The survival film is a film genre in which one or more characters make an effort at physical survival. It often overlaps with other film genres. It is a subgenre of the adventure film, along with swashbuckler films, war films, and safari films.[1] Survival films are darker than most other adventure films, which usually focus their storyline on a single character, usually the protagonist. The films tend to be "locate primarily in a contemporary context" and so film audiences are familiar with the setting, and the characters' activities are less romanticized.[2]
In a 1988 book, Thomas Sobchack compared the survival film to romance: "They both emphasize the heroic triumph over obstacles which threaten social order and the reaffirmation of predominant social values such as fair play and respect for merit and cooperation."[2] The author said survival films "identify and isolate a microcosm of society," such as the surviving group from the plane crash in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) or those on the overturned ocean liner in The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Sobchack explained, "Most of the time in a survival film is spent depicting the process whereby the group, cut off from the securities and certainties of the ordinary support networks of civilized life, forms itself into a functioning, effective unit." The group often varies in types of characters, sometimes to the point of caricature. While women have historically been stereotyped in such films, they "often play a decisive role in the success or failure of the group."[3]
List of films[]
File:OOjs UI icon information-progressive.svg.png |
Film | Year | Ref. |
---|---|---|
The 33 | 2015 | [4] |
127 Hours | 2010 | [5] |
Adrift | 2018 | [6] |
Against the Sun | 2014 | [7] |
Alive | 1993 | [8] |
All Is Lost | 2013 | [6] |
Apollo 13 | 1995 | [9] |
Arctic | 2018 | [10] |
Back from Eternity | 1956 | [11] |
Battle Royale | 2000 | [12] |
The Blue Lagoon | 1980 | [6] |
Buried | 2010 | [5] |
Captain Phillips | 2013 | [13] |
Cast Away | 2000 | [5] |
Cliffhanger | 1993 | [14] |
Crawl | 2019 | [6] |
A Cry in the Wild | 1990 | [14] |
Dances with Wolves | 1990 | [14] |
Dante's Peak | 1997 | [14] |
The Day After Tomorrow | 2004 | [14] |
The Deep | 2012 | [15] |
Deliverance | 1972 | [8] |
The Descent | 2006 | [16] |
The Edge | 1997 | [8] |
The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition | 2000 | [14] |
Escape from Alcatraz | 1979 | [17] |
Everest | 2015 | [18] |
First Blood | 1982 | [6] |
Five Came Back | 1939 | [11] |
The Flight of the Phoenix | 1965 | [3] |
Frozen | 2010 | [19] |
Gravity | 2013 | [13] |
The Grey | 2011 | [20] |
A Hijacking | 2012 | [9] |
I Am Legend | 2007 | [6] |
The Impossible | 2012 | [21] |
In the Heart of the Sea | 2015 | [22] |
Inferno | 1953 | [11] |
Into the Wild | 2007 | [5] |
Iron Will | 1994 | [14] |
Jaws | 1975 | [14] |
Jeremiah Johnson | 1971 | [23] |
Jungle | 2017 | [24] |
Jurassic Park | 1993 | [14] |
Kon-Tiki | 2012 | [6] |
The Last Descent | 2016 | [25] |
Life of Pi | 2012 | [26] |
Lifeboat | 1944 | [27] |
Lone Survivor | 2013 | [13] |
Lord of the Flies | 1963 | [11] |
Marooned | 1969 | [27] |
The Martian | 2015 | [6] |
Man in the Wilderness | 1971 | [27] |
Meek's Cutoff | 2010 | [23] |
Moon | 2009 | [28] |
My Side of the Mountain | 1969 | [11] |
The Naked Prey | 1965 | [27] |
No Blade of Grass | 1970 | [11] |
Nobody Wants the Night | 2015 | [29] |
The Omega Man | 1971 | [27] |
On the Beach | 1959 | [27] |
Open Water | 2003 | [5] |
Oxygen | 2021 | [30] |
Panic in Year Zero! | 1962 | [27] |
The Perfect Storm | 2000 | [14] |
Planet of the Apes | 1968 | [27] |
The Poseidon Adventure | 1972 | [3] |
Predator | 1987 | [14] |
Quest for Fire | 1981 | [5] |
Rabbit-Proof Fence | 2002 | [5] |
Red Dawn | 1984 | [14] |
Rescue Dawn | 2006 | [5] |
The Revenant | 2015 | [6] |
The Road | 2009 | [9] |
Robinson Crusoe | 1954 | [11] |
Robinson Crusoe | 1997 | [31] |
Robinson Crusoe on Mars | 1965 | [32] |
Sanctum | 2011 | [33] |
Sands of the Kalahari | 1965 | [27] |
The Savage Is Loose | 1974 | [27] |
The Secret Land | 1948 | [11] |
Seven Waves Away | 1957 | [9] |
The Shallows | 2016 | [6] |
The Snow Walker | 2003 | [14] |
Southern Comfort | 1981 | [23] |
Soylent Green | 1973 | [27] |
Squid Game | 2021 | [34] |
