The Noah's Ark Principle
A 1984 West German thesis film about weather control.
The Noah's Ark Principle (German: *Das Arche Noah Prinzip*) is a 1984 West German science fiction film. Roland Emmerich wrote and directed it as his thesis project at the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (HFF). While most of his classmates raised around 20,000 Deutsche Mark for their final projects, Emmerich secured a budget of 1,200,000 DM (roughly US$600,000). The film was shot in color with mono sound, received a 12 rating in West Germany, and was sold to 20 countries. It was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival, where it earned some praise for its technical skill and special effects but won no awards.
The story begins in 1997. A space shuttle lands at a secret military base, and a young man named Billy steps out. He is interrogated by a military superior, Felix, and recounts his experience. Research is underway on controlling the weather. The equipment for this is aboard the Florida ARKLAB space station, jointly operated by the United States and Europe. Astronauts Max and Billy are studying how to influence Earth’s climate and weather patterns using microwaves. Over several months in isolation, Billy and Max grow close. Max’s wife, Eva, contacts the station to say she wants a divorce because his long absences have strained their marriage.
Meanwhile, a coup d'état occurs in Saudi Arabia. Billy is unaware, but Max watches it on TV. The weather-control technology is then misused for military purposes. The American military takes over the civilian station. When the station passes over Saudi Arabia, ground control seizes the systems and vents some substance outside. Max asks for more information but is refused. It emerges that the microwave radiation is being used as a cloaking device to hide U.S. forces from satellite surveillance, concealing a military intervention in Saudi Arabia from the United Nations.
Max uses Billy’s security codes to access classified data. Billy sees a news report that a U.S. operation to free hostages in Saudi Arabia has succeeded, but he does not tell Max. Max realizes the radiation will likely cause severe natural disasters. He tries to manually disable the systems during the next scheduled radiation release, but he is injured and the station is damaged. Ground control relieves him of duty.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Roland Emmerich
- Producer
- Wolfgang Längsfeld / Hans Weth / Peter Zenk / Executive producer / Klaus Dittrich / Ulrich Limmer / Gabriele Walther
- Starring
- Richy Müller · Franz Buchrieser · de
- Music
- Hubert Bartholomae
- Cinematography
- Egon Werdin
- Editing
- Tomy Wigand
- Distributor
- Filmverlag der Autoren
- Released
- 22 February 1984
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
- Country
- West Germany
- Language
- German
- Budget
- DEM 1,2 million
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film's plot is set in 1997. A space shuttle lands at a secret military base where a young man, Billy, steps out and is interrogated by a military superior, Felix. Billy recounts his story: research on weather control is carried out on the Florida ARKLAB space station, jointly operated by the United States and Europe. Astronauts Max and Billy research influencing climate with microwaves. Billy enjoys a close relationship with Max during months of isolation. Max's wife, Eva, contacts the station to announce she is divorcing him due to the strain of his time away.
Reader's Guide
The Noah's Ark Principle is significant as the debut feature of Roland Emmerich, who later became known for large-scale disaster and science fiction films. It demonstrated his ability to secure a large budget—1,200,000 DM—compared to his fellow students' typical 20,000 DM. The film was sold to 20 countries and received some acclaim for its technical skill and special effects, though it won no prizes at the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. Its production, using an unused factory hall as a studio and adding effects at Bavaria Studios, foreshadowed Emmerich's later career in spectacle filmmaking. The film also marked the founding of his production company, Centropolis Entertainment.
Did You Know?
- The film was Roland Emmerich's thesis project at the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München.
- Emmerich raised a budget of 1,200,000 DM, while his fellow students typically spent 20,000 DM on their final works.
- The film was sold to 20 countries and received a rating of 12 in West Germany.
- After filming, special effects were added at the large Bavaria Studios in Munich.
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