''Eclipse of Reason'' is a 1987

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respo ...

documentary video directed, filmed, and narrated by

Bernard Nathanson Bernard N. Nathanson (July 31, 1926 – February 21, 2011) was an American medical doctor and co-founder, in 1969, of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL), later renamed NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Abortion Rig ...

, with an introduction by

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten ...

. ''Eclipse of Reason'' is a follow up to Nathanson’s first film ''

The Silent Scream ''The Silent Scream'' is a 1984 anti-abortion propaganda film directed by Jack Duane Dabner, narrated by Bernard Nathanson (an abortion-provider-turned-anti-abortion-activist), and produced in partnership with the National Right to Life Committ ...

''. The film is perhaps most known for its controversial depiction of a dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortion.Pickering, B., & Lake, R. 1999. "Visual Images as (opposed to?) Reason: The Argument of Eclipse of Reason." Conference Proceedings -- National Communication Association/American Forensic Association (Alta Conference on Argumentation), 253-261. Retrieved from Communication & Mass Media Complete database. The subject matter of this film focuses more on the moral implications of abortion. It served as Nathanson’s call to the women of the world to end the practice of abortion. This film, as well as ''The Silent Scream'', was instrumental in the Right to Life Committee's garnering the attention of the United States public regarding the issue of abortion. ''Eclipse of Reason'' represented the argument that the

fetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal dev ...

is human, and therefore abortion is

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

. The film also serves to combat critics to ''

'' who argue that, although Nathanson claimed the film relied only on imagery and not pejorative speech, the film was heavily reliant on upon the language of the narrator. Therefore, ''Eclipse of Reason'' delivers the same message that abortion is murder, with similar imagery as its predecessor ''

''; however, to avoid the previous objection of language over imagery ''Eclipse of Reason'' asks it viewers to consider reason rather than using emotionally charged narration.

Overview

''Eclipse of Reason'' shows a late term abortion occurring sometime after the fourth month of

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ...

. The film focuses on the limbs of the

while in the womb then proceeds to show the abortion in graphic detail. While the fetus in Nathanson’s previous

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

was little more than a black and white pulsating image, the fetus in ''Eclipse of Reason'' was shown vividly in full color. Different women who have had abortions and suffered harmful effects from the procedure give testimony later in the film. Nathanson concludes ''Eclipse of Reason'' with a montage of photographs that depicts his idea of opposing worlds, one filled with abortions and one without abortions. He argues that we cannot achieve a “World of Reason” without completely eliminating abortions.

Critical reception

According to Newsweek, the film is "harder for critics to dismiss as misleading" than was ''The Silent Scream''. ''Eclipse of Reason'' is most heavily criticized for its idealization of the “World of Reason” and for creating a

dichotomy A dichotomy is a partition of a whole (or a set) into two parts (subsets). In other words, this couple of parts must be * jointly exhaustive: everything must belong to one part or the other, and * mutually exclusive: nothing can belong simul ...

that may not exist in between the two hypothetical worlds. According to one set of critics Nathanson created a world of good (

pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respon ...

) versus evil (

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pr ...

), which directly opposed his intention of creating a film devoid of any sort of emotionally charged language.

References

External links

* On

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eclipse Of Reason Documentary films about abortion 1987 films 1987 documentary films Anti-abortion movement American short documentary films Obscenity controversies in film American propaganda films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films