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''The Noah's Ark Principle'' (german: Das Arche Noah Prinzip) is a 1984 West German
science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstell ...
written and directed by
Roland Emmerich Roland Emmerich (; born 10 November 1955) is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is widely known for his science fiction and disaster films and has been called a "master of disaster" within the industry. His films, most of wh ...
as his thesis at the
Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München The University of Television and Film Munich (German: Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München, short: HFF Munich) is a publicly funded film school in Munich, Germany. The school was established in 1966 by decree of the Bavarian government. T ...
(HFF). While his fellow students typically raised and spent 20,000
Deutsche Mark The Deutsche Mark (; English: ''German mark''), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it ...
for their final work, Emmerich managed to collect a budget of 1,200,000 DM (around US$600,000). This film, shot in color with mono sound, received a rating of 12 in West Germany, and was sold to 20 countries. It was submitted to the
34th Berlin International Film Festival The 34th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 17–28 February 1984. The festival opened with '' The Noah's Ark Principle'' by Roland Emmerich. The Golden Bear was awarded to the American film '' Love Streams'' directed by Joh ...
and received some acclaim for technical skill and special effects, but won no prizes.


Plot summary

The year is 1997, and world peace seems to have come, with most classic weapons of mass destruction having been abandoned. However, orbiting the Earth there is the European/American space station FLORIDA ARKLAB, capable of controlling the weather at any location on the planet underneath. A civil project by nature, it might be abused as an offensive weapon, since it could deliver devastation to any potential adversary simply by creating natural disasters such as storms and floods. The space station soon becomes the central point in rising political tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. The film follows the main protagonist, Billy Hayes, an astronaut aboard the station, as he wades through a plot of secrecy and sabotage trying to tell friend from foe in the process. Billy enjoys a close relationship with his fellow astronaut Max for the several months they spend together in isolation. Max's wife, Eva, contacts the ARKLAB to announce that she has decided to divorce him because his time away has strained their relationship. A pan to a photograph of Max and Billy smiling as she says this may imply the two have developed a gay romance. When spies attempt to use the ARKLAB to their own ends, its nuclear reactor becomes damaged. Max attempts to repair it on his own, creating suspicion he is one of the spies. Eva and Vandenberg are sent up to help repair the reactor. Vandenberg turns out to be a spy and sabotages the station. He injures Max. Max kills him, and confesses his love for Eva before succumbing to his wounds. Billy screams Max's name as the station falls apart. He and Eva escape in a shuttle as the station explodes. Back on Earth, Billy makes a report to his superior, Felix. Felix tells him that the Americans attempted to use the station as a weapon but made a mistake and caused a horrible flood. He sends Billy and Eva on their way. He later learns that both of them died from radiation poisoning and openly grieves their deaths.


Cast


References


External links

* * 1984 films 1980s science fiction films Films about astronauts Films directed by Roland Emmerich German science fiction films West German films Films set in 1997 Films set in the future 1984 directorial debut films 1980s German-language films 1980s German films {{1980s-sf-film-stub