Ancient astronauts
The ancient astronaut theory as depicted on the big and small screen. These theory was popularised by Erich von Däniken and have been a strong influence on popular culture since.
Although a popular theme in early science fiction but it was first laid out[1] clearly by Charles Fort in 1919's Book of the Damned, where he said[2]:
The films listed here draw on such themes - aliens visiting Earth in the past, people in the "present day" (which might include the future) find evidence for that aliens have been here before, etc.
Further reading: As you are reading this I'll assume you'll be familiar with Von Danicken's theories, so for some background and balance you might want to try: Space Gods Revealed and Guardians of the Universe? by Ronald D. Story and Some Trust in Chariots! by E.W. Castle and B.B. Thiering. There is also the more recent The Cult of Alien Gods by Jason Colavito which, along the lines of a 1982 piece "Chariots of the Old Ones?" by Charles Garofalo and Robert M. Price,[3] argues that Von Daniken's ideas are lifted from HP Lovecraft via Morning of the Magicians, so is a little more focused on how the theory developed (whereas the others focus on debunking specific claims) and I'd quibble that it downplays the influence of Fort, but it is definitely worth a read (as is Jason's blog, which does address the claims in a lot more detail). You can get a taste for the direction he goes in by reading his earlier piece "Charioteers of the Gods"[4] If you are only going to read one then go with Story's GotU? which was published at the tail end of the first big wave of interest and he was able to bring together all the arguments for and against.
Sources:
[1] http://archiv.ub.uni-marburg.de/mjr/art_gruenschloss_2006.html
[2] http://www.resologist.net/damn12.htm
[3] https://web.archive.org/web/20150715043128/http://crypt-of-cthulhu.com/chariotsofoldones.htm
[4] http://jcolavito.tripod.com/lostcivilizations/id26.html
Links:
*Ancient Aliens, Part One and Two, a look at the topic in science fiction films:
http://www.explore-science-fiction-movies.com/ancient-astronauts.html
http://www.explore-science-fiction-movies.com/ancient-aliens.html
* Ancient Astronauts at the Movies:
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/02/ancient-astronauts-at-the-movies/
* Ancient Astronauts at Jason Colavito.com:
http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/category/ancient%20astronauts
*Ancient Astronauts at the Secret Sun, where Christopher Knowles teases out AAT themes in pop culture:
http://secretsun.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Ancient%20Astronauts
See also:
*Lovecraftian films, obviously.
*They Live Amongst Us about aliens in disguise on Earth now.
Comments: As I don't have a Facebook account I cannot interact with the new comments system, so have switched it off. I will start a thread on the message board and link it in here shortly.
Although a popular theme in early science fiction but it was first laid out[1] clearly by Charles Fort in 1919's Book of the Damned, where he said[2]:
I think we're property.
I should say we belong to something:
That once upon a time, this earth was No-man's Land, that other worlds explored and colonized here, and fought among themselves for possession, but that now it's owned by something:
...
I suspect that, after all, we're useful -- that among contesting claimants, adjustment has occurred, or that something now has a legal right to us, by force, or by having paid out analogues of beads for us to former, more primitive, owners of us -- all others warned off -- that all this has been known, perhaps for ages, to certain ones upon this earth, a cult or order, members of which function like bellwethers to the rest of us, or as superior slaves or overseers, directing us in accordance with instructions received -- from Somewhere else -- in our mysterious usefulness.
But I accept that, in the past, before proprietorship was established, inhabitants of a host of other worlds have -- dropped here, hopped here, wafted, sailed, flown, motored -- walked here, for all I know -- been pulled here, been pushed; have come singly, have come in enormous numbers; have visited occasionally, have visited periodically for hunting, trading, replenishing harems, mining: have been unable to stay here, have established colonies here, have been lost here; far-advanced peoples, or things, and primitive peoples or whatever they were
The films listed here draw on such themes - aliens visiting Earth in the past, people in the "present day" (which might include the future) find evidence for that aliens have been here before, etc.
