Representing Humanity – Explaining Earth to Extraterrestrials in 5 Films

The most recent Blogathon doing the rounds is one I was invited to participate in by Sam over at Duke & the Movies (a wonderfully insightful blog, and worth your while checking out – and I’m not just saying that!) is entitled Representing Humanity. The concept it elegantly simple: aliens have landed, and our only way of communicating with them was to show them 5 films, five singular movies which encapsulate humanity in all its glory, warts and all. Which would you choose? An Adam Sandler comedy? Michael Bay’s Transformers, just to show off? Here’s our picks (in no particular order), and be sure to head over to Sam’s site as your hub for all the links to the blogathon!

I’d choose this film simply for its message of interstellar tolerance. That, and to make sure our new alien visitors were aware that not all of us are gun toting government agents hell bent on keeping things under wraps.

We can kill you with yodeling music. And Tom Jones.

Humanity’s capacity for love knows almost no bounds, and I think this is the film to show the quirky, at-all-costs we go to to achieve it. And the visitors can be thankful I didn’t include Notting Hill.

Okay, it’s not technically a film as such, but for its depiction of battle, comradeship and honor it’s hard to overlook. Plus, our new visitors need to know how brutal humanity can be in its darkest times.

How the human condition can make us do the most confounding things…

Who wrote this?

Rodney Twelftree

“Some people say I like films. Those people are wrong. I *love* films.” – Me. I said this.

Rodney has been writing about films for well over two decades, appreciates a good wine, the love of his wife and kids, and the affection of his dog and cats. He has a fondness of cheesy 90’s action and classic Hollywood, hates that physical media is disappearing, and wishes somebody would make a high-budget series of The Neverending Story.

See author's posts