Data Report

Off Topic => Off Topic Discussion => Topic started by: Steve on December 13, 2024, 02:43:07 pm

Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on November 23, 2025, 10:24:12 pm: “Classic Virus Movies That Will Haunt Your Dreams!”

SUMMARY:
Journey into a chilling collection of sci-fi movies that explore humanity's darkest fears about disease and outbreak scenarios! (18minutes25secs)

LINK:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q6XxFB_XHLI
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on October 20, 2025, 02:24:58 pm: Faust (1926 silent film… not completely silent however if you consider the phenomenal piano score)

SUMMARY:
In this classic of silent cinema, the demon Mephisto (Emil Jannings) makes a bet with an archangel that a good man's soul can be corrupted. Mephisto sets his sights on the thoughtful old alchemist Faust (Gösta Ekman), who is desperately trying to save his village from a plague. He is able to help the villagers, thanks to Mephisto, but further dealings with the devil lead Faust on a decadent downward spiral. Can he redeem his soul before it's too late?

LINK:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IgMTWtQcdAA

Comment: refreshing .. there’s a plague going on and this guy sees angels in the architecture and grapples the meaning of life head on in this movie based on a timeless book… rich and unique!

Best Wishes,

The Masked Man
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on December 28, 2024, 08:11:16 pm: This might be a bit of a departure than Steve's intention of this thread and is more of a history lecture in essence.

However it is somewhat of a story in that it is the story of the philosopher Socrates...

..."It just so happens that on several occasions the plague broke out in Athens and Socrates was the only man who escaped infection". — Diogenes Laertius

This a pandemic Savvy Lecture about the story of Socrates might prove enjoyable because it has element of Socrates' Dramatic life which reads like a play in Plato's dialogues

What I love about these Ramsey Lectures is that the lecture is done from the safety of her home safe and sound from covid and the Pandemic. Bettany Hughes didn't risk covid or put her cameraman or the general public in the way of harm during these times of covid while creating this production for us. That's why I include it in the reign of Pandemic movies and productions for that merit alone that Bettany Hughes and the Ramsey Lectures were still producing work in midst of the pandemic challenge in a safe manner.

Bettany Hughes | Socrates and his Athens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnFNDVdi7gk

Side-note: In 430 BC, Athens was devastated by plague. We don’t know exactly what caused it but it’s been speculated that it was a form of typhus, typhoid, or possibly smallpox. What happened during the Athenian Plague seems to foreshadow aspects of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In the eighth Ramsay Lecture for 2021, world-famous historian, author and broadcaster, Professor Bettany Hughes OBE, takes us back to Golden Age Athens, as seen through the eyes of Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher and arguably the true father of western thought.

Summary of this (his)story of Socrates:
"In her exclusive lecture Professor Hughes draws on her comprehensive research on Socrates, as he left no written record. Through archaeological discoveries and research into the accounts of people who lived alongside him, Bettany pieces together Socrates’ life experiences - his youth, his time as a soldier, his search for the ‘good life’ and his death, and how these all laid the foundation for his philosophy, still relevant and being taught across the world today.

Please join us on this incredible journey".

Hopefully this program proves an interesting pandemic savvy lecture until more fictional movies are recommended in Steve's great thread in "Pandemics Go to the Movies"
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on December 17, 2024, 03:00:25 am: I nominate

"The Seventh Seal"
by Ingmar Bergman starring Max Von Sydow

"Disillusioned knight Antonius Block and his cynical squire Jöns return from the Crusades to find the country ravaged by the plague. The knight encounters Death, whom he challenges to a chess match, believing he can survive as long as the game continues"

...I have seen some versions of this film in different languages available to watch for free on You Tube...

"The Seventh Seal (Swedish: Det sjunde inseglet) is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Sweden during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of chess he plays with the personification of Death (Bengt Ekerot), who has come to take his life. Bergman developed the film from his own play Wood Painting. The title refers to a passage from the Book of Revelation, used both at the very start of the film, and again towards the end, beginning with the words "And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour".[Rev. 8:1] Here, the motif of silence refers to the "silence of God", which is a major theme of the film".

