Sign In
Sign In
Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever*
Ayesha Khan
Recent Episodes
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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.