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 experts
Sonja 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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