Cities and the Dead 4

One of my favourite books is Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. Recently, on reading about the ancient Roman city buried under a field near Venice (infrared photo and map below), I was reminded of Calvino's Argia:

What makes Argia different from other cities is that it has earth instead of air. The streets are completely filled with dirt, clay packs the rooms to the ceiling, on every stair another stairway is set in negative, over the roofs of the houses hang layers of rocky terrain like skies with clouds. We do not know if the inhabitants can move about in the city, widening the worm tunnels and the crevices where roots twist: the dampness destroys people's bodies, and they have scant strength; everyone is better off remaining still, prone; anyway, it is dark.

From up here, nothing of Argia can be seen; some say "It's down below there," and we can only believe them. The place is deserted. At night, putting your ear to the ground, you can sometimes hear a door slam.

Post-Apocalyptic Movies: a Selection

1: War of the Worlds
Year: 2005 (from an 1898 novel)
Disaster: Martian invasion
Ultimate cause: The inherent hostility of Nature
Hope?: No; human resistance is futile, the invaders are killed by bacteria
Philosophy: "Survival of the fittest" and random chance




2: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Year: 2001-2003 (from the 1930s/40s novels)
Disaster: The forces of Sauron intrude themselves upon peaceful lands (fantasy)
Ultimate cause: The Satan-like figure "Morgoth," of whom Sauron was the servant
Hope?: Yes; a vaguely described divine force for good sends Gandalf, and guides events to ensure Saron's defeat
Philosophy: Infused by Christianity




3: I Am Legend
Year: 2007 (from a 1954 novel)
Disaster: Zombification due to a virus
Ultimate cause: Arrogance and pride
Hope?: Temporarily; humans survive, and the hero dies finding a cure
Philosophy: Humanist/heroic




4: On the Beach
Year: 1959 (from a 1957 novel)
Disaster: Nuclear fallout
Ultimate cause: Human flaws
Hope?: None; suicide is the only option
Philosophy: Naïve pacifist (war is bad, don't do it)




5: Planet of the Apes
Year: 1968 (wth sequels, based on a 1963 French novel)
Disaster: A hostile planet dominated by intelligent apes turns out to be Earth
Ultimate cause: Human flaws resulting in nuclear war ("We finally really did it. You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you.")
Hope?: No; humanity is replaced by another (though still flawed) species
Philosophy: Pessimist




6: Escape from New York
Year: 1981
Disaster: World War III, social collapse, Manhattan is a giant prison
Ultimate cause: Human flaws
Hope?: Barely; nobility can still be found among the "dregs" of humanity
Philosophy: Darkly humanist/heroic




7: Terminator Trilogy
Year: 1984-2003
Disaster: Killer cyborgs
Ultimate cause: Corporate greed
Hope?: Barely; disaster cannot be averted, but true leadership creates an ultimately successful resistance
Philosophy: Humanist/heroic, with some exploration of what it means to be human




8: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Year: 1984
Disaster: A toxic jungle with killer insects; war (animated film)
Ultimate cause: Human violence (to each other and to nature)
Hope?: Yes; a prophesied saviour leads the way to harmony
Philosophy: New age/environmentalist




9: The Postman
Year: 1997 (from a 1985 novel)
Disaster: Social collapse and warlordism
Ultimate cause: Human flaws
Hope?: More or less; hope lies in the establishment of relationships, particularly through the exchange of mail
Philosophy: Humanist/heroic




10: Independence Day
Year: 1996
Disaster: Alien invasion
Ultimate cause: Unlike us, they're just nasty
Hope?: Yes; human courage and ingenuity save the day
Philosophy: Naïve humanist/heroic




11: 28 Days Later
Year: 2002 (with a 2007 sequel)
Disaster: Another virus-based zombification
Ultimate cause: Human stupidity
Hope?: No; in the sequel human stupidity prevents containment of the virus
Philosophy: Pessimist




12: City of Ember
Year: 2008 (from a 2003 novel)
Disaster: Unexplained, but requiring an underground human sanctuary (children's story)
Ultimate cause: Human flaws, which continue within the sanctuary, sabotaging carefully laid plans for leaving the sanctuary
Hope?: Temporarily; brave children with iniative save the day, in spite of opposition by adults
Philosophy: Humanist/heroic




13: The Day After Tomorrow
Year: 2004
Disaster: Global warming causes global cooling (?)
Ultimate cause: Human greed and carbon emissions
Hope?: Temporarily; the brave survivors have presumably learned their lesson (?)
Philosophy: Naïve humanist/environmentalist


There's no real trend here, but an interesting spread of philosophical options, gradually (it seems to me) becoming shallower with time. What classic films has this baker's dozen left out?