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The Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever* podcast looks back at more than a century of films, beginning in 1902 and working towards the future. Each episode focuses on a film, director or theme and brings in experts to discuss the history, politics, and influences. Join sci-fi enthusiast Ayesha Khan as she travels through time and space, encounters aliens, and battles authoritarian regimes all from the comfort of your home planet. Released every two weeks
*Almost
The podcast Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever* is created by Ayesha Khan. The podcast and the artwork on this page are embedded on this page using the public podcast feed (RSS).
You can find the podcast on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky.
In 1992 Ishiro Honda sat down for his final interview with journalist David Milner. When asked about which of his own films were his favourite Honda listed Godzilla (1954), Gorath (1962) and The Mysterians from 1957.
The Mysterians is a visually beautiful film full to the brim with sci-fi tropes. A technologically advanced but desperate alien race, affected by radiation, is invading earth and wants to take our healthy women for breeding purposes. There’s also a groovy space station and the first mecha-kaiju in the form of Moguera. A film made at a time when Japan seems to be wrangling with what it means to be a post imperial, post nuclear tragedy country with a growing economy and a booming film industry.
I have two wonderful experts to help shed light on the context of this trope laden sci-fi classic.
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 including the 2023 book Selling Science Fiction Cinema.
Yuki Miyamoto is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Humanities Center at DePaul University. Her work focuses on the ethics around nuclear discourse.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:56 Japanese Golden Age of Cinema: censorship, art vs big budget & the USA
08:47 Pacifism and militarism
14:04 Toho studios
15:36 Glorious colour, Toho-scope and cinema culture
19:57 Tradition, science and military might
27:55 Taking our women: occupation, war & marketing
36:55 Message of collaboration
39:50 The US market
44:51Battle of the Planets
45:55 Shout outs: Akira Ifukube and Eiji Tsuburaya
48:10 Legacy and Recommendations
NEXT EPISODE!
In two weeks we will be speaking about a film that shocked me with its striking visual style. The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958), also known as Invention for Destruction or in its original Czech: Vynález zkázy. You can look to find the film on Just Watch but people in mainland and central Europe may find it easier to find with mainstream streaming services. The Criterion Channel also has the film available and there may be some Central and Eastern European services that you may be able to sign up to. I believe there may be a copy on YouTube but I am unsure of its quality or validity.
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You can find the podcast on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky.
I Married a Monster from Outer Space was released as part of a double bill (with The Blob) in 1958. The story focuses on newlywed couple Marge and Bill Farrell but unbeknownst to his new bride and the whole town Bill has been replaced by an alien on the eve of their wedding.
Themes of marriage, resentments and gendered expectations are as rife as can be expected in the 1950s. We have two insightful experts help shine a light on these themes.
The Experts
Thomas Doherty is a professor of American Studies at Brandeis University, he is a cultural historian with a special interest in Hollywood cinema on which he has written extensively.
Sherryl Vint is Professor of Science Fiction Media Studies at the University of California, Riverside. She has written/edited many books about science fiction.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:58 Science fiction golden age and the marriage melodrama
05:27 The female led sci-fi film and Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique
08:40 Patriarchal expectations of 1950s men
13:24 Changes in post war America
16:33 The Hays production code and the scandalous double bed
21:19 The Alien: looking good and learning to love
26:14 Marge’s dilemma
30:42 Romantic, sexual and gendered anxiety
39:20 Devil Girl from Mars: Aliens are coming to take our men!
41:36 Legacy
45:59 Recommendations for the listeners
NEXT EPISODE!
Next episode we will be hopping slightly back in time and discussing The Mysterians from 1957. The film was made in Japan by Toho studios. It is quite difficult to buy or rent a copy but is available in some regions on FlixFling, The Criterion Channel and some other internet sites.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As usual there are spoilers ahead!
Somewhere in the late 1950s society began to come to terms with the idea of the teenager. Teens were heading to the cinema leaving younger siblings and parents at home. The Blob (1958) isn‘t a tale of rebellion or film warning about teenage delinquency but a thoroughly enjoyable time with a catchy theme tune.
I have two wonderful guests to help us unravel this classic 1950s sci-fi.
The Experts
Roger Luckhurst is a Professor at Birkbeck, University of London. He has written/edited numerous of articles and books on cultural history and film.
