There is a body of films featuring stellar eclipses and eclipses of natural satellites. Compared to other astronomical events featured in films, such as

full moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...

s and

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

strikes, solar eclipses are less commonly seen. When they have featured in films, they often drive the plot and have a portentous presence.

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

Glen Weldon Glen Weldon is an American writer, cultural critic, and podcaster. He has written for publications such as ''The Washington Post'', ''The New York Times'', '' Slate'', ''The Atlantic'', and ''McSweeney's''. Weldon currently writes for the NPR Arts ...

said that films use eclipses "to signal to audiences that the normal rules have temporarily lifted, and things are about to get weird". The first film to feature a solar eclipse was the 1907 silent film ''

The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon ''The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon'' (originally ''L'éclipse du soleil en pleine lune'') is a French silent film made in 1907 by director Georges Méliès. Plot A professor of astronomy gives a lecture instructing on an impending sola ...

'' that featured a solar eclipse as a fantastical consummation between the sun and the moon. Eclipses have been seen as bad omens throughout history, so filmmakers leverage that belief "as visual cues or key plot points", according to ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

''s Amy Wang. The most accurate depiction of a solar eclipse in film is seen in the 1961 religious epic film ''

Barabbas Barabbas (; ) was, according to the New Testament, a prisoner who was chosen over Jesus by the crowd in Jerusalem to be pardoned and released by Roman governor Pontius Pilate at the Passover feast. Biblical account According to all four canoni ...

'' due to the filming of an actual solar eclipse during its crucifixion scene (see

solar eclipse of February 15, 1961 A total solar eclipse occurred on February 15, 1961. Totality was visible from France, Monaco, Italy, San Marino, SFR Yugoslavia (parts now belonging to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo, North Macedonia), Albania, B ...

List of films

References

{{Reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite news , last=Bakich , first=Michael , url=http://cs.astronomy.com/asy/b/astronomy/archive/2014/08/18/15-movies-that-feature-eclipses.aspx , title=15 movies that feature eclipses , work=

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

, date=August 18, 2014 , accessdate=September 11, 2017 {{cite magazine , last=DeFore , first=John , url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/kid-who-would-be-king-review-1175592 , title='The Kid Who Would Be King': Film Review , magazine=

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

, date=January 12, 2019 , accessdate=April 4, 2019 {{cite news , last=Dupont , first=Joan , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/16/style/IHT-the-movie-guide-farinelli.html , title=The Movie Guide: Farinelli , work=

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, date=December 16, 1994 , accessdate=September 14, 2019 {{cite news , last=Hickman , first=Matt , url=https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/movies-solar-eclipses-starring-role , title=9 movies starring solar eclipses , work=MNN , publisher=

Mother Nature Network Mother Nature Network (mnn.com) was a website with news and information related to sustainability, health, lifestyle, technology, money, food, home, and family. Founded in 2009 by former marketing executive Joel Babbit and Rolling Stones keyboar ...

, date=August 8, 2017 , accessdate=September 11, 2017 {{cite magazine , last=Holland , first=Jonathan , url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/perfect-strangers-review-1065742 , title='Perfect Strangers' ('Perfectos Desconocidos'): Film Review , magazine=

, date=December 8, 2017 , accessdate=September 14, 2019 {{cite magazine , last=Holub , first=Christian , url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/08/21/solar-eclipses-movies-tv/ , title=5 of the most meaningful eclipses in movies and TV , magazine=

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

, date=August 21, 2017 , accessdate=September 11, 2017 {{cite journal , last=Honeycutt , first=Kirk , url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/house-devil-film-review-93702 , title=The House of the Devil -- Film Review , journal=

, date=October 26, 2009 , accessdate=July 26, 2018 {{cite news , last=Kaufman , first=Mark , url=https://www.inverse.com/article/32203-total-solar-eclipses-in-movies , title=Eclipses in Movies Are Ridiculous and Terrifying , work= Inverse , date=May 26, 2017 , accessdate=September 11, 2017 {{cite news , last=Romano , first=Aja , url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/9/30/16384110/geralds-game-movie-review , title=Netflix’s Gerald’s Game is a graceful, mold-breaking Stephen King adaptation , work= Vox.com , date=September 30, 2017 , accessdate=December 18, 2017 , quote=But there’s still a touch of magical realism present, particularly in the couldn’t-be-timelier element of a solar eclipse that occurred the day of Jessie’s past assault... Thanks to the director’s surreal solar eclipse filter, we see the world through blood-colored glasses. {{cite news , last=Salazar , first=Doris Elin , url=https://www.space.com/37866-total-solar-eclipses-in-movies-and-tv.html , title=Our Favorite Total Solar Eclipses from Movies and TV , work=

Space.com Space.com is an online publication focused on space exploration, astronomy, skywatching and entertainment, with editorial teams based in the United States and United Kingdom. The website offers live coverage of space missions, astronomical discov ...

, date=August 20, 2017 , accessdate=September 11, 2017 {{cite book , last=Shelley , first=Peter , year=2012 , title=Australian Horror Films, 1973-2010 , publisher=

McFarland McFarland may refer to: People *McFarland (surname) Places in the United States *McFarland, California, a city *McFarland, Kansas, a city *McFarland, Missouri, a ghost town *McFarland, Wisconsin, a village Other uses * USS ''McFarland'' (DD-237) ...

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Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single y ...

, date=August 18, 2017 , accessdate=September 11, 2017 {{cite news , last=Spry , first=Jeff , url=https://syfy.com/syfywire/10-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-films-featuring-a-total-eclipse , title=10 sci-fi, fantasy and horror films featuring a total eclipse , work=Syfy.com , publisher=

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

, date=August 22, 2017 , accessdate=September 11, 2017 {{cite news , last=Wang , first=Amy , url=http://www.oregonlive.com/eclipse/2017/08/15_movies_where_eclipses_play.html , title=15 movies that include eclipses (not always accurately) , work=

, date=August 6, 2017 , accessdate=September 11, 2017 {{cite news , last=White , first=Amy , url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/8/18/16158544/solar-eclipses-science-fiction , title=Solar eclipses have been a science fiction theme for thousands of years , work= Vox , date=August 18, 2017 , accessdate=September 11, 2017 {{cite news , last=Weldon , first=Glen , url=https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2017/08/17/543962064/in-movies-a-solar-eclipse-means-change-is-coming , title=In Movies, A Solar Eclipse Means Change Is Coming , work=npr.org , publisher=

, date=August 17, 2017 , accessdate=September 11, 2017 {{cite magazine , last=Whalen , first=Andrew , url=http://www.newsweek.com/veronica-netflix-true-story-movie-horror-plot-spanish-828944 , title=Is 'Veronica,' the New Netflix Horror Movie, a True Story? , magazine=

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

, date=March 2, 2018 , accessdate=April 9, 2018

External links

How solar eclipses are used in TV and film
at BirthMoviesDeath.com
The Oldest Film of a Solar Eclipse Has Been Restored and Released Online
at '' Smithsonian'' Films featuring eclipses, List of Eclipses, list of films featuring