On August 21st a total solar eclipse will be visible in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Unfortunately, here in Dallas, the moon will only be covering 75% of the sun – still an usual sight, however. If you’re curious about what you’ll be seeing from where you live and what time to view it, go here. Since I won’t be able to see a total solar eclipse, I decided to make a list of movies featuring eclipses – perfect for an eclipse movie marathon to celebrate the occasion!
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic science-fiction masterpiece features a lunar eclipse in the opening sequence, set to “Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Strauss. Delving deep into themes of existentialism, the philosophy of technology, and human evolution, this movie is truly spectacular and is widely regarded as one of the best films of all time.
2. The Watcher in the Woods (1980)
This eerie horror film, produced by Disney, revolves around events that took place during both a lunar and solar eclipse. Centered around the disappearance of a young girl, audiences were surprised that this “children’s film” was truly terrifying, and Walt Disney Productions received a fair amount of backlash upon it’s release.
3. Apocalypto (2006)
A total solar eclipse plays an incredibly important role in this action/adventure film, directed by Mel Gibson. Set in the Mayan Kingdom in 1511, this movie is filmed beautifully and is generally considered to be a decently accurate portrayal of Mayan Culture. Rudy Youngblood, who played the lead of Jaguar Paw in the film, impressively learned the somewhat rare Yucatec Maya language for his role in Apocalypto.
4. Dolores Claiborne (1995)
Based on a novel written by Stephen King in 1992, Dolores Claiborne is an impressive psychological thriller that features a total solar eclipse. Starring both Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh, this movie is centered around murder, repression, and seemingly telepathic visions.
5. Fantasia (1940)
One of my favorite childhood films, Fantasia was produced by Walt Disney and features eight animated shorts set to popular pieces of classical music. In the segment set to “Rite of Spring” by Stravinsky, a solar eclipse precedes the events that lead to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Beautiful to watch and listen to, this film is truly timeless and probably my favorite movie on this list.