Matthew Rule Jones is a senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Exeter and the author of Science Fiction Cinema and 1950s Britain: Recontextualising Cultural Anxiety.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:22 The origins of the film
06:05 Moral panic, the teenager and the AIP film formula
11:36 Red scare as red herring: Jello and suburbia
16:25 The intention vs the interpretation of films
17:32 The Blob
20:00 The theme song vs the earnest tone
24:15 The cinema scene and self-reflection
28:32 The double bill offering
29:56 Steve McQueen: The adult teen
39:10 What are we gonna do?
39:40 Legacy: Sequels and the education system
48:55 Recommendations for the listener
The Next Episode!
The next episode we will focus on the film I Married a Monster from Outer Space. You can buy or rent the film from many outlets or check the Just Watch website to see where it may be streaming in your region
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For this bonus episode I’ve teamed up with the excellent History Daily podcast.
Very exciting!
History Daily tells fascinating stories of what happened “on this day” in history with a new episode every weekday.
The early 1950s in the USA stand out as not just a time of economic prosperity but also one of paranoia. The country faced the fear of the atomic bomb, the Red Scare and a moral panic around juvenile delinquency. (Teenagers were new and unpredictable!)
During this time Joseph McCarthy’s power to seek out and persecute perceived communists was at its peak but the tide was about to turn. In 1954 it took journalist Ed Murrow guts to stand up to the influential senator.
You can learn more about History Daily on their website here.
(And please just indulge me in telling you that it is a complete coincidence that this episode release aligns with this day in history! 9th March 1954 is when Ed Murrow aired his report on Joseph McCarthy!)
You can hear more from me on social media platforms Threads, Instagram and somewhat gingerly also on Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
You can find the podcast on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky.
The Worst Film of All Time by The Worst Director of All Time. So claimed the 1980 book The Golden Turkey Awards by Michael and Harry Medved regarding the film Plan 9 from Outer Space and director Edward Wood Jr AKA Ed Wood.
But this very title is one of the reasons behind the revival of the film and of Ed Wood. The film has issues with continuity, set design, dialogue and a coherent ‘Plan 9’ but something about the film appeals to a subset of film lovers. Perhaps it’s the flashes of style, the joy in its failings or perhaps it’s a recognition of something beyond the traditional and often formulaic nature of mainstream narrative filmmaking. Today I speak with two wonderful film academics and fans of the film.
The Experts
Mark Bould is a professor of Film and Literature at the University of West England, Bristol. He has written/edited extensively about science fiction cinema.
Rodney F Hill is a Professor of Film at the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University and has written extensively about film.
If you are interested in finding out how you can help the Prince Charles Cinema you can visit this page here.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:28 Ed Wood: Hollywood, Kubrick and Corman
05:04 Glen or Glenda, the production code and censorship
12:39 Plan 9 and the Baptist Church
14:33 Bela Lugosi and the rest of Ed Wood’s crew
20:35 The Amazing Criswell
23:23 Plan 9: An unconventional classic
25:50 Why my guests love the film
34:04 Bad science
35:46 The more traditional aspects Plan 9
37:22 The Worst Film of All Time and The Worst Director of All Time
39:57 Ed Wood the outsider and the Church of Ed Wood
43:14 Comparison to mainstream films
45:21 The Legacy
48:08 Recommendations
50:37 Save the Prince Charles Cinema
NEXT EPISODE!
The next episode we will be discussing The Blob (1958) which is available to rent and buy online in many places. You can also watch the film on the Just Watch website which was quite unexpected! (And remember folks, Steve McQueen is supposed to be 17 years old in this film!)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As usual there are spoilers ahead!
I would love to know what you make of the ending of this film if you watched it. Best place to do that is on social media. Threads, Instagram and Bluesky.
1957 USA seems like a country on the brink of huge social change. (Of course, I say this with the benefit of hindsight and with a deep affection for the decade that was just around the corner.) But so many of the events of the year are an indication of what’s to come.
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first of many legislative attempts to bring federal protection for African Americans in the face of growing dissatisfaction in the South towards desegregation of schools and society.
1957 was the year the Little Rock Nine were enrolled into a previously all white school. The photos of nine black children often surrounded by angry and jeering crowds and the presence of US paratroopers are staggering.
It is the year Enovid was approved by the FDA for menstrual problems. Two years later it would become the first FDA approved contraceptive pill.
And in October 1957 Russia launched Sputnik into orbit causing a shock across the USA. Despite anxiety about their biggest rival the country was not ready for such a display of technological accomplishment.
The year prior in 1956 Jack Arnold (who had become somewhat disillusioned by the increasingly schlocky independent sci-fi films of the late 50s) was convinced to return to Universal to make The Incredible Shrinking Man.