Further reading: As you are reading this I'll assume you'll be familiar with Von Danicken's theories, so for some background and balance you might want to try: Space Gods Revealed and Guardians of the Universe? by Ronald D. Story and Some Trust in Chariots! by E.W. Castle and B.B. Thiering. There is also the more recent The Cult of Alien Gods by Jason Colavito which, along the lines of a 1982 piece "Chariots of the Old Ones?" by Charles Garofalo and Robert M. Price,[3] argues that Von Daniken's ideas are lifted from HP Lovecraft via Morning of the Magicians, so is a little more focused on how the theory developed (whereas the others focus on debunking specific claims) and I'd quibble that it downplays the influence of Fort, but it is definitely worth a read (as is Jason's blog, which does address the claims in a lot more detail). You can get a taste for the direction he goes in by reading his earlier piece "Charioteers of the Gods"[4] If you are only going to read one then go with Story's GotU? which was published at the tail end of the first big wave of interest and he was able to bring together all the arguments for and against.
Sources:
[1] http://archiv.ub.uni-marburg.de/mjr/art_gruenschloss_2006.html
[2] http://www.resologist.net/damn12.htm
[3] https://web.archive.org/web/20150715043128/http://crypt-of-cthulhu.com/chariotsofoldones.htm
[4] http://jcolavito.tripod.com/lostcivilizations/id26.html
Links:
*Ancient Aliens, Part One and Two, a look at the topic in science fiction films:
http://www.explore-science-fiction-movies.com/ancient-astronauts.html
http://www.explore-science-fiction-movies.com/ancient-aliens.html
* Ancient Astronauts at the Movies:
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/02/ancient-astronauts-at-the-movies/
* Ancient Astronauts at Jason Colavito.com:
http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/category/ancient%20astronauts
*Ancient Astronauts at the Secret Sun, where Christopher Knowles teases out AAT themes in pop culture:
http://secretsun.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Ancient%20Astronauts
See also:
*Lovecraftian films, obviously.
*They Live Amongst Us about aliens in disguise on Earth now.
Comments: As I don't have a Facebook account I cannot interact with the new comments system, so have switched it off. I will start a thread on the message board and link it in here shortly.
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- DirectorHarald ReinlStarsHeinz-Detlev BockKlaus KindlerChristian MarschallBased on Erich Von Daniken's book purporting to prove that throughout history aliens have visited earth.Just for the thumbnail attached to the list - see the end for documentaries.
- StarsAndré MorellCec LinderAnthony BushellA team of scientists search for the origin and purpose of a mysterious capsule found on a building site.Martians arrived on Earth millions of years ago and may have influenced human evolution/development.
- DirectorGiacomo GentilomoStarsSergio CianiJany ClairAnna Maria PolaniHercules is summoned to oppose the evil Queen Samara, who has allied herself with aliens and is sacrificing her own people in a bid to awaken a moon goddess.
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsJames DonaldAndrew KeirBarbara ShelleyA mysterious artifact is unearthed in London, and famous scientist Bernard Quatermass is called in to divine its origins and explain its strange effects on people.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyA powerful being claiming to be the Greek god Apollo appears and demands that the crew of the Enterprise disembark onto his planet to worship him.This episode not only first introduce the idea to the Trekiverse that ancient gods were aliens but also the fact that almost all the aliens look like humans wearing cheap special effects make-up is because intelligent life was seeded across the galaxy in even more ancient times.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterWhen a mysterious artifact is uncovered on the Moon, a spacecraft manned by two humans and one supercomputer is sent to Jupiter to find its origins.At the start of the film we see what is essentially a Bracewell probe* amongst apemen boosting our evolution but humanity doesn't one until they visit the Moon, proving their intelligence and causing the alien machines to blow some minds (including my young mind when I first saw this on TV one Christmas with the family).
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracewell_probe - DirectorDavid AlexanderStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyAfter Dr. McCoy helps the leader of a planet populated by people with powerful psionic abilities, they decide to force him to stay by torturing his comrades until he submits.
- DirectorsBill ReedHal SutherlandStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyThe Enterprise runs into a being which once visited Earth and influenced the Mayan culture.
- DirectorPaddy RussellStarsTom BakerElisabeth SladenBernard ArchardThe Doctor and Sarah are drawn off course and, instead of UNIT HQ, they arrive on the same site in 1911 where an ancient Egyptian evil lurks.First of four parts.
