Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever*

As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead! For full detailed shownotes (without character limits) you can choose the episode on the watch page here. If you would like to watch the Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers film serials they are available on YouTube. (Warning: the serials are repetitive and there are three Flash Gordon serials and one Buck Rogers!) The 1980 Mike Hodges Flash Gordon film is available to rent or buy at an array of outlets including Apple TV.

Although it was Buck Rogers that triggered an array of copies after the comic strip was published in 1929, it is Flash Gordon (one of those copies) that went on to have a film serial made with a lavish budget by Universal Pictures in 1936. Buck Rogers has had a significant impact in popular culture but the trajectory of Flash Gordon has eclipsed it in many ways. This week's experts bring you all their knowledge about how this came to be. The Experts Jay Telotte is Professor Emeritus of film and media studies at Georgia Tech. He has written/edited numerous books and articles about science fiction film. Mark Bould is a professor of Film and Literature at the University of West England, Bristol. He has also written/edited many books on science fiction cinema. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to show and guests 01:39 Why a Flash Gordon film serial? 09:58 The full bill cinema experience in 1936 11:55 The origins of the misaligned Space Opera 14:29 Star Wars, George Lucas and his 1930s influences 16:08 Post Star Wars Space Opera 19:55 Pushing beyond a space adventure to social commentary 21:48 Flash Gordon: The damsel, the hero and the good scientist 27:34 Ming the Merciless: Asian stereotypes, representation and racism 32:42 Aliens, post code reshoots and the sexual current 37:25 The 1980 Flash Gordon: Mark gushes while Jay waits 42:45 Jay's reaction 45:06 The legacy 49:45 Recommendations

NEXT EPISODE! The next episode will be covering an array of films about 'Mad Scientists' from the 1930s and early 40s. I will share some of the titles here but it will be a topical discussion. Boris Karloff who came to fame for playing the monster in Frankenstein (1931) plays the role of the mad scientist in multiple films during this period, many that stray away from the science fiction genre or have a strong crossover with horror film. Some of these are: The Man Who Changed his Mind (1936), The Invisible Ray (1936), Black Friday (1940) and The Man with Nine Lives (1940). Aside from those we also have the film Frankenstein (1931), The Invisible Man (1933), The Island of Lost Souls(1932) and both Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde films (1931 and 1941). Metropolis (1927) has the scientist Rotwang who is an excellent earlier example of this trope. You can check JustWatch to find where these films are available to buy, rent or stream in your region. I have found many on Apple TV and some are available on YouTube.

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Whilst researching the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers film serials of the 1930s I was delighted to find far too much information about the pulp and comic book origins of these heroes. So we are taking a detour to speak with people who really have their heads wrapped around this topic. For full shownotes for this episode without character limits you can visit here. We will be talking about Flash Gordon (and a little about Buck Rogers) in the next episode. Scroll down to get more information on where to watch the 1930s film serials. The Experts Julian Chambliss is a scholar and a professor at Michigan State University. He is the author of multiple books including Ages of Heroes, Eras of Men: Superheroes and the American Experience. Jess Nevins is an Author and research librarian who has annotated multiple comics and written the Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, The Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes and The Evolution of the Costumed Avenger: The 4,000-Year History of the Superhero. Chapters 00:00 Intro to the show and guests 02:14 The origins of pulp fiction 04:14 The western frontier and the American hero 06:23 Superheroes in the pulps and ancient civilization 09:42 WW1 and Hugo Gernsback's Amazing Stories 11:21 Buck Rogers, race and rapid change 15:13 From pulp to comic strip: Buck Rogers and Tarzan 15:39 The success of Flash Gordon 16:55 Racial politics of Flash Gordon 19:16 The true first superhero 20:38 Phantom's international popularity 21:38 The Great Depression, superpowers and The New Deal 25:35 The Jewish influence 28:44 Superman as the good immigrant 32:25 Women: from pulps to comics 35:55 The rediscovery of black creators 40:44 Moral panic, senate hearings and the Comics Code Authority 48:34 The future of the hero

NEXT EPISODE! Next episode we will be focusing on the Flash Gordon (and Buck Rogers) film serials of the 1930s. You can check JustWatch to see where you can access them: https://www.justwatch.com/ There are also available on YouTube including some strangely colourised versions. I would also highly recommend watching the 1980 version of Flash Gordon which is ridiculously good fun in my opinion. It is available to rent or buy in various places including on Amazon and again you can check on Just Watch where it may be streaming in your region.

