Comments on: Films / scenes that depict the pre-wired world?

Question: Films / scenes that depict the pre-wired world?

tranquileye — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 07:39:24 -0800

A colleague of mine wants to show a film (or clips from various films) to her class of media undergrads to help them better understand the pre-wired world -- before the Internet, ubiquitous PCs, mobile phones, 300 cable channels, etc. -- and specifically the 1960s milieu of IBM mainframes, punch cards, and centralized computing. Are there any films or even scenes from films that come to mind?

By: dydecker

dydecker — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 08:11:37 -0800

This and this may have some useful images.

By: staggernation

staggernation — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 08:16:11 -0800

Hollywood and Computers. Some of the movies listed are from the '80s and '90s, but there are probably a few pertinent ones in there.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 08:28:11 -0800

Epicac by Kurt Vonnegut Jr is a great short story which would tie in nicely.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 09:02:16 -0800

Desk Set with Katherine Hepburn might be good for that...her research dept. is replaced by a gigantic computer.

By: Cyrano

Cyrano — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 09:11:04 -0800

A few scenes from Apollo 13 would probably work.

By: Katemonkey

Katemonkey — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 09:26:28 -0800

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes

If you're going for the random 60s computer kitsch.

By: JollyWanker

JollyWanker — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 09:33:08 -0800

War Games and Collosus: The Forbin Project spring to mind...

By: filmgoerjuan

filmgoerjuan — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 09:56:14 -0800

The Andromeda Strain (1971) would be good for this.

You can also find brief shots of mainframe computers, punchchards, etc. in just about any episode of Hawaii 5-0 — probably one of the first police shows to prominently feature the use of computers to aid in crime-solving.

By: ac

ac — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 12:01:13 -0800

Alphaville.

By: contessa

contessa — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 14:02:39 -0800

In Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory there's a memorable scene where scientists try to use a computer to find the last remaining golden ticket, but the computer won't reveal the answer because "that would be cheating!" The best part is that it is being 'programmed' with a simple 10-button keypad. Very high tech.

By: kaibutsu

kaibutsu — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 14:12:55 -0800

I'll second Alphaville.

Soooo good....

Supercomputer: "What is the advantage of death?"
Superspy: "To die no longer."

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 14:15:14 -0800

I'd second the recommendation for Desk Set, one of my favorite movies.

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 15:23:09 -0800

Dragnet, the Big counterfeit

By: zpousman

zpousman — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 15:51:17 -0800

Third for Deskset. It was used in a History of Technology class I took in College for the same purpose. It has specific scenes where the operators call the system an "electronic brain." Heh.

By: beth

beth — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 16:04:19 -0800

I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned 2001.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 16:10:59 -0800

Doris Day plays a UNIVAC punchcard operator in That Touch of Mink, which has a pretty funny scene where the machine goes bezerk.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 18:18:48 -0800

This might be a good place to look.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 18:34:52 -0800

Human-Computer Interaction in SF Movies

I can't think of many films before recently where computers were used at all realistically; mostly, they're used as props or over-arching metaphors. That said, No Way Out has some scenes that show, with some stretches, the laborious process and bureaucratic approach to mainframe computing; and like many thrillers, it's already worlds away from the era of cell phones. (Most of North by Northwest would be impossible with a few well-timed calls ...) There's been some discussion of how much harder it's become, in the day of ubiquitous communication, to create the circumstances necessary for a fearful situation, but I think it may actually increase the id-like power of a good thriller -- we've all known, by now, the naked panic of being without one's cel when needed.

Fail-Safe, as filmed, is an OK demonstration of a punch-card era computer glitch, though its accuracy vis-a-vis our C4SI systems, even of the day, is somewhat fanciful.

Star Trek IV might allow your students to identify with the Enterprise crew as they make their way blindly about 20th-century San Francisco, without all their high-tech gadgets at hand. We have to find a pay phone? Butchers!

I don't know that the "1960s mainframe world" was all that relevant to most people, actually, when you think about it. Computers of that day were something that was run by the companies that sent you stuff in the mail, not something most people encountered daily.

By: pmurray63

pmurray63 — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 23:29:05 -0800

I'll second Cyrano's suggestion. Apollo 13 was on TV only last night, and there's a scene where the astronauts want Mission Control to confirm their calculations before entering them into the navigation computer. The engineers start working their slide rules and quickly confirm the numbers.

Also seconding (okay, fourthing) Desk Set. And Fail-Safe.

The NYT actually had an article sometime last year about dhartung's point about modern technology destroying the plots of many classic movies. Sorry I can't be any more specific as to when...

By: Dagobert

Dagobert — Mon, 05 Jan 2004 02:27:26 -0800

Tron
The President's Analyst