- DirectorLarry CohenStarsTony Lo BiancoDeborah RaffinSandy DennisA New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random New Yorkers who claim that "God told them to."A few people have pointed out Daniken-esque themes, although the incoherence of parts of the film do mean you can read plenty into this film.
Take the Charles Whitman inspired murders in Peter Bogdanovich’s Targets, the satanic cult conception of Rosemary’s Baby and toss in conspiracies from The Chariots of the Gods, a crazy Andy Kaufman cameo and sexual body horror that would make David Cronenberg blush and you’ll get a rough idea of what you’re in for with Larry Cohen’s 1976 unconventional exploitation insanity known as God Told Me To.
...
When the film introduces Richard Lynch (Scarecrow) as a hippie hermaphrodite alien offspring and connective link to Peter’s spiritual prophecy and has unraveled the flashbacks of their origins, there’s enough crazy alien abduction theories and themes that would similarly be explored to some extent in future episodes of the X-Files.
http://dailydead.com/review-god-told-blu-ray/"God Told Me To" was released in 1976, when the book "Chariot of the Gods?" was all the rage, and author Erich von Daniken theorising that many of the religious beliefs and ancient technological advances on planet Earth may have extra-terrestrial origins. Cohen throws plenty of similar ideas into the mixture, as he tries to link UFO abductions, virgin births, mind control, biblical sacrifice, and messianic androgynous aliens, but fails to tie them up into a completely coherent whole.
http://thisdamnablelife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/god-told-me-to-1976.html - DirectorDavid TomblinStarsMartin LandauBarbara BainBarry MorseThe Alphans land on the planet Arkadia, where glyphs suggest it is the cradle of civilisation from which life on Earth began. Now it is desolate and Koenig feels it is unsuitable for colonisation. Two renegade crew members have other ideas, however, and take Helena hostage in their demands to settle on Arkadia.
- DirectorCharles CrichtonStarsMartin LandauBarbara BainCatherine SchellAlan finds father-and-son aliens in hibernation in a lunar tunnel, who have a viral "killing sickness".
- DirectorGeorge Spenton-FosterStarsTom BakerLouise JamesonWanda VenthamArcheologists near a reputedly haunted woods use a time scanner to explore the history of a sinister 12 million year old skull, creating a hole in time that attracts the Doctor's attention.It turns out that the mask has had an influence on human evolution and development.
- DirectorVic HughesStarsElizabeth AdareNicholas YoungMike HolowayA stranger, Jake, offers to manage Mike's band, but when Liz learns that he is the leader of a religious group called the Hearts of Sogguth, she begins to wonder what his motives are.According to the Tomorrow People wikia:
The concept (and name) of Sogguth is reminiscent of H.P Lovecraft's short stories of ancient aliens whom early civilisations identified as gods. The idea of an ancient book that contains key information is also often used by Lovecraft.
http://thetomorrowpeople.wikia.com/wiki/The_Heart_of_Sogguth - DirectorVic HughesStarsElizabeth AdareNicholas YoungMike HolowayJake sends John to kill Liz, but forcing a Tomorrow Person against his nature breaks his possession. John and Liz realise that if Mike plays Sogguth's drum on live television, Sogguth (Satan) will be released into the world.
- CreatorGlen A. LarsonStarsLorne GreeneRichard HatchDirk BenedictAfter the destruction of the Twelve Colonies of Mankind, the last major fighter carrier leads a makeshift fugitive fleet on a desperate search for the legendary planet Earth.Heavily influenced by Mormonism:
http://home.comcast.net/~billotto/Mormon_N_BSG.html
http://www.icwseminary.org/mormonsinspace.htm - DirectorsJames CameronRandall FrakesStarsWilliam WisherMargaret UmbelA woman and an engineered man are sent in a gigantic sentient starship to search space for a place to start a new life cycle. Raj decides to take a look around the ship. He comes across a gigantic robotic cleaner. Combat ensues.James Cameron's first film and it is a bit confusing, as the folks providing the money yanked the funding so we are left with the middle part of the story. The opening narration sets up the story:
They made him, a machine, trained to deliver humanity from the final cataclysm. They built him a machine, the most awesome ship ever constructed, and with a mind of its own. She was raised by a machine, that alone knew the power of love. Together, they searched the wilderness of stars for a place where the cycle of creation could begin again. Xenogenesis - man's ultimate adventure.
