Jump to content

The Movie "Contact"

PSYCHOcatholic

By PSYCHOcatholic
in Movies and TV

 Share

Recommended Posts

PSYCHOcatholic seahorse

PSYCHOcatholic

Posted
Posted

Now, i absolutely LOVE this movie, because of the deeper meaning. Its one of films greatest acheivments!

I wanted to know what you all think about it, those who have seen it.

I know alot of people dont watch films for their deeper meaning, but this movie has meaning just thrown right out there.

The movie s about belief and non-belief, somewhat of a science and christian clash that just sprays debate.

Anything jump out at you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Farin land shark

Farin

Posted
Posted

"Contact" and religion

One of the central themes in Contact is that of science (personified by Dr. Eleanor Arroway) being perceived by some as being in conflict with those who believe in God (personified by Palmer Joss). Throughout much of the film, both are seen as existing outside of the other's domain. There is initially a very clear stipulation that scientists can try to understand the universe without needing to introduce God into any explanations. Dr. Arroway, the heroine of the tale, when asked if she believes in God replies that there is no evidence for or against the existence of God. Joss, however, is shown as a moderate religious man. It should be noted that he is not a priest and the movie makes no mention of which religion he belongs to. Instead he is a general, all-purpose religious representation, encompassing only the ideal of belief in God and leaving any details of dogma out of the movie. In one of their conversations, Joss reminds Dr. Arroway that people can have experiences that make them hold beliefs even if they do not have objectively verifiable evidence to support such beliefs.

Dr. Arroway's main reason for not believing in God is lack of objectively verifiable evidence. Joss' belief in God and Arroway's experience of the aliens illustrate the fact that people can hold beliefs even in the absence of objectively verifiable evidence. Joss believes Arroway without any proof, and states that science and religion are merely different tools in mankind's search for truth. Arroway does not ask the world to accept her story on faith. She continues to explore the universe using the tools of science.

While the film portrays Palmer Joss' Christian beliefs as tolerant, agreeable, and well thought-out, the film simultaneously subtly criticizes Christian fundamentalists. During the scene in which Arroway discusses The Machine with the American cabinet, she encounters opposition from Richard Rank, the leader of the fictional "Conservative Coalition", a play on religion-oriented right-wing political groups. The leader of the organization, who appears to have considerable political sway, is presented as shallow and unintelligent as he openly objects to the project based purely on the fact that the aliens are not Christians. The film's main Christian secondary character, the extremist preacher, is equally criticized. During the media circus at the New Mexico facility, the preacher is portrayed as a somewhat psychotic character, blaming science for destroying the world and stating that the aliens are God. During a short appearance in Washington, D.C., the preacher is again portrayed as mentally unstable, glaring hatefully at Arroway while his followers chant "Praise God" monotonously and endlessly. Ultimately, the extremist preacher sabotages the entire project by blowing up The Machine, believing that he is acting in "the best interests of mankind." The preacher's character may be based upon that of The Curate from H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, who believes that the invading Martians are demons from Hell. Both the preacher and the parson attach religious ties to the aliens - the preacher in Contact believes that the Vegans are God whilst the parson in The War of the Worlds believes the Martians are demons, both perceiving corporeal (or at least natural) creatures to be deeply religious in nature, and both wrong on the nature of the aliens, which are simply "people" rather than religious entities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
PSYCHOcatholic seahorse

PSYCHOcatholic

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Sagan's only novel allows the reader to plausibly experience, in the imagination, what he longed to experience in real life: the discovery of extra-terrestrial intelligence. Also, the novel ends with the heroine finding proof of "an intelligence that antedates the universe"; Sagan himself dearly wished, and failed, to find undeniable proof of God's existence. According to Ann Druyan, his widow, he "never wanted to believe. He wanted to know." Contact illustrates Sagan's view that the only way to really know if there was a creator of the universe is to look for evidence by using the tools of science.

It is somewhat questionable as to how an intelligence can encode a message inside a number like π. Some numbers which define essential properties of our universe, like the fine structure constant or Newton's gravitational constant, could conceivably vary among universes. (The physical conditions in these universes would be radically different, and it is possible that intelligent life could not exist in all of them. This recalls Stephen Hawking's conundrum, the question "Did God have any choice in creating the Universe?") However, π falls into a different category. It is defined by the nature of the circle, which in turn has a specific definition as a set of points in a metric space. Any intelligence, working in any universe--no matter what the characteristics of its particular "space-time fabric"--must deduce the same value of π given the same definition of a circle. (One presumes that a circle would be a useful abstraction to make in any reasonable universe which could sustain intelligent life.)

Well, Sagan wrote this novel, and i like what his wife said which is quoted above me. Sagan always wanted to KNOW...he never wanted to BELIEVE.

Which is one thing i think this movie is about. Even without the religon, belief is something huge in this movie. But see, at the end, AND THIS IS WHAT I LOVE....okay, she has been wanting proof, and wanting to KNOW everything her whole life...and at the end she must make THEM believe her with no proof, no artifact, just her word.

I LOVE IT!

Farin, that is some flippin awesome info, thanks for posting that!

Edited by Guest
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jenny orca

Jenny

Posted
Posted

I liked the movie. I haven't seen it in a while, so it's not fresh in my mind, but all I can say is that believing in Creation or Evolution requires faith either way. People are free to believe and adopt whatever they wish, but they should also be free to question. Ellie liked to question, and while Joss didn't agree, I think he was supportive of her, and I think that's what was important. I think a lot of that is missing in religion....support of people who don't know what to believe, and are constantly questioning.

Oh, man, my brain hurts..this is too deep for a Monday!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Otokichi orca

Otokichi

Posted
Posted

I read the book before I saw the movie and was floored by what had been done to several of the characters. One little thing that had been left out was the sometimes "interstellar distances between family members." Also, the religious folks were a portrayed as more fundamentalist cardboard characters than the fully realized, reasonable people in print. Oh well, it was an interesting movie, but they really missed the boat by making it a solo trip by Elly Arroway. The Celestials wanted some proof of mankind's worth...which appeared at the end of the book. But then, of what impact is finding the end of the Pi calculation string at last? Yep, the prize bull was turned into bullion cubes...again. :stars:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...