Richard Matheson’s story is an unusual examination of a man losing stature both physically and socially. Many consider this Jack Arnold’s greatest science fiction film. We have two wonderful guests to explain why that might be.
Scott Higgins is a Professor of Film at Wesleyan University as well as being the Curator of the Wesleyan Cinema Archives. He has written multiple books and essays about film.
Ian Scott is a Professor of American Film and History at The University of Manchester. He has written extensively about politics and film in Hollywood.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:42 Jack Arnold’s best film?
06:30 Special effects and 1950s horror
09:15 1957 USA: The rumblings of change
13:29 Metaphors and definitions of masculinity
30:43 Kafka, psychoanalysis and The Kinsey Reports
35:22 Women
37:38 The End!
45:17 Legacy
49:55 Recommendations for the listener
NEXT EPISODE!
Next episode we will be talking about what the book The Golden Turkey Awards declared as the Worst Film of All Time by The Worst Director of All Time. Plan 9 from Outer Space by Ed Wood is available to rent or buy on various online platforms. Just Watch is a good resource to check where it might be available in your region. Mubi and Pluto are only available in some regions but do offer a decent range of older science fiction films.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As usual there are spoilers ahead!
Forbidden Planet (1956) is a somewhat overlooked 50s classic. Although it often fails to make lists of the greatest sci-fi films of all time it has come across often in my written research and when speaking to guests. It’s a film that not only seems to excite avid fans of sci-fi cinema but also influenced some of the genre’s heavy hitters like both Star Wars and Star Trek. A costly, slick, colourful movie which takes a break from the red scare themes and invites us to delve into the dangers of the human mind.
We mention Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics in the episode which are:
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
The fourth law also known as Law Zero or Zeroth Law is:
A robot cannot cause harm to mankind or, by inaction, allow mankind to come to harm.
I have two amazing guests to help unravel the threads in this space opera.
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 including the 2023 book Selling Science Fiction Cinema.
Glyn Morgan is Curatorial Lead at the Science Museum in London and a science fiction scholar.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the film, some historical context and the guests
02:25 The impact of Forbidden Planet
07:56 MGM does big budget sci-fi
13:52 Robby the Robot: a new type of robot and Asimov’s laws
22:02 Special effects
23:15 Altaira: miniskirts, the Hays Code and sexism
32:44 The monster: Disney, the id and technological hubris
38:01 The sound of electronic music: Bebe and Louis Barron’s breakthrough
43:50 The legacy of Forbidden Planet
50:09 Recommendations for the listeners
NEXT EPISODE!
The next episode we will focus on The Incredible Shrinking Man. You can buy or rent the 1956 film from many outlets or check the Just Watch website to see where it may be streaming in your region. It is worth checking platforms like Tubi and Pluto if they are available.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As usual there are spoilers ahead!
You can follow the podcast on social media: Instagram, Threads and dipping my toes into BlueSky a little too.
Description
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) spawned many remakes over the years, each rendition reflecting the anxieties of its time. The original film is one of my absolute favourites with a variety of potential meanings for a mid-century USA grappling with what it means to be American. My heavyweight sci-fi guests help to unravel the multiple threads.
The Experts
Barry Keith Grant is professor Emeritus of Film Studies at Brock University Canada. He has written/edited a huge number of books including the BFI Classics book on Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Sherryl Vint is Professor of Science Fiction Media Studies at the University of California, Riverside. She has written/edited many books about science fiction.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:25 From book to screen: different visions, nostalgia and AI
07:24 Invaders from Mars: mistrust and madness
11:58 Sci-fi, Horror and Noir, oh my! The film gets framed with an ambiguous ending
21:21 Sleep, Shakespeare and tranquillisers
25:29 Capitalism vs communism: Corporate culture, McCarthyism and conformity
31:57 Becky: the frothing dress, changing social dynamics and divorce
41:07 The great remake: 1978 and the cynical fade of counter culture
47:22 The benefits of being a pod person
50:52 1993 remake
52:22 Recommendations
NEXT EPISODE!
The next episode is on one of the most underrated science fiction classics of all time: Forbidden Planet. You can buy or rent the 1956 film from many outlets or check the Just Watch website to see where it may be streaming in your region. It is worth checking platforms like Tubi and Pluto if they are available in your region.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As usual there are spoilers ahead!
For the full show notes without character limits you can head to the website here.
You can follow the podcast on Instagram and Threads although I am also trying to join in on BlueSky a bit. (It's a bit weird though.)