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As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead! For full detailed shownotes (without character limits) you can choose the episode on the watch page here. I would love for you to join in by watching The Invisible Man here. You can follow what I'm researching and working on next on the podcast Instagram page @everyscififilm. Description:When HG Wells wrote The Invisible Man in 1897 he was in a world in which the telephone, the phonograph and even the invention of the radio brought the idea of disembodied voices to an increasing number of people. In the 1933 film director James Whale (who also directed Frankenstein) imbued the film with themes of mass communication more relevant to an age of radio broadcasts and film newsreels. Although it is a part of Universal Pictures classic monsters it often feels more like a comedy than a horror. The film was a great success with the special effects impressing moviegoers and critics. This week's wonderful experts break down the themes and history of the film. We also have a little discussion about Things to Come (1936) which is also based on an HG Wells story and touch upon the infamous War of the Worlds radio play (1938) which (apparently) led people to think aliens were invading. The Experts Keith Williams is a Reader in English at the University of Dundee with a special interest in the pre 1945 period and HG Wells. He is the author of the book H.G. Wells, Modernity and the Movies. Marc Longenecker is an Associate Professor of the Practice of Film Studies at Wesleyan University and wrote an article titled A Brief History of Invisibility on Screen. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:35 Invisibility on film and by HG Wells 10:28 Humour, satire and prejudice 14:26 A man walks into a pub 15:28 Rags to riches: Whale, Wells and Rains 20:12 The invisible actor 22:02 Phonographs, radio and Hitler 27:18 War of the Worlds (1938 radio drama) 29:58 The special effects 35:37 HG Wells Vs the movies 41:00 Things to Come (1936) 46:42 Legacy 49:08 Conclusion 51:32 Recommendations

NEXT EPISODE! No film to watch for next episode as we will be discussing the development of early pulp fiction magazines and comics and their relationship to science fiction. You can start catching up with the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers film serials of the 1930s as I am working on an episode based on them. You can check JustWatch to see where you can access them. You can also watch them on YouTube. There are also some colourised versions. There were three Flash Gordon serials and one Buck Rogers serial Flash Gordon (1936) Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938) Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940) Buck Rogers (1939) CORRECTION: at 24:09 Keith Williams misspeaks and says 1933 was the year of the Nazi coup. This was the year the Nazis came to power in a landslide election. The Beer Hall Putsch was in 1923.

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As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead! For full detailed shownotes (without character limits) you can choose the episode on the watch page here. I would love for you to join in by watching the film King Kong here. Description: In early March 1933 the US welcomed Franklin D Roosevelt as their 32nd president. The longest lasting presidency in US history. That same weekend the original King Kong opened in theatres in New York. The huge ape was a big success and continues to wow audiences almost a century later. Although I have many dear friends and family members who adore this creature I have never been enraptured by him. I wanted to find two experts who really had love of this film as well as the knowledge and insight that would put the movie into context. The Experts Mark Bould is a professor of Film and Literature at the University of West England, Bristol. He has written/edited multiple books on science fiction and the 1933 King Kong is one of his favourite films. Peter Conolly Smith is an Associate Professor of History at Queens College, CUNY. He specialises in American studies and also considers King Kong as one of his favourite films. Chapters

00:00 My reading plans, a big thank you intro 00:46 Introduction 02:00 Why Mark loves the film 03:40 Why Peter loves the film 06:57 The meaning and relevance of pre-code films 09:25 The great travelling filmmaking adventurers 13:06 The Depression Era as King Kong 19:28 Racism: inherent and the allegory 27:32 The Scottsboro Boys trial 30:28 Beauty and the Beast: the contamination of civilization 36:08 Boyish adventure! 39:04 Groundbreaking special effects 41:53 The humanisation of Kong 43:26 The legacy: Kong, Kaiju and Jurassic Park 50:39 Conclusions 51:10 Recommendations for listeners NEXT EPISODE! The next film we'll be speaking about it The Invisible Man. You can watch it here.

