Replications: A Robotic History of the Science Fiction Film [Paperback]

A haunting fascination fuels our interest in the robot, the android, the cyborg, the replicant. Born in science fiction literature, the artificial human has come into its own in films, lurching to life, holding a mirror to humanity's soul.
Beginning with a pre-history of the filmic robot, J. P. Telotte traces its development through early sci-fi landmarks such asMetropolis(1926), the alien films of  the 1950s (includingForbidden Planet), and recent explorations of the artificial human inBlade Runner, Robocop,and theTerminatorfilms.
Replicationsalso considers the tension between the technological wonders that science fiction depicts and the human values it champions. Film-makers employ the latest developments in technology to fashion ever more realistic human doubles, and then use them to explore what it means to be human. Telotte shows us how the sci-fi genre has always addressed changing cultural attitudes toward technology, the body, gender roles, human intelligence, reality, and even film itself.