Description
Godzilla was released in 1954 in Japan it has gone on to become one of the longest standing movie franchises and began the Kaiju film tradition. Directed by Ishiro Honda, produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka with special effects my Eiji Tsuburaya. It was inspired in part by the 1933 King Kong and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms from the year before.
A big difference compared to US 1950s sci-fi films dealing with nuclear themes is the Japanese perspective. The film wasn’t officially released in the US until 2004 but the US re-edit Godzilla: King of the Monsters! (1956) brought Godzilla to a global audience. My absolutely wonderful guests share their insights on this cinematic masterpiece.
The Experts
The wonderful Lisa Yaszek is Regents' Professor of Science Fiction Studies at Georgia Tech. She has written/edited numerous books on science fiction.
Yuki Miyamoto is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Humanities Center at DePaul University. Her work focuses on the ethics around nuclear discourse.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:56 A short overview of Japanese science fiction history
04:42 Yuki’s experience of Godzilla in Japan
07:00 1950s sci-fi in the USA
10:40 Japanese cultural context: Post nuclear bomb, radioactive tuna and censorship
16:03 Scientists and flipped themes
22:44 The scientist’s daughter, a demure rebel and the moral centre
27:27 Japanese self-sacrifice
29:27 Godzilla: King of the Monsters! Social critique vs entertainment
40:16 The Legacy of Godzilla
48:55 Recommendations for listeners
51:25 Jean-Luc Picard’s birthday message to me
THE NEXT EPISODE!
The next film we will be covering is the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The film is available to buy and rent on many outlets and even some free with ads streaming platforms. You can check the Just Watch website to see where its available in your region.
We will (as usual) be spending some time speaking about the sequels so it might be worth watching the 1978 version as it is considered the best version by many! I loved it but the original holds a very special place in my heart so it will not be replaced by a copy.
The episode hasn’t been recorded yet but the plan is also to speak a little about the 1953 film Invaders from Mars that has many similar themes.
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The end of 2024 is nigh!
You can follow the podcast on Instagram and Threads although I am also trying to join in on BlueSky a bit. (It's a bit weird though.)
Welcome to an end of year special! A compilation of some interesting parts of conversations from the podcast in 2024 that were edited out. I edit the podcast down to a more digestible length but this means I often lose parts of conversations that are really fun or insightful so here is a collection of those.
I also wanted to give a shout out to some amazing independent podcasters who (like myself) do not have huge teams or budgets to put together their shows. They’ve also offered me some sense of camaraderie in the crazy world of obsessing over something and then making podcasts about it.
You can find The Lorehounds crew and offerings which include conversations and recaps on some of the best sci-fi shows around on their website.
Em at Verbal Diorama is absolutely lovely, passionate about films (especially The Mummy) and does deep dives into many popular movies. Her research skills are fantastic and she is a fellow winner on the Ear Worthy podcast awards for 2024. Her website is here.
Mark Steadman is a fantastic and knowledgeable digital producer who knows lots about the podcasting business. He will be launching Undo: How history’s outliers got stuff done in January. You can learn more about him and it here.
Details of the guests and shows featured in this end of year episode:
• Jess Nevins and Julian Chambliss were guests on episode 10: Pulps, Comics and the Rise of Superheroes.
• Mark Bould and Peter Conolly Smith were guests on episode 8: King Kong: The Origin of a Cinematic Titan.
• Sonja Fritzsche and Noah Isenberg were guest in episode 5: Metropolis: The Most Influential Sci-Fi Film Ever*.
• Thomas Doherty and Xavier Aldana Reyes were guests on episode 12: Mad Scientists: Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll & Boris Karloff.
• Keith Williams and Ari Brin were guests on episode 14: Robert Duncan Milne: A Lost Pioneer of Science Fiction.
• Jay Telotte and Marc Longenecker were guests on episode 15: The Thing from Another World: Howard Hawks & the Cold War.
• Scott Higgins and Phil Nichols were guests on episode 18: It Came From Outer Space: Bradbury, 3D & 1950s Teens
• Thomas Doherty and Mathew Rule Jones were guests on episode 21: Them! The 1954 Horror Sci-Fi that Spawned Big Bug Cinema.
• Jay Telotte and Mark Bould were guests on episode 11: Flash Gordon: From Buck Rogers Rip-Off to Space Opera Legend.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro and indie podcast shoutouts
02:06 Comics and Pulps: Who is your favourite superhero?
