continuously i used to read smalpler articles that also clear their motive, and that is also happening with this piece of writing which I am reading at this time.

[best bluetooth speakers]

I waas curious if you ever considered changging the page layout of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or two images. Maybe you could space it out better?

[http://www.designerhandbagsplaza.com/coach-purses/]

Awesome! Its actually remarkable piece of writing, I have got much clear idea oon the topic of from this article.

[michael kors handbag]

I need to to thank you for this fantastic read!! I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it. I have you saved aas a favorite to check out new stuff you post…

[http://www.maxidressesnow.com/]

This article will assist the internet visitors for building up new blog or even a weblog frolm start to end.

[not fake]

In this the imperfect condition of the loan doesn't matter through which each and every people will get this fiscal service in developing a happy Christmas not fake several programs offer advice about heating and household utility bills, yet others may even offer free weatherization of the home.

[www.externalharddrivereviewed.com]

No matter if some one searches for his necessary thing, therefore he/she wishes to bbe available that in detail, tnerefore that thing is maintained over here.