I must have gotten this movie from the library and watched it a million times when I was a teenager... there's nothing like an Ingmar Bergman film! Just the imagery and camera shots are amazing in many of these old classics.. so artistic!

I'm including nominating movies that involve plagues because plagues, pandemics, and outbreaks all share one common denominator; namely they all involve infections. Be they viral or bacteria infections, all these infections create human suffering. All these movies and dramas involving plagues, pestilences, pandemics alike deal or touch upon these core challenges, and play upon many universal human conflicts, psychological dynamics, and even social issues...

...We are fortunate to have such great producers bring us so many movies and dramas to watch! So far it appears that Hollywood and the movie world has not shied away from or denied the issues and existence of viruses, plagues or pandemics in their works!

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Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on December 17, 2024, 02:20:45 am: I nominate

"Oedipus Rex"

Although not primarily a movie it is great play sort of like the first of movies before the camera was invented.

Oedipus Rex is the greek tragedy and play by Sophocles

In the beginning of the play a great plague and pestilence is upon King Oedipus' people and King Oedipus searches as to why there is great sickness upon his people...

"Oedipus, King of Thebes, sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to ask the advice of the oracle at Delphi, concerning a plague ravaging Thebes. Creon returns to report that the plague is the result of religious pollution, since the murderer of their former king, Laius, has never been caught. Oedipus vows to find the murderer and curses him for causing the plague".

I haven't reviewed it myself but There is a movie version of Oedipus Rex 1957 | Color Movie | Douglas Campbell | Sophocles play | Drama LINK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_L_jzb8yiM

There are probably are or should be several renditions of this play being preformed online.

I have seen this play done on a little stage many years ago in pre pandemic times and it was quite amazing to have been able to see and feel a live play with real actors running around on a real stage. Ive also read the play as well. This is a classic play, rich and full of everything with twists and turns.. truly a great work.

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Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on December 17, 2024, 02:13:02 am: I nominate

"Nosferatu the Vampyre"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg2-FafPx0k

Count Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.

... set in the times of all those rats and the Black Plague!
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on December 16, 2024, 06:23:00 pm: I want to add "the Birds" to the nomination list just because of bird flu...

"The Birds" is a 1963 American natural horror-thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Steve on December 16, 2024, 01:07:45 pm: I am nominating the movie "The Andromeda Strain" for inclusion onto this list.

I don't believe that I ever read the book that it is based upon but I did watch the movie. Even when I watched the movie, it was an older movie (yes, even for me). However, it was a very technical, high-brow movie. I don't want to classify it as a horror movie even though it is an extraterrestrial virus because the movie is handled in a very grounded, real-world situation.

I really should re-watch the movie at some point. The technology in the film has obviously become obsolete but, for its time, the research laboratory was state-of-the-art.
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Steve on December 15, 2024, 07:47:35 pm: I'm going to recommend the movie "Outbreak."

Hollywood, at one time, took their sweet time when it came to "serious message films." There have always been political message films (such as "Bob Roberts," "All the King's Men," etc. so forth) but big Hollywood films that carried a seemingly non-political but serious message were always few and far between. There were many reasons behind this but chief amongst them was that films had to have broad appeal amongst many movie-going demographics.

Movies cost a lot of money and if a movie's topic didn't appeal to a broad enough array of moviegoers, studio executives estimated that they would lose money on the film and never approve it ("greenlight it") for production.

Therefore, a movie such as "Outbreak" in 1995 was a bit of a rarity, being a big Hollywood movie with big Hollywood stars for their time in a non-horror film about a potential pandemic. The film is now considered 'older' (which pains me to even write that) and, when compared to "Contagion," is more traditionally cinematic in its story structure.

I remember seeing this film and one of the scenes that always unnerved me was when you saw the virus (it was an airborne virus) going through the movie theater, infecting people. I don't go to the movie theaters anymore for several reasons; That's one of them.

For modern audiences, I still think that "Outbreak" is a good film to watch. It more than proves that we were aware of how dangerous viruses were back then (society DID go through the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, after all) and people were also aware of highly dangerous viruses, such as the Ebola virus.
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on December 15, 2024, 02:38:29 am: Quote from: Steve on December 14, 2024, 07:55:13 pm
I am going to nominate the film "The Alpha Incident," which was made in 1978.