05:46 King Kong: Hays Code, covert wars and Frank-N-Furter
10:17 Metropolis: Rotwang the prototype
15:35 Mad Scientists: Favourites
20:55 Robert Duncan Milne: From page to screen
30:35 The Thing from Another World: Themes of seeing
34:15 It Came From Outer Space: 3D cinema and unions
36:28 Them! Drive-ins, degenerates and dingy cinemas
46:53 Flash Gordon: Casting choices
NEXT EPISODE! The next film we’ll be focusing on is the original Japanese version of Godzilla (1954). This is surprisingly difficult to get hold of although you can purchase a DVD from many outlets. In the US it is available on Apple TV and Max (previously HBO Max) as well as on Tubi. You can check the Just Watch website to see if it might be streaming in your region. I just wanted to add that the opening credits and music are just phenomenal in my opinion.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As usual there are spoilers ahead!
For the full show notes without character limits you can head to the website here.
Description
Them! (1954) is the 6th film we are covering from the 1950s. Hollywood is beginning to realise that sci-fi is a money making genre! The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms from the year before was a big hit for Warner Brothers and Them! followed suit. Another nuclear monster but this time it’s giant ants! Them! was the very first big bug feature and is often considered the greatest of the genre. It sits firmly between the horror and sci-fi and leaves a legacy that echoes beyond just big bugs into films like Aliens and A Quiet Place.
The Experts
Thomas Doherty is a professor of American Studies at Brandeis University, he is a cultural historian with a special interest in Hollywood cinema on which he has written extensively including the book Teenagers and Teenpics: The Juvenilization of American Movies in the 1950s.
Matthew Rule-Jones is a senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Exeter and the author of Science Fiction Cinema and 1950s Britain: Recontextualising Cultural Anxiety.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:23 The first Big Bug film: Atomic to hydrogen bombs
03:49 The quality of Them!
05:24 Matt’s first experience of watching Them!
10:08 Boredom v terror, the silent generation and flame throwers in Japan
14:48 US vs UK interpretations in the post-war period
20:15 Scientists and heroes
25:15 The Ants!
28:38 Feminism
31:08 Sounds design and the Wilhelm Scream
33:51 The horror in Them!
39:01 The LA river
40:00 1954 Brown vs Board of Education: the seeds of change
43:10 Legacy
50:41 Recommendations
NEXT EPISODE!
Next episode there is an “end of year” episode which will include parts of conversations over the last nine months (since the launch) that were edited out before release. There are some bits I planned for the end of the year and others that I reluctantly took out because I like to keep my podcast episodes to 45 minutes. (And yes, I know I fail almost every single time!)
CORRECTION: I stupidly say Alien at 49:50 when I obviously mean the sequel Aliens.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As usual there are spoilers ahead!
For the full show notes with no character limits you can visit the website.
Description
Creature from the Black Lagoon released in 1954 is in many ways the epitome of 1950s science fiction cinema. Jack Arnold (director), William Alland (producer) and Richard Carlson (the leading man) were all people who has become associated with the increasingly popular genre. It also has a beautiful and stylish Julie Adams as the heroine, scientists on a mission and of course the monster. But there are no themes of nuclear radiation, Russian invasion or small town shenanigans here. The film was filmed in 3D although the peak of 3D popularity had faded and most viewers saw this film in 2D.
Two absolute heavyweights of sci-fi research join me to enlighten us.
The Experts
Jay Telotte is a 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 extensively about science fiction cinema.
You can take a look at the Forbidden Planet poster mentioned amongst others that have the same trope by viewing my instagram post here.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the film and guests
02:16 Little Jay goes to the cinema
03:19 Universal monsters and comebacks
06:20 The mythical origin of the story
10:03 The monster, its maker and dangerous desires
21:37 Human invaders and Jack Arnold
23:22 Everybody loves Kay
28:59 Man, nature, science and the environment
29:12 Evolution: The Scopes Monkey Trial
33:32 1950s sci-fi: Space opera to the dangers of the depths
38:55 The Legacy: Sequels
45:00 Legacy cont: The Shape of Water
53:10 Recommendations for listeners
NEXT EPISODE!
Next episode we will be taking a closer look at Them! (1953). You can check Just Watch to see where it can be found in your region and the film is available to buy or rent at many outlets including Apple TV.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As always there are spoilers ahead!
If you want to read the full show notes you can click the episode on this page and
scroll down.
