There are a variety of films that depict a futuristic society that is soul/emotionless. In contrast to the previous films discussed movies such as Jean Luc Godard’s 1965 Film, Alphaville, depict an environment where the human psyche is ignored. The reality conveyed in the movie is a futuristic society that brainwashes its citizens and has its foundations in technological advancements. The premise of the movie revolves around a detective coming to Alphaville in order to annihilate its leader. Alphaville is a city ran by a conscious computer system Alpha60. Here human emotion is banned and any ‘illogical or irrational reasoning’ is punishable by death.
The movie was filmed in Paris, France, but there is no real depiction of the city while watching the movie. The city is presented as a system of rectilinear forms within a street fabric. The majority of the architecture and interiors in the movie are stylized by signage, patterns on the walls or rhythmic configurations. The movie was deliberately shot in black and white to emphasize the two dimensionality of the environment. Rather than representing a humane environment, the buildings an imperious technological surroundings that disregard the natural human condition.
Humans within the movie are insignificant. Their emotions have been brainwashed or banned and cater to the advancements towards the tyrannical goals of Alpha 60. The movie depicts a society that subverts the human psyche. All human emotion in the movie occurs within inconspicuous environments, (in the dark or in closed rooms). In Alphaville, the human psyche does not exist; there are no recollection of memories, no emotion and no motives. Everything is a delineated part of a logical sequencing of events. Some of the citizens have tattoos or markings on demarcating their role; they are essentially props.