The Alpha Incident is notable only for those who enjoy partaking in watching "B-movies." Having seen this movie myself, it is paced rather slowly and was made on what would generously be considered a "shoe-string" budget. Is it rather talky? Yup. Are there a lot of plot holes? Yup. Does the film suddenly end in a very unrewarding way? Yup.

And yet I can't fault this movie entirely. Its core premise (people quarantined in a confined area) predates other films such as "Quarantine" & "Rec." The film also tries to have a plot and plays it completely straight (unlike other films that winks and nods a bit too often at the audience).

Although the film would be far more likely to win a Razzie than an Oscar, I can't help but to add this film to the list.

I second the nomination for "The Alpha Incident" suggested by Steve
That was a good one Steve!

...I just watched it! "The Alpha Incident," and enjoyed it ..There was a nice variety of characters in it which kept it rolling along and interesting enough..the ending definitely surprised me and actually made me think a little. I'm glad I watched it. That was a wicked and pretty wild movie!
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on December 14, 2024, 10:04:30 pm: I nominate myself, The Masked Man!

As of yet I have not received any Oscars or Emmy's for this performance but so far I haven't gotten covid and its a pandemic flick! I play my own double in this and if I were to receive an award it would be for best camera angle and the fact I wore two suits at once over different arms to make it appear there were two actors in this scene when really there was just one actor! lol This is such a 'low-budget' film ya probably have to pay someone to watch it!

In the spirit of the old grade b horror flicks, here’s me raising the dead.

I call this “The Resurrection of the Masked Man(BachFugueInGMinorByOrganistTonKoopman)LINK:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13gpdHKsiQAj8DCXMAJxDtJjvUdCsZjba/view

The sole intention of all my videos is to inspire and get more people to wear n95 masks and entertain at the same time.. hope you get a kick out of my videos as well as mask up! :) to me the mask is the best medicine but if I can get a laugh or two from my videos laughter is also the best medicine!

I look forward to the next nomination in this fine thread.

.
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on December 14, 2024, 08:53:21 pm: Next, I nominate:

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers"

with Donald Sutherland

It just has that 'something has taken over' feel to it that reminds me of the helplessness imposed upon us from diseases that take over from pandemics.
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Steve on December 14, 2024, 07:55:13 pm: I am going to nominate the film "The Alpha Incident," which was made in 1978.

The Alpha Incident is notable only for those who enjoy partaking in watching "B-movies." Having seen this movie myself, it is paced rather slowly and was made on what would generously be considered a "shoe-string" budget. Is it rather talky? Yup. Are there a lot of plot holes? Yup. Does the film suddenly end in a very unrewarding way? Yup.

And yet I can't fault this movie entirely. Its core premise (people quarantined in a confined area) predates other films such as "Quarantine" & "Rec." The film also tries to have a plot and plays it completely straight (unlike other films that winks and nods a bit too often at the audience).

Although the film would be far more likely to win a Razzie than an Oscar, I can't help but to add this film to the list.
Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Masked Man on December 14, 2024, 04:06:15 pm: ha! Life is stranger than fiction. Life is but a stage.. My life is a movie!! This thread is providing me with some comic relief..I'm briefly looking at the looking at the preview for "Contagion" and its scary..

...For me it's actually as scary as real life because I don't see enough masks on characters at least in the previews and I must admit I have a hard time personally watching maskless people discuss contagious diseases on a camera together face to face. When I see a maskless person I automatically think and feel "that person doesn't take airborne disease or the situation seriously". For me airborne diseases aren't scary but rather maskless people scare me. I rely on masks to prevent infection of covid and other airborne diseases. Maybe in the movies they use masks later in the movie..

...To me watching maskless people talk to one another about viruses is like watching two people in a car while the driver is looking at the passenger and not straight ahead at the highway. I always cringe every time the driver takes their eyes off the road expecting a crash just like in real life with cars.