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As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead! For full detailed shownotes (without character limits) you can choose this episode on the watch page here and scroll down. I would love for you to join in by watching the film Just Imagine which is available here. If you would like to share your thoughts on the film or the episode you can do that on Instagram. Description How did the US make a lighthearted, musical rom-com in answer to the grand German dystopia of Metropolis? Just Imagine was made by David Butler who was hot off the success of another musical: Sunny Side Up (1929). Just Imagine was released in November of 1930 a little over a year after the Wall Street Crash. Sound had become commonplace in movie theatres and musicals were drawing in the crowds. Just Imagine had a budget of approximately $1.1 million. The film is set in 1980. Unsurprisingly there are no synth bands or shoulder pads. There is, however, a glorious retro-futuristic glimpse into what the vision of the future looked like for the people of 1930. The film is very different to its big budget predecessors Aelita Queen of Mars and Metropolis. Just Imagine is a light-hearted, musical rom-com and offers very little anxiety about technology or the future. I had considered titling the episode 'Just Imagine Being Optimistic About the Future!'. Luckily I have procured some heavyweight experts to explain how techno-optimism was par for the course in the machine age USA. The Experts Jay Telotte is a Professor Emeritus of film and media studies at Georgia Tech. He has written extensively about film history for decades including many books and articles on science fiction cinema. He wrote the article Just Imagine-ing the Metropolis of Modern America in 1996. Lisa Yaszek is back with us! She is Regents' Professor of Science Fiction Studies at Georgia Tech, has written/edited multiple books on science fiction and teaches Just Imagine as part of a futurism, fashion, and science fiction design class. She was recently received the SFRA Award for Lifetime Contributions to Science Fiction Scholarship. Chapters: 00:00 Intro to the show and guests 01:41 The perfect storm for a musical rom-com sci-fi 04:55 Musicals 08:19 Science Fiction 10:26 Swedish accents, gender and the other queen of Mars 15:10 Optimism, World's Fairs and technocracy 19:53 The futurists and fashion 24:26 Visionary tech hits and misses 28:50 Good and evil of sci-fi fashion 31:47 The death of the big-budget futurist film 33:27 Visual legacy: Flash Gordon, Frankenstein & Buck Rodgers 35:29 Sci-fi musical Vs sci-fi horror 37:34 Conclusions 40:07 Recommendations NEXT EPISODE! We will be speaking about the 1933 original King Kong! The film is available to buy or rent on many streaming channels. You can check the 'Just Watch' website to get details on where. You can also watch the film here.

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We're doing things a little differently this episode. There are still spoilers ahead! Frankenstein is considered by many people to be a solid first choice for the first science fiction novel. (Before you start jumping up and down in disgust, yes, there are many stories from the 1600s and even ancient tales which are considered to be strong contenders for the first written sci-fi story. That does not take away from the influence of Mary Shelley.) In 1816 the teenager* went on holiday to Switzerland and came up with the character of Frankenstein and his monster which would then develop into a novel titled Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Over 200 years later there are still films being made based on the characters from the book. In this episode, we touch upon James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein film but look at the origins of the story, examine why its monster has such a long lasting legacy, and why these stories resonate with us still. For full detailed shownotes please click the episode at www.everyscififilm.com/watch and scroll down. The experts Roger Luckhurst is a Professor at Birkbeck, University of London. He specialises in literature, film and cultural history from the 19th century to the present. He has written many books and numerous articles on science fiction, horror and the Gothic. Sarah Artt is a Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University. She has taught courses on Frankenstein in film and literature and co-led a 3 year project titled The Age of Frankenstein which examined the origins and legacy of the story. Her book Quiet Pictures comes out in May 2024. Chapters 00:00 Introduction, thank you and guests 02:08 The origin of the monster 04:51 Mary Godwin: not your average 19th century girl 06:22 The monster is still with us 10:16 Mary Shelley as the monster: my hackneyed take 14:23 The ultimate goth princess 15:02 Knowledge and punishment 16:37 The horror film genre 20:12 Frankenstein's monster: a child of revolution! 23:16 Why we love monsters 29:58 James Whale and the Bride of Frankenstein 31:38 Godzilla, B movies and pod people 35:50 The Stepford Wives 39:18 The slave becomes the master 40:08 Burning cross, lynching and the mob 42:59 Conclusions: class, prejudice and eugenics 46:06 Recommendations Next episode The next film we will be covering is Just Imagine (1930). Is is a musical, rom-com sci-fi set in 1980. You can watch it here: https://archive.org/details/JustImagine_201701 *Correction: I wrongly say at 02:37 that Mary Shelley is 16 or 17 years old when they arrive at Villa Diodati but she is 18.

