Summary
More so than any other medium, cinema has shaped our expectations of potential alien life and visitation. From The Day the Earth Stood Still and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, to Battleship, Prometheus, and beyond, our hopes and fears of alien contact have been fuelled by the silver screen. But what messages does Hollywood impart to us about our possible otherworldly neighbours, from where do UFO movies draw their inspiration, and what other factors – cultural or conspiratorial – might influence their production and content? Silver Screen Saucers is a timely and revealing examination of the interplay between Hollywood’s UFO movies and the UFO phenomenon itself, from 1950 to present day.
The book grants the reader a rare, close-up examination of the DNA that builds our perceptions of the UFO mystery. One strand of this DNA weaves real events, stories, and people from the historical record of UFOlogy, while the other spins and twists with the film and TV products they have inspired. With our alien dreams and nightmares now more fully visualized onscreen than ever before, Silver Screen Saucers asks the question: what does it all mean? Are all UFO stories just fever dreams from LA screenwriters, or are they sprung from something more tangible?
From interviews with screenwriters and directors whose visions have been shaped by their lifelong UFO obsessions; to Presidents talking UFOs with Hollywood heavyweights; to CIA and Pentagon manipulation of UFO-themed productions; to movie stars and producers being stalked by real Men in Black, Silver Screen Saucers provides fresh perspective on the frequently debated but little understood subject of UFOs & Hollywood.
Contents:
FOREWORD BY BRYCE ZABEL
CHAPTER ONE: SETTING THE SCENE
CHAPTER TWO: A HOLLYWOOD UFO CONSPIRACY?
CHAPTER THREE: DIE. DIE.
CHAPTER FOUR: WE COME IN PEACE
CHAPTER FIVE: BREAKING THROUGH
CHAPTER SIX: WHEN GODS WALKED AMONG US
CHAPTER SEVEN: NEED TO KNOW
CONCLUSION: UFOS AND HYPERREALITY
ENDNOTES
INDEX