I'll try to watch these movies but but I can only handle so much psychologically because I truly get disturbed and can't pay attention to what maskless people are even saying to one another.. All I think is "put your masks on idiots! You might get sick!" I guess its because I trained myself to wear mask. I feel the same way about people in real life.

Today for instance I took a little bicycle ride in my mask through some parking lots and anyway I just zip around dodging maskless people in grocery stores and Walgreens and restaurant parking lots. I'm in my mask on bicycle and I just can't believe all these maskless people. It is somewhat surreal for me and that is as close to people that I have been in five years. Of course I haven't had covid or caught any contagious disease in years and its well worth it for me.

I actually have a psychological reaction perhaps far different than most people...It's interesting and I'll share my point of view or what it feels like for me personally for the heck of it in case it helps somebody ...I see maskless people roaming up and down my street walking a dog or something and I think "God, stay away from my yard!" "don't let your dog off the leash" " I'm in a mask ,,I'm not going to get sick" ye maskless should go to the other side of the street and stay away from me".. that's how I feel in my head . I don't like maskless neighbors.. I never encourage maskless people to talk with me and that's been my life for five years. It just seems beneath me and wrong to me because I'm always masked. Its just not in my interest to talk to the unmasked so I guess I've trained myself to not take maskless people serious because quite frankly I feel their days are numbered.

I'll be open about this. I'm more than a just a minority when it comes to being one of the few to wear a mask. Ive been wearing a mask for five years straight outside the door of my home and I haven't gotten covid or any cold or flu or any ear problems or anything in five years. I will say this much, I don't trust maskless people whatsoever because they might be sick or even may have been sick and over time some sick people don't think or behave properly and suffer from depression and even anger issues. Sick animals are dangerous and same goes for humans. I'm simply healthier and I don't trust maskless for the aforementioned reasons. All this might seem outrageous to some people but my masked way of life is my preferred way of life and I'm healthy and happy enough. It works for me and my significant other to shun the maskless people. I'm healthy and successful. All my needs are met and desires filled.

I personally have the hardest time watching people talk about diseases on tv maskless because of my masked way of life.. it feels really bizarre but I'll look into these movies.

In the previews of "Contagion" there is some mention that there "isn't a vaccine yet" and in some ways that's the way I treat real life. While it is not my intention to prevent people from taking vaccines I don't rely solely on a vaccine to prevent the infection or spread of virus or to create herd immunity but I do utilize the safety mask. My views are obviously not shared worldwide nor are my views typical but sometimes I feel people take vaccines to treat just symptoms and get a false sense of security and then don't wear masks to actually prevent getting infected. Perhaps only I think this but I find it odd people are willing to take a shot for symptoms and not wear a mask for preventions. In many ways I feel the world might be safer if people adopted the same attitude as me considering I have yet to be infected with anything in five years since of covid mutations. There but for the grace of the mask go I.

My idea of a horror film is that of the unmasked doctor or unmasked dentist... to me that is the scariest movie based on real life. I just think if people are afraid enough of a diseases to take a shot they should be afraid enough or respectful enough to mask and that they should do both if they truly understand the nature of contagious airborne diseases such as covid. But of course this thread is about movies and not the psychological makeup and motives the Masked Man ..lol...

lol.. sorry for talking about my own reactions and responses. I rely on Mask and this has created in me certain way of reacting and responding.. that's what watching movies about pandemics trigger in me I suppose. I remember 9/11 and the taboo of people making movies about it for a long while. By the way its interesting to note that 9/11 changed airport security forever while a five year covid mutation pandemic has yet to change healthcare security measures against germs.. in other words masking has yet to be mandated all four seasons of the year amongst those that work or come into contact everyday with patients who often carry airborne diseases and viruses all year long. One thing Ive never shaken is the footage of India and all the people crying and trying to get rid of corpses and running out of room. I see those images like they could happen again at anytime anywhere to anybody. The covid pandemic has simply not ended for me as covid mutations continue to rear their ugly heads..I'm not convinced the worst is over which is why I remain steadfast in my masked way of life.

...Don't let my criticisms prevent others from commenting on these movies or movies with maskless characters in them...Ive only watched the preview and haven't given the whole movie a fair shake yet...

