Influential Films of the Fantasy Genre (through 1941)
Preface: I thought I'd share with you, a little ditty I wrote for a film history class a few years back. The assignment was to write about pre-1941 films, which at first was harder than I thought it. But I found a common thread, the fantasy genre, which got the ball rollin'. Enjoy!
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Some of the most powerful, eye-popping and highest grossing films of today can be attributed to the fantasy genre. Whether based on super-heroes, alien worlds or avatars, these mega hits, like most films, owe their riches to what came before them. And in the fantasy world there is no shortage of early masterpieces. What was so special about these early fantasy films? And in what ways did they exemplify and set the bar for the fantasy genre?
Fantasy can represent a fictional place, an imagined world full of incredible landscapes and fantastical creatures, as shown in the eight minute Georges Melies' 1902 silent film A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune). At the beginning of filmmaking, and while the film industry struggled with technology, projectors, cameras, film speed, purpose and public interest, the French create a masterpiece in true fantasy. The story is simple: a group of astronomers seek out on an epic journey to the moon. They are loaded into a bullet-shaped capsule and shot directly into the eye of the man on the moon. The group is ultimately captured by the Selenites (a half-man, half-insect alien) who bring the group to their leader. The group makes a daring escape and flees safely back to Earth. Truly an impressive feat so early in film. [Edit: In the Scorsese film "Hugo," Ben Kingsley played the role of George Melies, the director of A Trip to the Moon. I actually didn't like the film Hugo as much as others did because I thought it over-dramatized and fictionalized some of the real history of film. Sigh. I'm a snob.]
Fantasy can also represent visionary inventions, theatrical political struggles and an epic soundtrack, as shown in Fritz Lang's German Expressionistic masterpiece, Metropolis (1927). Metropolis is a tale of the oppressed vs. the oppressors; a movie that asks the question “what if?” What if machines have human emotions? What if workers of the machines do not have names, but numbers (worker #11811)? What if we could create a “machine man”, an android that is indistinguishable from a real human? Metropolis answers these questions with visually stunning backdrops, which take us through a futuristic cityscape, labyrinthine passages, dark, ominous machines and an underground lair. Metropolis also uses an epic musical score to drive home the fight between good and evil. [Edit: This film is a hard one to watch. I think only film students can sit through this long silent film.]
Fantasy can also represent daydreams of love and utopia, a hope for a better life and a better world. In the opening scene of Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon (1937), words from an opened book read: “In these days of wars and rumors of wars – haven’t you ever dreamed of a place where there was peace and security, where living was not a struggle but a lasting delight? Lost Horizon focuses on a group of Europeans, forced to follow a hiking caravan through treacherous mountains after a snowy plane crash. The caravan ends up in thevalley of Shangri-la, a mysterious heavenly valley in the Himalayas, with perfect calm weather, beautiful people, peace and tranquility. No crime, no disputes and everything in moderation; a true utopia. Love blooms between Robert Conway (Ronald Colman) and Sondra (Jane Wyatt) during a carefree horseback chase, a waterfall, and even shots of deer frolicking. But what does an absence of struggle, of conflict, of drama, lead to? Is this world too good to be true? And why were they brought there? Lost Horizon represents a land free from struggle, fear and tragedy, and for Robert Conway, endless love. [Edit: I didn't actually watch this film all the way through, but what I did see, I found surprisingly interesting]
Fantasy can also represent invented characters, mythical animals and a struggle between beauty and a beast. In the eternal tale of King Kong (1933), a film crew travels to Skull Island, but the natives capture the gorgeous Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) and offer her as a sacrifice to the great gorilla beast Kong. As the story unfolds, the beast is increasingly infatuated with Ann and protects her from the many ravenous beasts of the island. Ultimately Kong is captured and taken back to America as a showpiece on Broadway. Kong escapes and climbs the EmpireState Building with his love, Ann, in tow. After being mortality wounded by airplane machine-gun fire, Kong plummets to his death in the street below. A street cop remarks, “Well Denham, the airplanes got him." Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) replies: “It wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast." This epic adventure is told in front of an amazing backdrop of fearsome dinosaurs, flying creatures and eye-dropping landscapes. A classic fantasy film chocked full of special effects, intertwined with an unconventional love-story. [Edit: I actually do not like any of the King Kong films. I only like the newest one for the neat CGI stuff, but the story itself, in my opinion, is rubbish.]