Stranded: I've Come from a Plane that Crashed in the Mountains | 2007 | [9] |
Survival Family | 2016 | [35] |
Survival Quest | 1989 | [8] |
Swiss Family Robinson | 1960 | [20] |
Teenage Caveman | 1958 | [27] |
Touching the Void | 2003 | [5] |
Tremors | 1990 | [14] |
The Ultimate Warrior | 1975 | [36] |
Underwater | 2020 | [37] |
Vertical Limit | 2000 | [14] |
The War Game | 1965 | [27] |
Walkabout | 1971 | [9] |
The Way Back | 2010 | [5] |
White Water Summer | 1987 | [14] |
The World, the Flesh and the Devil | 1959 | [27] |
Z.P.G. | 1972 | [27] |
See also[]
- List of apocalyptic films
- List of disaster films
References[]
- ↑ Sobchack 1988, p. 12
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sobchack 1988, p. 14
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sobchack 1988, p. 15
- ↑ Long, Tom (November 13, 2015). "Review: 'The 33,' true story of struggle for survival". The Detroit News. http://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/movies/2015/11/13/movie-review-true-story-struggle-survival/75695346/.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 Staff (January 23, 2012). "The 10 Best Survival Movies". Rotten Tomatoes. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_grey_2012/news/1924342/the_10_best_survival_movies/.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 Lascala, Marisa (April 20, 2020). "The 20 Best Survival Movies to Show You What Grit Truly Is". Good Housekeeping. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g32171994/best-survival-movies/. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ↑ Laskin, Nicholas (November 18, 2014). "Watch: Trailer For WWII Survival Film 'Against The Sun' Starring Garret Dillahunt, Tom Felton, Jake Abel". The Playlist (Indiewire). http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-trailer-for-wwii-survival-film-against-the-sun-starring-garret-dillahunt-tom-felton-jake-abel-20141118.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Ferguson, Lee (November 12, 2010). "127 Hours and five other great survival movies". cbc.ca (CBC News). http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/things-that-go-pop-blog/2010/11/dating-as-far-back-as.html.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Staff (October 17, 2013). "20 Survival Films That Will Take You Into The Abyss". The Playlist (Indiewire). http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/20-survival-films-20131017.
- ↑ Barraclough, Leo (May 22, 2017). "Mads Mikkelsen on Surviving the Polar Wilderness in 'Arctic'". Variety. https://variety.com/2017/film/global/mads-mikkelsen-polar-wilderness-arctic-1202439557/. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 Fristoe, Roger (December 22, 2017). "Survival Movies: Fridays in January". tcm.com (Turner Classic Movies). http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/1374554%7C0/Survival-Movies-Fridays-in-January.html.
- ↑ Crandol, Michael (17 June 2021) (in en). Ghost in the Well: The Hidden History of Horror Films in Japan. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-350-17874-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=pDgfEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA3.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 McGrath, Charles (November 1, 2013). "Tales of Danger for You to Survive". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/movies/gravity-all-is-lost-and-other-films-face-death.html.
- ↑ 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 14.12 14.13 14.14 14.15 Robinson, Alex; Farabee, Kelsey (November 22, 2010). "The Best Survival Movies Ever". Outdoor Life. https://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/survival/2010/11/best-survival-movies/. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ↑ Kaufman, Amy (September 3, 2015). "Fall Movie Guide: Making 'Everest' was a tall order for filmmakers". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-sneaks-everest-20150906-story.html.
- ↑ Kennedy, Michael. "The Descent's Multiple Endings Explained". ScreenRant.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Vanhala, Helena (2011). "International Terrorism and the Commercial Hollywood Film Industry". The Depiction of Terrorists in Blockbuster Hollywood Films, 1980–2001: An Analytical Study. McFarland. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-7864-3662-0.
