Event 3 Blog | "Contact"

 The 1997 science-fiction film “Contact” follows the character, Dr. Eleanor Arroway and her journey when she “finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence” (IMDb). While much of the movie may seem like a stretch to the eyes of anyone in 2021, it's traceable story and artistic ingenuity to make the science and architecture legitimate, allow viewers to feel like, for just a moment, that the film is all real. 

One cannot bring up the movie without mentioning the combination of art and science to create architecture that compliments the storyline. While much of the space transportation device function is relatively unknown and the known parts filled with scientific jargon, the device presents itself as this magnificent circular device composed of three rings that spin on their own axis, with the device that one travels through being dropped at the top. Once S.R. Hadden finds the primer, and suggests that the aliens are a “more efficient species,” and “looks at things in a different dimension,” (S.R. Hadden, Contact) the building schematics as finally unlocked. The fact that there is no art remotely similar to this, gives a subtle nod to the creativity team of the movie. They were able to push the creative boundaries of the time and give the viewers a taste of what space travel might be like and how aliens might think.

The Teleportation Device - Contact, 1997

The creative team of the film don’t just show off their imaginative capabilities in the architecture of the space travel machine, but also do so during space travel. They tried to give us an interpretation of what going through a wormhole might be like, with all of it's glowing features and jolting turns of motion. As Dr. Arroway shouts “I am ready to go!” (Dr Arroway, Contact). During her transit, we are shown what she is moving through, since the bottom of the capsule has become transparent. During her journey, she describes what she sees, a “Light source ahead, brilliant blue, white, visual radiation” (Dr Arroway, Contact). The bright blue, purple and white light is combined to give off the sense of speed she is achieving as well as the number of galaxies she is passing in a single instant. Once again, the team behind this was able to give viewers their own interpretations on complex things that very few have limited knowledge on. 

On Board During Teleportation - Contact, 1997

One of the original cover pictures for the film also represents how deeply rooted art was in it. If one were to look at the bottom of the poster, and make their way upwards, that entire plot of the movie would be spelled out. In the third part, the satellite where Arroway first starts her research is shown. Above that, is a picture of a teleportation device, and above that, is the unknown planet from which the signals Earth receives from Vega. The psychedelic color scheme used also plays a part in the posters, as it is the same colors used during the entire scene in which Arroway travels through space. Just from the poster alone, anyone can see that art played a strong role throughout the film's life. One quote that could sum up the entire poster would be when Dr Arroway sees, for a brief stint, the Vega complex. Due to the beauty of it, she is left for a loss of words, it can’t be described. The only thing she says is, “They should’ve sent a poet,” (Dr Arroway, Contact) which alludes to the fact that many poets have been able to capture beauty and transcribe the image into words. 

Contact Movie Poster - Contact, 1997

I would recommend this film to anyone remotely interested in space. I found that the topic chosen for the film was more intriguing than I imagined, probably due to the recent developments of SpaceX and commercial space travel slowly becoming a norm. 

All quotes were pulled from the movie, Contact 1997. Attendance was recorded through a Google Form during the duration of the films screening.

Movie Quote Citation

Zemeckis, Robert, director. Contact (Motion Picture: 1997). 1997. 

Image Citation

“The Teleportation Device - Contact, 1997.” Http://Www.moriareviews.com/Rongulator/Wp-Content/Uploads/Contact-1997-10.Jpg, 1997, www.moriareviews.com/rongulator/wp-content/uploads/Contact-1997-10.jpg. 

“Contact Movie Poster - Contact, 1997.” Https://Astronomy.osu.edu/Sites/Default/Files/2020-12/contact_movie_poster.Jpg, 1997, astronomy.osu.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/contact_movie_poster.jpg. 

“On Board During Teleportation - Contact, 1997.” Https://Coub-Anubis-A.akamaized.net/coub_storage/Coub/Simple/cw_timeline_pic/92b556f84e4/64a22f7bd3c19b1262be9/1473501559_image.Jpg, 1997, coub-anubis-a.akamaized.net/coub_storage/coub/simple/cw_timeline_pic/92b556f84e4/64a22f7bd3c19b1262be9/1473501559_image.jpg.