Early films rarely ventured into the fully-animated, until Walt Disney created his fairy-tale masterpiece, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) the first full-length animated feature. The story of Snow White was adapted from the original Brothers Grimm’s Fair Tales, and tells of Snow White (voiced by Adriana Caselotti), a beautiful girl who seeks refuge from the wicked Queen, hiding out in the house of the seven dwarfs. Snow White falls ill from a poised apple given to her by the wicked Queen, disguised as an old hag. To bring Snow White back, only “love’s first kiss” from the Price (voiced by Harry Stockwell) will do the trick. Snow White was an innovative, highly successful fantasy film, thanks in part by its message of love, catchy sing along tunes and wonderful animation. Other notable animated films sparked by the success of Snow White include: Fantasia (1940), Pinocchio (1940) and Dumbo (1941). [Edit: Interestingly, my all-time favorite Disney films are these four films.]
And finally, the one film from the pre-1940’s era to encapsulate the fantasy genre the best is Victor Fleming’s masterpiece The Wizard of Oz (1939). Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz tells the story of Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto caught in a Kansas’ tornado which drops them into the land of Oz, a magical mystical place full of surprises. There, with the help of the Munchkins, the Good Witch of the North, and Dorothy’s newly acquired ruby slippers, they set out for Emerald City where a great wizard lives. On her journey, she meets a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion all who join her journey in hopes the Wizard of Oz will help them, and send Dorothy back home before the Wicked Witch of the West captures them all. The Wizard of Oz swallowed all other fantasy films before it and became the new benchmark in the genre. It took about twenty-years from the time of the talking picture, to produce this masterpiece, but its legacy as top dog in the fantasy genre, will live on forever. The Wizard of Oz is a timeless piece of art, unmatched in sight, sound and emotion.
The fantasy genre lends itself very well to exploration of a variety of themes and these early films set the standards. Many people thought, during the infancy of the motion picture, that film was merely a fleeting curiosity or simply a good way to document real life, not any way to entertain the public. But these brilliant films, showcased here, became the edifice of the fantasy genre, the beginning of on-screen imagination and the establishment of science fiction. As Judy Garland so beautifully sang in “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, “dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true.” Words that help showcase the hope, feelings, and imaginative nature of the fantasy genre.
---------------
Some of the most powerful, eye-popping and highest grossing films of today can be attributed to the fantasy genre. Whether based on super-heroes, alien worlds or avatars, these mega hits, like most films, owe their riches to what came before them. And in the fantasy world there is no shortage of early masterpieces. What was so special about these early fantasy films? And in what ways did they exemplify and set the bar for the fantasy genre?
Fantasy can represent a fictional place, an imagined world full of incredible landscapes and fantastical creatures, as shown in the eight minute Georges Melies' 1902 silent film A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune). At the beginning of filmmaking, and while the film industry struggled with technology, projectors, cameras, film speed, purpose and public interest, the French create a masterpiece in true fantasy. The story is simple: a group of astronomers seek out on an epic journey to the moon. They are loaded into a bullet-shaped capsule and shot directly into the eye of the man on the moon. The group is ultimately captured by the Selenites (a half-man, half-insect alien) who bring the group to their leader. The group makes a daring escape and flees safely back to Earth. Truly an impressive feat so early in film. [Edit: In the Scorsese film "Hugo," Ben Kingsley played the role of George Melies, the director of A Trip to the Moon. I actually didn't like the film Hugo as much as others did because I thought it over-dramatized and fictionalized some of the real history of film. Sigh. I'm a snob.]
Fantasy can also represent visionary inventions, theatrical political struggles and an epic soundtrack, as shown in Fritz Lang's German Expressionistic masterpiece, Metropolis (1927). Metropolis is a tale of the oppressed vs. the oppressors; a movie that asks the question “what if?” What if machines have human emotions? What if workers of the machines do not have names, but numbers (worker #11811)? What if we could create a “machine man”, an android that is indistinguishable from a real human? Metropolis answers these questions with visually stunning backdrops, which take us through a futuristic cityscape, labyrinthine passages, dark, ominous machines and an underground lair. Metropolis also uses an epic musical score to drive home the fight between good and evil. [Edit: This film is a hard one to watch. I think only film students can sit through this long silent film.]
