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Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us (2005) [NR]

Featuring:
Mark Hamill, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas

Written by:
Richard Schickel

Directed by:
Richard Schickel


Release Date:
July 5, 2005

Original Title:
Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us

Genres:
Documentary | TV Movie

Production Companies:
Lorac Productions
Turner Classic Movies

Production Countries:
United States of America

Ratings / Certifications:
US: NR 

Runtime: 56

Overview from TheMovieDB

Directors Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas, Ridley Scott and James Cameron discuss the science fiction movies of the 1950s that influenced them.

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Overview from Open Movies

'Stephen Spielberg', Ridley Scott, James Cameron and George Lucas discuss the importance of science fiction films and the influence of the genre. Following the end of World War II, new kinds of enemies appeared, those that could not be seen such as the atom or the fear of the unknown such as that resulting from the cold war. Movies became metaphors for those fears and science fiction films took many forms. They include giant bugs such as the ants in Them! (1954) or inanimate object such as in The Monolith Monsters (1957). In The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) the terror comes from everyday life - a cat, a spider - as the man gets smaller and smaller. Science fiction involving space travel required more imagination. Destination Moon (1950) and Rocketship X-M (1950) were early attempts at taking a serious look at space flight and its implications. Then there were encounters with aliens, some benign, such as Klaatu from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) or aggressive aliens as terrorist or a danger to humankind such as in Invaders from Mars (1953) or The War of the Worlds (1953).

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Rankings and Honors

Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us (2005) on IMDb
Internet Movie Database 6.8/10
Awards Won: 1 nomination

Performers

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Production

Co-Producer:
Douglas Freeman

Director:
Richard Schickel

Editor:
Bryan McKenzie

Original Music Composer:
Casey Cohen

Producer:
Richard Schickel

Writer:
Richard Schickel

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