Description
Are we sick of alien invasion films? I certainly hope not! Although this one is a little different as the aliens just want to leave. It Came from Outer Space (1953) was directed by Jack Arnold who would make a name for himself in the 1950s as a director of many sci-fi films. Although the script was written by Harry Essex the treatment for the film was by none other than the famous Ray Bradbury. The film is a mix of schlocky sci-fi and poetic soliloquies set in small town USA. To help us dig a little deeper into this film I have two fantastic guests.
The Experts
Scott Higgins is a Professor of Film at Wesleyan University as well as being the Curator of the Wesleyan Cinema Archives.
Phil Nichols is a visiting lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton and a researcher with a special interest in Ray Bradbury. He is Senior Consultant to the Ray Bradbury Centre at Indiana University and editor of The New Ray Bradbury Review. He is also the man behind the Bradbury 100 podcast and the Science Fiction 101 podcast.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the show and guests
01:40 The beginnings of a sci-fi film director Jack Arnold
04:30 Ray Bradbury’s influence on the film
09:40 The schlocky and elusive Aliens
15:54 Bradbury’s politics in the 1950s
18:22 Bradbury’s treatment vs Harry Essex’s screenplay
21:38 Small town USA: provincial views, scandal and something simmering beneath the surface
28:11 Teenage culture: post war boom, TV and rock n roll
33:26 Body snatching
36:00 3D cinema!
42:57 Ray Bradbury’s treatment
45:22 The legacy of the film
50:56 Recommendations
NEXT EPISODE!
Next episode we will be taking one of my pesky detours! I speak to brainiac theoretical physicist Claudia de Rham about the science of Interstellar which is ten years old on November 6th 2024. Interstellar (2014) is available to rent or buy at an array of outlets. You can check JustWatch to check which platforms it is available in your region.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As always there are spoilers ahead!
If you want to read the full show notes you can click the episode on this page and scroll down.
Description:
After the classic film The Day the Earth Stood Still we move forward to 1953 and yet another Alien invasion. This time the aliens are definitely not looking to be friends. The War of the Worlds was written by HG Wells and published in 1897 in Pearson’s magazine. There have been many adaptations of the text including the famous radio play from Orson Welles in 1938 and the film adaptation by Steven Spielberg in 2005. I mention the drawings of the Martian tripod machines early in the episode. You can take a look at these wonderful images on this Instagram post.
To help us with their brilliant insights I have two wonderful guests.
The Experts
Keith Williams is a Reader in English Literature at the University of Dundee where he runs the science fiction programme. He is the author of the book H.G. Wells, Modernity and the Movies.
Ian Scott is a Professor of American Film and History at The University of Manchester. He has written extensively about politics and film in Hollywood.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the show and guests
02:26 HG Wells original text and his place in science fiction history
09:00 The 1938 Orson Welles CBS radio play
12:46 1953 USA: paranoia and morality
15:04 The differences from the novel: jingoism, religion and diversity
21:32 California: Manifest Destiny and small town attitudes
24:52 Race and racial segregation
28:55 Science, religion and salvation
36:04 The spectacle of the film
38:31 The 2005 Spielberg rendition
43:35 The legacy of the film
47:22 Related recommendations
NEXT EPISODE!
Next episode we will be taking a closer look at It Came from Outer Space (1953). You can check Just Watch to see where it can be found in your region and the film is available to buy or rent at many outlets including Apple TV.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As usual there are spoilers ahead!
If you want to read the full show notes you can click the episode on this page and scroll down.
The Day the earth Stood Still was released in 1951 just like The Thing from Another World. And just like that film The Day the Earth Stood Still is based on a story from Astounding Science Fiction magazine.
The flying saucer craze of 1947 has obviously made its impression on Hollywood and The Day the Earth Stood Still delivered a seamless sleek futuristic saucer along with an imposing shiny robot and a polite humanoid alien who comes in peace to deliver an ultimatum to a world wrangling with the atomic age.
The Experts:
Glyn Morgan is Curatorial Lead at the Science Museum in London and is a science fiction scholar.
Peter Gottschalk is a Professor of Religion at Wesleyan University with a special interest in the South Asian region, empire and science. He also teaches a class called “Awesome Cinema”.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the show and guests
02:22 Astounding magazine, The Manhattan project and the Peace Offensive
5:55 From pulps to peace: Sci-fi amid the red scare
11:28 The Flying Saucer
14:00 A benevolent invader and the United Nations
19:39 Gort the robot - Klaatu, Barada Nikto!
25:55 The sane scientist
29:06 Christian themes
34:36 Media frenzy
38:24 The 2008 remake
42:44 Bernard Hermann’s seminal score
44:06 Legacy and recommendations
NEXT EPISODE!
