The most fascinating history books are the oldest history books. In them, one can come to know not just history but how people of the past interpreted that history. History, as it was understood one-hundred years ago, is different from its interpretation today. To study this former perspective is an examination of history in itself.
Even more interesting, is how people of the past interpreted society�s possible future. This is what makes old 1930s to 1950s science fiction movies so remarkable. These were, in many cases, attempts to predict what present day civilization might be like. How accurately they get it right may serve as an indication to the correctness of our own fanciful projections of the future.
The future of this pre World War II movie is remarkably accurate. The clean lines of modern architecture support a civilization that uses wide screen television, helicopters, and sends men to the moon all in the name of progress.
This apocalyptic film depicts the kind of preparation needed for the deliverance of a small number of fortunate citizens from a doomed planet Earth. Like modern space flights, a large number of people are needed to make the trip happen but very few get to go.
This movie deals with the ethics of involving primitive indigenous cultures in the pacific conflict of World War II. In many instances, the Japanese would draft islanders to help them with their war effort. In this film, aliens, technologically far more advanced than humans, draft earthling scientists to aid them in fighting an interplanetary war.
This motion picture attempts to portray what a trip to the moon would be like. It foretells the use of multi-stage rockets, hydrogen propulsion, and pressurized space suits. It even deals with the consequences of nuclear war upon civilization.