Fantasy can also represent daydreams of love and utopia, a hope for a better life and a better world. In the opening scene of Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon (1937), words from an opened book read: “In these days of wars and rumors of wars – haven’t you ever dreamed of a place where there was peace and security, where living was not a struggle but a lasting delight? Lost Horizon focuses on a group of Europeans, forced to follow a hiking caravan through treacherous mountains after a snowy plane crash. The caravan ends up in thevalley of Shangri-la, a mysterious heavenly valley in the Himalayas, with perfect calm weather, beautiful people, peace and tranquility. No crime, no disputes and everything in moderation; a true utopia. Love blooms between Robert Conway (Ronald Colman) and Sondra (Jane Wyatt) during a carefree horseback chase, a waterfall, and even shots of deer frolicking. But what does an absence of struggle, of conflict, of drama, lead to? Is this world too good to be true? And why were they brought there? Lost Horizon represents a land free from struggle, fear and tragedy, and for Robert Conway, endless love. [Edit: I didn't actually watch this film all the way through, but what I did see, I found surprisingly interesting]
Fantasy can also represent invented characters, mythical animals and a struggle between beauty and a beast. In the eternal tale of King Kong (1933), a film crew travels to Skull Island, but the natives capture the gorgeous Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) and offer her as a sacrifice to the great gorilla beast Kong. As the story unfolds, the beast is increasingly infatuated with Ann and protects her from the many ravenous beasts of the island. Ultimately Kong is captured and taken back to America as a showpiece on Broadway. Kong escapes and climbs the EmpireState Building with his love, Ann, in tow. After being mortality wounded by airplane machine-gun fire, Kong plummets to his death in the street below. A street cop remarks, “Well Denham, the airplanes got him." Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) replies: “It wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast." This epic adventure is told in front of an amazing backdrop of fearsome dinosaurs, flying creatures and eye-dropping landscapes. A classic fantasy film chocked full of special effects, intertwined with an unconventional love-story. [Edit: I actually do not like any of the King Kong films. I only like the newest one for the neat CGI stuff, but the story itself, in my opinion, is rubbish.]
Early films rarely ventured into the fully-animated, until Walt Disney created his fairy-tale masterpiece, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) the first full-length animated feature. The story of Snow White was adapted from the original Brothers Grimm’s Fair Tales, and tells of Snow White (voiced by Adriana Caselotti), a beautiful girl who seeks refuge from the wicked Queen, hiding out in the house of the seven dwarfs. Snow White falls ill from a poised apple given to her by the wicked Queen, disguised as an old hag. To bring Snow White back, only “love’s first kiss” from the Price (voiced by Harry Stockwell) will do the trick. Snow White was an innovative, highly successful fantasy film, thanks in part by its message of love, catchy sing along tunes and wonderful animation. Other notable animated films sparked by the success of Snow White include: Fantasia (1940), Pinocchio (1940) and Dumbo (1941). [Edit: Interestingly, my all-time favorite Disney films are these four films.]
And finally, the one film from the pre-1940’s era to encapsulate the fantasy genre the best is Victor Fleming’s masterpiece The Wizard of Oz (1939). Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz tells the story of Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto caught in a Kansas’ tornado which drops them into the land of Oz, a magical mystical place full of surprises. There, with the help of the Munchkins, the Good Witch of the North, and Dorothy’s newly acquired ruby slippers, they set out for Emerald City where a great wizard lives. On her journey, she meets a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion all who join her journey in hopes the Wizard of Oz will help them, and send Dorothy back home before the Wicked Witch of the West captures them all. The Wizard of Oz swallowed all other fantasy films before it and became the new benchmark in the genre. It took about twenty-years from the time of the talking picture, to produce this masterpiece, but its legacy as top dog in the fantasy genre, will live on forever. The Wizard of Oz is a timeless piece of art, unmatched in sight, sound and emotion.
The fantasy genre lends itself very well to exploration of a variety of themes and these early films set the standards. Many people thought, during the infancy of the motion picture, that film was merely a fleeting curiosity or simply a good way to document real life, not any way to entertain the public. But these brilliant films, showcased here, became the edifice of the fantasy genre, the beginning of on-screen imagination and the establishment of science fiction. As Judy Garland so beautifully sang in “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, “dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true.” Words that help showcase the hope, feelings, and imaginative nature of the fantasy genre.
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