Next episode we will be taking a closer look at The War of the Worlds (1953). You can check Just Watch to find out where it can be found in your region. It is available to buy or rent at many outlets including Apple TV.
If you wanted to listen to the famous 1938 radio play from Orson Welles you can hear it here on YouTube.
And if you want to hear Richard Burton’s hypnotic reverberating voice in Jeff Wayne’s Musical version of War of the Worlds you can hear that here on YouTube.
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As always there are spoilers ahead!
For the full show notes with no character limits you can click the episode on the website watch page here.
Description:
We are finally in the 1950s! The Golden Era of science fiction cinema.
Although the 1950s are known for may B Movies The Thing from Another World was produced (and possibly directed) but the very famous Howard Hawks and came from RKO which was a big name studio at this time.
This film capitalised on the growing appetite for science fiction in the USA which was up until this recently largely in print but also a little on television although studios were still wary of the science fiction label. Based on the John W Campbell novella Who Goes There? from 1938 there were a few significant changes made to the story.
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 including the 2023 Selling Science Fiction Cinema.
Marc Longenecker is an Associate Professor of the Practice of Film Studies at Wesleyan University.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the show and guests
02:40 The 1950s sci-fi explosion
06:34 The studio aversion to science fiction and the paramount decree
09:55 Howard Hawks, Howard Hughes and who really directed this film?
16:20 If it walks like a Hawk: Hallmarks and the Hawksian woman
21:52 The Cold War, flying saucers and “the group”
34:05 Jay’s comparison to The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
36:26 The influence on John Carpenter and The Thing (1982)
44:21 The legacy of the film
48:56 Recommendations for listeners
NEXT EPISODE!
Next episode we will be taking a closer look at The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). You can check Just Watch to find out where it can be found in your region and is available to buy or rent at many outlets including Apple TV.
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Unlike most episodes there are no film spoilers ahead!
For full detailed show notes please click the episode on this page and scroll down.
This episode we take a huge jump back to the end of the 19th century and a side step to science fiction literature rather than film.
Robert Duncan Milne is a lost pioneer of science fiction literature. Milne’s work had largely vanished despite a book drawing attention to him in 1980. Born in Scotland in 1844 he died in San Francisco at the dawn of the 20th century. During his time in San Francisco he worked as a journalist as well as writing science fiction short stories.
In the many stories Milne wrote he included themes of time travel, alien life, teleportation, cryogenic preservation, remote surveillance and much much more.
My fantastic guests today have spent many years researching and compiling Milne’s work and trying to discover as much as possible about his life and work.
The Experts
Keith Williams is a Reader in English Literature at the University of Dundee where he runs the science fiction programme. He has a special interest in the pre 1945 period.
Ari Brin completed her Masters at the University of Dundee where she began her PhD research which focuses on the life and work of Robert Duncan Milne.
The book that Ari and Keith have been working on will be released in January 2025. It is available for pre-order for the ungodly price of £117 in the UK or $175 in the USA. We all hope a cheaper, consumer friendly version will be released in the future.
Shownotes:
00:00 Introduction
01:59 Why was this pioneer’s work lost?
03:21 Milne’s contemporaries and the topics he wrote about
06:57 The promising young man who vanishes from Scottish society
12:32 San Francisco: an exciting literary hub in the late 19th century
14:18 Milne’s excessive drinking and the Keeley cure
19:27 Milne’s journalism and how it fed into his fiction
22:20 The Great Moon Hoax of 1835
25:51 Milne, Wells and visions of the future
33:17 The death of Milne and his work
36:32 Keith and Ari’s book and the crazy price
NEXT EPISODE!
WE ARE IN THE 1950s!!!!! It is an exciting but overwhelming time so please bear with me.
The next film we will be speaking about The Thing From Another World (1951). You can find out where you can watch it on Just Watch: https://www.justwatch.com/
It is available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play and other outlets. If you are in the USA I believe you can watch it for free (with ads) on Tubi.
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Be warned: There are some potential spoilers ahead. Neither of us have watched Alien: Romulus yet but there is a lot of talk of the franchise and what we are expecting of the new film including a very clever theory from David which could be a spoiler.
This is a bonus episode which is part of my first ever crossover podcast!
Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever* is joining The Lorehounds podcast as both are a little too excited about a certain franchise.
