The Time Machine is a 1960 science fiction film produced and directed by George Pal. Based on an 1895 novel of the same name by H. G. Wells, the film portrays an inventor's journey into the distant future and his discoveries. When George, the inventor, leaves his Victorian English home in 1900 and arrives in the year 802,701 AD, he finds that civilization as he knew it has been completely lost. He soon discovers that mankind has evolved into two separate species: the Eloi and the Morlocks. As Matthew Taunton notes in an article titled “Class in The Time Machine,” “HG Wells was a committed socialist and also a scientist with an active interest in evolution” (para. 1). Therefore, the film's presentation of the demise of modern civilized standards in this future society and the presentation of the division of power between the Eloi and the Morlocks can best be viewed through the lens of Marxist criticism to understand the political commentary being made. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The film opens with a scene depicting a series of clock faces drifting through thin air and ends with a shot of Big Ben, a major English landmark. This opening scene symbolizes both the concept of time and modern civilization and helps introduce viewers to the film's subject matter. The film begins in medias res and viewers are introduced to the main character, George, as he stumbles upon a dinner party at his home. His appearance and behavior are in stark contrast to those of his friends and colleagues gathered around the dinner table. While his friends and colleagues appear to be the emblem of modern civilization, George enters the film with the dirty appearance and exhausted demeanor of a wild man. The film then uses a flashback to show viewers how and why George ended up with his clothes in tatters and his knowledge too great to comprehend. Soon, viewers see George alone in his laboratory as he prepares to embark on his journey into the future. As he sits inside his sleigh-like time machine, George watches the days, nights, weeks, months and years pass through a window. Watch the weather change from the changing clothing styles of a mannequin in a store across the street. He makes some brief stops in 1917, 1940 and 1966. Apparently fascinated by the ability to traverse time and the changes he witnesses in civilization, George continues his journey into the future until his time machine reads the year 802,701 AD stops his time machine, he begins to venture into his foreign surroundings and soon discovers a group of alarmingly passive men and women near a river. These men and women are all small in stature with tanned skin, blond hair and blue eyes, and they sit idly while a woman drowns in the river. George rushes to save the woman, Weena, and is amazed by the passivity of the people he met. He cannot understand why they should sit indifferently while a woman drowned before their eyes. This is the first interaction George has with the Eloi, one of the two human species in this future civilization. The passivity of the Eloi, along with their short stature and good looks, helps viewers understand the political symbolism in the film. The foundation of the political statement becomes even more secure when George discovers the second species of this future civilization, the monstrous Morlocks who live on earth. Based on the premise that in the subtext of HG Wells' novel there is, 1995.
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