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*Almost. As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead! You can watch Metropolis (1927) here or here: For full shownotes visit the watch page for this episode on the website: https://www.everyscififilm.com/watch Description After losing World War I Germany entered a time of economic hardship and political turmoil. In 1918 the Monarchy abdicated. The country was financially crippled by the reparations enforced by The Treaty of Versailles and German democracy began. From 1918 until Hitler came to power in 1933 is known as the Weimar period. A time of political upheaval and artistic creativity. German Art and Cinema were thriving while the left and right were wrangling for control of the country. In 1927 Fritz Lang made what is to this day considered one of the greatest films of all time. It is based on a story by Thea Von Harbou, his wife at the time, who went on to collaborate with Nazi Party on multiple films. The ongoing influence of Metropolis on film is immense. Films like Blade Runner, Fifth Element, Frankenstein, Batman, and more recently Poor Things have all been influenced by it. And yet, the film itself was not a hit. Luckily we have two luminary experts to help us understand the film, the society it came from and the themes it portrays. The expertsSonja Fritzsche is a professor of German Studies and an author/editor for many books about science fiction. She has taught courses on science fiction, utopia and Metropolis. Noah Isenberg is a film historian and best-selling author. He is a professor at the University of Texas and editor of the book Weimar Cinema: An Essential Guide to Classic Films of the Era. Chapters 00:00 Introduction, shownotes clarification and guests 02:30 Weimar: economics, Hitler and creative legacy 11:05 Fritz Lang 15:00 Thea Von Harbou 18:41 Lang's Jewish heritage and Harbou's Nazism 21:05 The rediscovery of missing Metropolis reels 22:05 Lang's visual virtuosity 26:05 Fear of the future and the three faces of Utopia 27:50 The virgin, the whore and the workers unions 31:41 Critical reception Vs visual spectacle 35:32 Religious themes 37:37 The Nazi connection 45:23 Lang's future: M, Woman in the Moon, Film Noir 48:25 Is Metropolis the most influential sci-fi film of all time? 50:36 Conclusions and recommendations NEXT EPISODE! We will be looking at Frankenstein and speaking about monsters and their role in storytelling and science fiction. You can watch Frankenstein (1931) here. Or check Just Watch for where it is available.

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As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead! You can watch Aelita Queen of Mars (1924) here. For full shownotes visit the watch page for this episode on the website: https://www.everyscififilm.com/watch Lenin, the leader of the Russian revolution and the new soviet Russia declared "cinema is for us the most important of the arts". He recognised the power of film to reach a wide range of audiences and its potential as propaganda. The country was struggling as was its film industry which was nationalised in 1919.

In the first half of the 20th century Russia has been through a world war, a revolution and a civil war which ended in 1923. Some months later the words "Anta Odeli Uta" started appearing in the press and distributed leaflets. The words are from Aelita Queen of Mars which was Soviet Russia's first big film. A film they hired acclaimed pre-revolutionary film director Yakov Protozanov to make. This film was intended to make a big impact, to be popular and be a beacon of the new emerging soviet Russia. Although the film was a commercial success, communist critics were harsh in their verdict. The film has a mishmash of themes which make for confusing viewing. Part communist propaganda (oppressed Martian workers rise up against a cruel king), part romantic drama (jealousy and obsession), part social commentary (corrupt government officials and bumbling policemen) amongst many other things. Luckily we have two heavyweight scholars to help us rein in the confusion. The expertsDenise Youngblood is Professor of History Emerita at the University of Vermont. She is a specialist on the history of Russian and Soviet cinema from 1908 to the present. She has written extensively on the subject, including seven books and numerous articles and film reviews. Denise has a PhD from Stanford and was one of only three Americans who studied Soviet film history at VGIK (the Soviet state film institute in Moscow) during Soviet times. Rachel Morley is Associate Professor at UCL's School of Slavonic & East European Studies where she is also co-chair of Russian Cinema Research Group. She has published widely and presented papers on Russian film. Chapters00:00 Introduction to show and guests 02:43 The pre-revolutionary master returns 07:01 Where is the communist propaganda? 13:00 Anta Odeli Uta and the critics Vs fans 18:34 Is the protagonist meant to be unlikable? 23:12 Women: past, present and future 28:34 The working class 32:17 A vision of the future: costumes and set design 35:22 Russian sci-fi after Aelita: Stalin Vs Khrushchev 38:38 Aelita: a warning to Soviet filmmakers 40:53 Did Aelita inspire Fritz Lang's Metropolis? 43:12 Protozanov's future 44:27 Stalin's restrictions on the film industry 48:02 Conclusion NEXT EPISODE! Fritz Lang's Metropolis is next! It is considered by many to be one of the greatest films of the silent era. You can watch it here at the internet archive or here on YouTube. Or you can check here for UK or here for US options. DVDs of the film are also available (There are many versions of the film due to editing, lost footage and restorations. There is also a 1984 Giorgio Moroder version with an 80s soundtrack!)