Alien (1979) is 45 years old this year and Alien: Romulus is being released on the 16th of August. To celebrate we have this bonus episode is myself and David from The Lorehounds having a short chat about the trailer for the new film. The next full episode will be on Alien (1979) released on Sunday the 18th of August. The Lorehounds and myself will be having a fan discussion about Alien (1979) on their podcast and finally you can catch a discussion about the Alien: Romulus film over at The Lorehounds after its release.
For more details about The Lorehounds you can visit their website here.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Alien franchise. You can leave me a voice message here or catch up with what I’m working on or researching on my Instagram page.
Chapters
00:00 Intro to the show and the crossover project
04:06 Alien: Romulus synopsis and production details
05:57 Kids in Spaaaace!
08:02 Sound design
12:36 Infused with the original
13:05 Practical effects
16:10 Cultivating the next generation of fans
19:00 Expectations: Ayesha
20:36 Expectations: David
23:51 David’s brilliant theory (and potential spoiler!)
25:40 The Blade Runner and Alien universe
28:51 Outro
NEXT EPISODE!
As mentioned above the next episode will be a discussion with David from The Lorehounds and myself speaking to two wonderful guests about Alien (1979). All the Alien films are available on the Disney Plus channel but are also available to buy or rent in many places including Apple TV.
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As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead!
For full detailed show notes (without character limits), including the titles of the films mentioned or shown, you can choose the episode on the watch page here: https://www.everyscififilm.com/watch
Description
The idea of the ‘mad scientist’ has been with us for a very long time. In the early 1930s science fiction (and horror) films proliferated with the trope. Metropolis (1927) had already had the remarkable Rotwang who was a prototype that would go on to be referenced in Stanley Kubrick’s character Dr Strangelove (1964) with his black-gloved hand.
But why has the mad scientist become a staple of cinema? And why were the 1930s and 40s a time when Dr Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and the many other crazed scientists (including several played by Boris Karloff) became so commonplace? Luckily we have two wonderful brains ripe for picking!*
The Experts
Thomas Doherty is a professor of American Studies at Brandeis University; he is a cultural historian with a special interest in Hollywood cinema on which he has written extensively.
Xavier Aldana Reyes is a Reader in English Literature and Film at Manchester Metropolitan University with a special interest in the Gothic. His books include the fiction anthology Promethean Horrors: Classic Tales of Mad Science.
*Disclaimer: No human brain transplants were carried out on unwilling participants during the making of this podcast.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:05 The Great Depression and the Hays Code
06:24 How World War I changed perceptions of science
07:38 Frankenstein, Faust and forbidden knowledge
11:33 The male mad scientists and the lack of female ones
16:13 Religion, magic and science
20:20 Eugenics, miscegenation and The Code
25:26 Anti-authoritarianism, psychoanalysis, Leopold and Loeb
33:34 Einstein, real science and the beneficial scientists
43:00 The legacy of the mad scientist
48:12 Recommendations for the listeners and outro
NEXT EPISODE!
I have a lot of detours planned ahead (which you can learn about in the outro). One of the films I will definitely be covering very soon will be Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) for a crossover episode with The Lorehounds podcast. Alien can be found to buy or rent on many channels as well as hard copies.
To keep up to date with what’s coming next you can join me on Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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!
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 experts
Denise 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.
Chapters
00:00 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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As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead!
Every once in a while we take a break from watching and learning about old science fiction films and speak to a guest about their favourite sci-fi film. In this episode I speak to David Eagleman about The Creator and what about this 2023 film made it to the top of his list.
For full shownotes with references to the subjects mentioned in this episode you can visit https://www.everyscififilm.com/the-creator-david-eagleman-s-fvourite
The guest
David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Stanford University, a best-selling author of multiple books, and an entrepreneur. He is cofounder of Cognito Entertainment, a production company that focuses on science-based films and documentaries and he also directs the US based Center for Science and Law. David is the host of the Inner Cosmos podcast that delves into topics about the human brain and perception. You can find out more about him at https://eagleman.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction of show and guest
01:19 Overview of The Creator (with spoilers)
03:24 Why The Creator resonates with David
05:38 Consciousness, AI, and neuroscience
10:16 Human tribalism and prejudice
14:28 AI: friend, foe, fear, and the future
17:50 Mimicry, humanity, and the potential of AI
19:15 Can AI adapt and excel beyond the human brain?
23:01 Sad robots and subjectivity
24:52 Religious AI, heaven, and the cynical ending
NEXT EPISODE!
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. In some locations you can check where it is available to stream, rent or buy at JustWatch. The film is available to buy on Amazon in some places. DVDs of the film are available though not common.
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En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.