- ↑ Adams, Sam (September 2, 2015). "First Reviews of 'Everest': Stunning Spectacle, So-So Drama". Criticwire (Indiewire). http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/first-reviews-of-everest-stunning-spectacle-so-so-drama-20150902.
- ↑ Wood, Jennifer M. (February 9, 2010). "Adam Green Reaches New Heights With Frozen". MovieMaker. https://moviemaker.com/adam-green-frozen-hatchet-20100210/. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Guzman, Rafer (January 27, 2012). "Survivor films: Which live, which die – and why?". The Sacramento Bee. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/27/4215839/survivor-films-which-live-which.html.
- ↑ Topel, Fred (November 6, 2012). "AFI 2012 Review: The Impossible". CraveOnline.com (CraveOnline Media, LLC). http://www.craveonline.com/film/reviews/199277-afi-2012-review-the-impossible.
- ↑ Chang, Justin (December 2, 2015). "Film Review: 'In the Heart of the Sea'". Variety. https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/in-the-heart-of-the-sea-review-1201651468/. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Mertes, Micah (November 1, 2013). "The 10 best survival movies". Omaha World-Herald. http://www.omaha.com/go/the-best-survival-movies/article_f0e4dd9e-8a8d-57c1-baf0-b948b0593195.html.
- ↑ Stewart, Harry. "The True Story Behind the Jungle Thriller (2017)". Culture Trip. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Jones, Morgan. "Utah Nutty Putty Cave accident to be depicted in new film, 'The Last Descent'". Desert News. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Holden, Ed (December 19, 2012). "Life of Pi review". MSN Movies (MSN). http://movies.uk.msn.com/reviews/life-of-pi-review.
- ↑ 27.00 27.01 27.02 27.03 27.04 27.05 27.06 27.07 27.08 27.09 27.10 27.11 27.12 27.13 27.14 Yacowar, Maurice (2003). "The Bug in the Rug". In Grant, Barry Keith. Film Genre Reader III. University of Texas Press. pp. 281–282. ISBN 978-0-292-70185-4. https://archive.org/details/filmgenrereaderi00barr.
- ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (5 May 2008). "Sony lands 'Moon' rights". Variety. https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/sony-lands-moon-rights-1117985128/. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- ↑ Roddy, Michael (February 5, 2015). "Arctic survival film, from female perspective, kicks off Berlin fest". reuters.com (Reuters). https://www.reuters.com/article/us-filmfestival-berlin-idUSKBN0L92FO20150205.
- ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (May 12, 2021). "'Oxygen': Alexandre Aja & Mélanie Laurent On Why Making Netflix’s Confined Thriller Was A Breath Of Fresh Air". Deadline Hollywood. https://deadline.com/2021/05/oxygen-alexandre-aja-melanie-laurent-interview-netflix-1234754548/. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ↑ Brosnan, Pierce. "Robinson Crusoe". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Leskosky, Richard J. (February 2, 2014). "A new film genre: Solitary survival". The News-Gazette. http://www.news-gazette.com/arts-entertainment/local/2014-02-02/richard-j-leskosky-new-film-genre-solitary-survival.html.
- ↑ Burr, Ty (February 4, 2011). "Sanctum". The Boston Globe. https://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2011/02/04/sanctum_2_d_characters_in_a_3_d_world/.
- ↑ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "What distinguishes 'Squid Game' from other survival thrillers | DW | 06.10.2021". DW.COM. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Tsui, Clarence (Dec 19, 2016). "‘Survival Family’: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/survival-family-film-review-macau-2016-956026.
- ↑ Shapiro, Jerome F. (2001). Atomic Bomb Cinema: The Apocalyptic Imagination on Film. Routledge. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-415-93660-6.
- ↑ DeFore, John (Jan 7, 2020). "'Underwater': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/underwater-review-1267985.
Bibliography[]
- Sobchack, Thomas (1988). "The Adventure Film". In Gehring, Wes D. Handbook of American Film Genres. Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-24715-6. https://archive.org/details/handbookofameric0000gehr.
Film genres | |
---|---|
By style | Action (Arthouse • Heroic bloodshed • Hong Kong action) • Adventure (Survival) •
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