SSC Film Studies

War Of The Worlds In Society

Since it was first released, the 'War Of The Worlds' story has been remade and re-imagined several times. Each time our societies feel a sense of paranoia, fear 'others' or face uncertain futures (fear of annihilation) - the story re-emerges. This is because universal themes of the original novel reflect a time when our society was facing an uncertain future. These same paranoias and fears are felt in our modern society and we can identify aspects of our culture in this story.

Since its original form the name has not changed as the same holds meaning in its self, in a novel, radio show or film it is literally a war of worlds. Yet it also has a meaning that the worlds are different societies in our world. Therefore making the name its self a metaphor, instantly making the novel, radio show or film allegorical.

The story has popped up in different stages in the past 125 years, all during times in which the western culture is under threat from an outside (alien) culture. It has been set in both America and Britain due to the fact it is those cultures under threat due to their power in the world at the time. For example, the original novel was set in London, the political and economical centre of the world at that current time (1898). Then the latest edition, the 2005 film with Tom Cruise is set in New York, the economical centre of the world after the 9/11 attacks.
The story its self is allegorical rather than the film as the film is set in a certain time and place were as the actual story doesn't exactly have or need a specific setting or time. It is mainly about the threat of aliens pose on our culture. The specific details of the story may change but the main basis of the story never does as it has a link to current affairs in society at the time. The threat in the story, the aliens, the tripods have only ever changed once. This was in the 1953 edition of the film, there wasn't any tripods but there were flying aliens that attacked from above. This was done because the threat at that time was the USSR on America, the fear was that the USSR were planning on nuclear bombing America. So they changed the tripods to flying aliens to match the threat. This backs up the point that the story is allegorical because the story of annihilation has stayed yet the alien threat has changed to match the threat in society at the time.
Every version of the story has links with the fear in society at that current time, it taps into the fears that people will have had during that time as the threat was a genuine threat. All of the stories clearly address the paranoia, fear of others, fear of the unknown and fear of annihilation within the people during that time.
Overall the story of 'War Of The Worlds' is allegorical in many different ways due to how to it is able to tap into the paranoia and fears of the people during the time of the threat in that society.