Suit Up

           Right:  Gary Westfahl

 

At LOCUS OnlinePaul Di Filippo reviews the new bookThe Spacesuit Film: A History 1918 – 1969, by one of my favorite commentators, the  always erudite and entertaining Dr. Gary Westfahl. Filippo says:

As the subtitle to this volume indicates, Westfahl will venture back almost to the dawn of cinema to examine the presence of spacegear in films as the defining touchstone of a certain sensibility and focus. But before then, in an amusingly named preface, “Pre-Flight Briefing,” he outlines with great clarity the reasons why he feels the spacesuit is the defining motif of a certain serious-minded speculative vision. His insights, I find, represent a very clever and striking perception and distinction not previously noted or vocalized by critics within the field. Westfahl convinces the reader at once that his theme is valid.

Read more

Leave a Reply