Amber in Hollywood: The Role of Amber in Modern Cinema

Jewelry, St. Mary's Street in Gdańsk or medicinal properties — there are certainly many associations with amber. This extremely important material for Polish culture has attracted the attention of people all over the world for centuries, and by many it is referred to as a symbol of mystery and beauty. However, amber fascinates not only as a valuable jewelry material with healing properties, but also as an essential element of pop culture, art and film. Let's see how this prehistoric treasure inspires contemporary filmmakers.

Dinosaurs in resin

The first and probably the most surprising example is Steven Spielberg's classic adventure film Jurassic Park. The film tells about an unusual amusement park created by an eccentric millionaire, the main attraction of which is living dinosaurs, the reappearance of which on earth was realized with the help of scientific experiments. In 2020, “Jurassic Park” was included in the list of the highest grossing films of all time.

Amber plays a key role in the film. It is from him, and specifically from mosquitoes drowned in fossilized resin, that scientists extract dinosaur DNA. The film presents amber as an ideal medium for the preservation of genetic material for millions of years. It's a fantastic, albeit scientifically simplistic, idea that appeals to dinosaur fans and paleontology enthusiasts alike. The use of amber in “Jurassic Park” shows how the oldest treasures of nature can be used in the modern plots of American adventure films.

The Past Suspended in Time

The connection of the past with the present is a theme for which the creators of the film and series willingly use amber. The main character of the historical drama called “Outlander” accidentally discovers the possibility of time travel, which remains the main plot of the whole story. A pendant with amber, in which a mosquito is immersed, becomes the key to scientific mysteries associated with time travel. It symbolizes the permanence and uninterrupted connection between the past and the present, serving as a scientific tool and key to the discovery of history.

Using amber, the creators of the series “Outlander”, like Spielberg in “Jurassic Park”, show how prehistoric materials can find meaning in new contexts.

The Mystery of the Amber Room

Have you ever heard of the Amber Room? It is a hall entirely decorated with amber measuring 10.5 m x 11.5 m, built at the beginning of the 18th century on the initiative of Frederick I of Hohenzollern. It was originally planned to be placed in Charlottenburg, near Berlin, but due to many factors, it ended up in Russia, where it delighted visitors until the end of World War II. In 1941, on the personal order of Erich Koch, it was dismantled and transported to Königsberg, where it was under the care of the museologist and director of the art collection of the local castle. In January 1945, the Amber Room was last seen, and its disappearance remains a mystery to this day.

This extraordinary story is the subject of an episode of the American documentary series “History's Greatest Mysteries” directed by actor Laurence Fishbourne, which explores the fate of the chamber, from its beginnings, through its disappearance during World War II, to modern attempts to reconstruct it.

Frozen in time

All the theories about the unobvious nature of amber became the inspiration for J. J. Abrams, a well-known Hollywood filmmaker, author of the famous TV series “Lost. Get lost”. The protagonists of his more recent series, “Fringe: At the Edge of the Worlds”, are trying to solve the mystery of a series of events related to the paranormal.

Amber is also used in the series - it is used to isolate areas affected by spatio-temporal anomalies and is presented as a substance originally existing in gaseous form, then turning into a solid and taking on the color and translucency of amber.

Amber in “Fringe” separates and protects people from paranormal phenomena, while allowing the main characters to solve the mystery associated with their occurrence. His presence in the series adds a sci-fi character and highlights the unique aesthetic style of “Fringe”.

Amber: from prehistory to pop culture

Amber in modern culture plays a role much greater than just an aesthetic accessory. Although some of his features should be treated with a grain of salt, his presence in the film perfectly shows how he can inspire and activate creators in an extraordinary way.

Amber not only impresses with its appearance, but also stimulates creators to explore human ambitions, scientific aspirations and history, constituting a bridge between the past and the future.

List of illustrations:

1. Still from the film “Jurassic Park”, directed by Steven Spielberg, producer. Universal Pictures, United States, 1993.
2. Still from the series “Outlander”, prod. Starz, Estados Unidos y Reino Unido, 2014-2024
3. Reconstruction of the Amber Room in St. Petersburg, source: The Guardian
4. The use of amber in the series “Fringe” (directed by J. J. Abrams, prod. FOX, United States, 2008-2013).

‍