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And so we begin! The very first episode. Before we start the journey of examining every single sci-fi film ever* we must understand what science fiction is. In this episode I speak to science fiction scholars Lisa Yaszek and Glynn Morgan about the definitions of this well-known genre. What is the difference between science fiction and fantasy? Are superhero movies sci-fi? Are the we the real monsters? Please be warned: as always there are spoilers ahead! Link for the next film is at the bottom. *Almost For full shownotes which explain more about the topics, names and books mentioned in this episode you can visit https://www.everyscififilm.com/what-is-science-fiction The experts: I am extreme lucky to have these guests with me. Lisa Yaszek has known sci-fi very well for very many years. Regents Professor of Science Fiction Studies in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech, she researches and teaches science fiction and has authored, compiled, and edited numerous books on the topic. Her Future is Female books not only draw attention to the huge contribution of women writers in the genre but also have wonderful retro covers! (I am not judging a book by its cover but I am judging the cover!) Lisa was President of the Science Fiction Research Association from 2009-2010 and serves as an advisory board member for About SF. She has won many awards for contributions to science fiction and serves as a juror for sci-fi writing awards. Glyn Morgan is Curator of Exhibitions at The British Science Museum and put together the Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination exhibition which has moved on from London, UK and is currently showing in Hong Kong. He is a lecturer and former editor of Vector, the Critical Journal of the British Science Fiction Association. He has written extensively about sci-fi and speculative fiction and has served as an award judge.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to show and guests 02:58 Lisa's definition: Darko Suvin and his three criteria 10:24 Glynn's definition: Damon Knight's one criteria 16:50 Are superhero films science fiction? 18:38 Magic Vs science 20:28 The history of comic books, superheroes and science fiction 26:36 Mysticism in science fiction 34:12 What even is science? 37:44 Is everything in space sci-fi? 43:57 Aliens and monsters 49:40 AI, robots and fembots 55:34 Time travel and multiverses 59:57 Dystopia, utopia, and Star Trek 01:12:13 Conclusion

NEXT EPISODE!George Melies' Le Voyage Dans La Lune from 1902 will the focus of episode 2. It is available to watch on YouTube. Or you can check here for UK or here for US options. DVDs of the film are also available.

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As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead! I would love for you to join in by watching the film, Le Voyage Dans La Lune here. The film was made by the pioneer French film director George Méliès in 1902. It is widely considered to be the first sci-fi film ever. There is a small rumble of a potential contender which I have added at the bottom of the full shownotes. For full shownotes with references to the subjects mentioned in this episode you can visit https://www.everyscififilm.com/the-first-science-fiction-film-ever

The experts Richard Neupert is the Charles H. Wheatley Professor of the Arts and a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor at the Department of Theatre and Film Studies at the University of Georgia. He has written extensively on film including numerous books. His book French Film History, 1895-1946 was published in 2022.

​Bert Ulrich probably has one of the best jobs in the world! He acts as NASA's liaison for film and TV collaborations. He is a film and visual arts author. In 2022 his essay A Legacy of Spectacle: The Impact of George Méliès on Science Fiction Filmmaking was published in the academic journal Film International.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction to show and guests 01:37 How the son of a successful bootmaker became a theatre performer 04:14 George Méliès watches a Lumiere brother's screening 06:35 A quick overview of the film 08:12 Méliès satire and style 12:30 The father of special effects 15:27 France's Belle Époque: optimism, industrialism, and exploration 20:47 Success and piracy 23:42 The pros and cons of Méliès' solo working style 27:54 Méliès' decline 31:27 Rediscovery of his work 33:49 The development of Sci-fi cinema since 1902 44:18 Concluding thoughts NEXT EPISODE/S!Next episode I will be speaking to David Eagleman, Stanford neuroscientist and best selling author, about his favourite Sci-fi film The Creator. This 2023 film is streaming on Disney+. You may be able to check where you can rent or buy the film at JustWatch. The next film we will be looking at is Aelita Queen of Mars. A 1924 film from Soviet Russia. You can watch the film here on YouTube. You can check where it is available to stream, rent or buy at JustWatch. The film is available to buy on Amazon in some locations. DVDs of the film are available though not common.

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