Its a refreshing thread :)

I did watch a movie I think it was a Star Wars based movie with Boba-Fet a bounty hunter or some character that wore a mask that looked a little like a respirator of sorts throughout the movie while dealing with many supernatural creatures. That was nice because he never took his mask off even once in the movie. I felt real safe the whole time I was watching the movie ..lol

I admit I am conflicted watching things produced after 2020..

While this is not a movie it was produced and is pandemic savvy Ramsay Lectures during pandemic. I nominate the Ramsay Lectures because covid is going on and people are not having a gathering and instead doing a safe online lecture:

Oct 27, 2020
Award-winning historian, author, and broadcaster, Professor Bettany Hughes presents a Ramsay Lecture titled ‘The Odyssey own.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGNoEaQiIJE

and here's another I nominate for intellegent production where nobody gathers in room only to get infected by covid. Here Professor Bettany Hughes presents a Ramsay Lecture Bettany Hughes | Istanbul, Constantinople, Byzantium – the Queen of Cities

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHQCr8brHyA

And then I nominate Gordon Lightfoot performance . T his is a touching production of Gordon Lightfoot acknowledging covid and playing on his porch for us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDRQnbAtmLs

I look forward to hearing more replies about more movies with pandemic themes and replies directed more as Steve requested:

"I'll start by nominating Contagion, a 2011 film that has more than a few eerie similarities to our very real Covid-19 pandemic. I think that it's a nice film that demonstrates what might have been had Covid-19 been even deadlier than it already was. It is also fascinating to compare and contrast how the government responds in the film versus the real-life response to Covid-19." -Steve

The long-winded,
Masked man

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Title: Re: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Steve on December 13, 2024, 02:55:59 pm: UPDATE (2024-12-15): Let's talk zombies for a moment.

When I started this thread, the intent was for more "grounded" fictional films about pandemics and viruses. Films such as "Contagion" & "Outbreak," for instance. However, there's a huge swath of horror movies that use viruses in one form or another, mainly zombie films and extra-terrestrial films (such as "The Thing" or "Life").

Please submit those sorts of films, too, so long as they adhere to being about pandemics or viruses of some kind.

However, they're going to be listed as "Horror" films because they veer more towards the horror genre. Films such as "Contagion" & "Outbreak" try to convey a pandemic in more realistic settings and so they will be "Non-Horror."

Hopefully, that settles things in a way that is equitable for everyone.

(original post below the "/////")

////////////////////////

I thought that I would start a list of fictional movies that involve pandemics or a grievous viral threat.

Covid-19, naturally, is not a laughing matter. It is real. It has and continues to claim many lives. It has harmed and continues to harm our society.

However, we must understand that fiction plays a powerful role in shaping our perceptions. It is OK to laugh and cry at fictional events even when inspired by real ones.

Therefore, I think that it's important to see how prior generations perceived pandemics through their fictional media.

So please nominate a fictional film that you have seen that involves a pandemic or simply a grievous viral threat. Provide an IMDB link for that film and I'll add it to the list in alphabetic order. While nominating it, add some commentary to your post. Did you like the movie? Not like it? Was it at a particular moment in your life that was noteworthy?

Covid-19 isn't over. However, that shouldn't prevent us from enjoying films that involve pandemics or any other sort of viral outbreak.

I'll start by nominating Contagion, a 2011 film that has more than a few eerie similarities to our very real Covid-19 pandemic. I think that it's a nice film that demonstrates what might have been had Covid-19 been even deadlier than it already was. It is also fascinating to compare and contrast how the government responds in the film versus the real-life response to Covid-19.
Title: Pandemics Go to the Movies
Post by: Steve on December 13, 2024, 02:43:07 pm: A list of fictional movies concerning pandemics / viruses

Non-Horror

Alpha Incident, The - 1978 - IMDB link (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075662/)
Andromeda Strain, The - 1971 - IMDB link (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066769/)
Contagion - 2011 - IMDB link (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_contagion)
Outbreak - 1995 - IMDB link (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/)

Horror

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1978 - IMDB link (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077745/)