However, the actual filmed story is a bit of a jump from that and finds the man on what appears to be an ancient (50,000 years since it was abandoned) alien starship. This, plus the title, suggest the larger story would be something to do with ancient astronauts.
Cameron released the short in a court case that accused him of ripping off the ideas Avatar from other sources and he wanted to make clear that he recycled a lot of his earlier ideas (which would fit with the possibility of an ancient astronaut link). Also he plans to use some ideas from the larger film idea that we don't see in Avatar sequels (so it might be interesting to keep an eye out for any AA subtext):
http://www.slashfilm.com/watch-xenogenesis-the-james-cameron-short-film-that-points-towards-avatar-sequels/
Oh and this is a piece in a larger conspiracy theory:
http://www.whale.to/b/cameron5.html
Watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KpZRJ4HE4Q - DirectorTerry JonesStarsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseMichael PalinBorn on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.Brian bumps into aliens on his adventures. Of course, the issue of whether Jesus was an alien is one that has been tap-danced around by proponents (EVD tried to get it into CotG? but his editor thought it'd outrage pubic sensibilities. Note that the Marvel Comics Universe has a lot of other gods cropping up, some as ancient aliens, but not the Abrahamic God and certainly not Jesus).
- StarsJohn MillsSimon MacCorkindaleRalph ArlissIn the distant future, a now-elderly Bernard Quatermass investigates the disappearance of his granddaughter and a mysterious cult.The aliens are associated with stone circles.
- DirectorJames L. ConwayStarsDarren McGavinRobert VaughnGary CollinsAfter a UFO crashes in Arizona, due to a space collision with a NASA satellite launch, the U.S. government tries to cover-up the incident for political reasons.The military have found a UFO and, while trying to keep it a secret, they discover a link between it and much earlier Mexican archaeology:
??: The ?Xokotil? plateau in Mexico. Now this portion of the markings are identical to the symbols we saw on the ship. No one has been able to work out what these ?Xokotil? markings mean or who made them or why. But they were made hundreds, may be thousands of years ago, and they can only be seen from the air.
HARRY: If this isn't the wildest coincidence, then what you are saying is that beings from another world have been here on Earth before.
??: The pyramid of Tepanapa. No one know who built it or why. Here's the best part - this pyramid is honeycombed with passageways and there are inscriptions on the walls. Here's some drawings of them. The put these, with these. [puts sketch of symbols from UFO next to diagram in the book] See what I mean? They're similar to the spaceship, too similar, Harry, for it to be any coincidence.
HARRY: Yeah, yeah.
??: Look. I think they have the same root, developed differently but from the same source.
HARRY: Yeah, yeah, so there's a connection.
??: If the symbol is part of the ?Xokotil? markings, then the Tepanapa inscription could be the key to the whole translation.
Jason Colavito discusses the background to the film (produced by the same company that pumped out documentaries based on CotG):
http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/robbie-graham-suggests-1980-ufo-movie-might-be-mormon-propaganda - DirectorAlberto De MartinoStarsWalter George AltonDonald PleasenceMiguel Ángel FuentesThousands of years ago, aliens visited Earth and fathered the Pumaman, a man-god with supernatural powers entrusted by a gold mask with the ability to control people's minds, which in present-day London, falls upon the wrong hands.
- StarsSimon JonesDavid DixonPeter JonesArthur Dent and his friend, Ford Prefect, escape the destruction of Earth, only to face incredible trials, tribulations and adventures in space and time.The Earth itself is a giant computer designed by aliens, although the actual aliens might not suit AA proponents.
- CreatorsAnthony LawrenceNancy LawrenceStarsJudson ScottRichard LynchE.G. MarshallAn ancient and powerful human-like alien is pursued on modern Earth while he searches for his long lost partner.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellWilford BrimleyKeith DavidA research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.Not only did a spaceship crash a hundred thousand years ago but Chariots of the Gods gets a mention.
