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...
Interstellar Science: Einstein, Wormholes and Gravity with Claudia de Rham
As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead! Earlier this year I approached a brilliant theoretical physicist about whether she would like to come on the podcast to speak about her favourite science fiction film but instead she wanted to speak to me about the science of the film Interstellar (2014). I apologise in advance for my own level of understanding of physics which is a mix of decades old lessons in school, a tiny handful of pop science books and a number of science fiction films. Interstellar was released ten years ago in November 2014. Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne was the main consultant to director Christopher Nolan on the science of the film which is packed with scientifically accurate scenarios (and a few scientifically fantastical ones too). The Guest Claudia de Rham is a theoretical physicist at Imperial College, London. Her expertise lies at the interface between Quantum Field Theory, Gravity, Gravitational Waves, Cosmology, Particle Physics, Numerical Simulations and Theoretical Mathematical Physics. She is also the author of the book The Beauty of Falling: A Life in Pursuit of Gravity. Chapters00:00 Introduction to the show and guest01:20 Claudia’s first viewing: Science, emotion and the world you leave behind. 03:25 A quick overview of the premise04:37 Wormholes: folding paper and spacetime17:17 Kip Thorne and gravitational anomalies11:14 Time dilation and black holes15:14 Time is relative, gravity is multi-dimensional and the transition to science fiction16:49 Going beyond Einstein’s theory of general relativity to the holy grail of science19:34 Differences in singularities and being pulled apart by black holes21:47 The tesseract and extra dimensions24:50 Gravity as communicator29:38 Gravity vs light33:20 Direct detection of gravitational waves, interferometers and LISA* in space35:06 Observation of the shadows of black holes36:50 Claudia’s love of gravity Next Episode:The next film we will be looking at is Creature from the Black Lagoon from 1954!You can check JustWatch for where you can find the film in your region. It is available to rent or buy in various places including Apple TV. Sequels Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us are trickier to track down though there are some online streaming services. The Shape of Water (2017) which is heavily inspired by the original film is available to rent or buy in various places and is also available for those who have a Disney+ subscription. * The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
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It Came from Outer Space: Bradbury, 3D & 1950s Teens
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.Chapters00:00 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.
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The War of the Worlds: HG Wells' Martians in 1953
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 history09:00 The 1938 Orson Welles CBS radio play 12:46 1953 USA: paranoia and morality 15:04 The differences from the novel: jingoism, religion and diversity21:32 California: Manifest Destiny and small town attitudes24:52 Race and racial segregation 28:55 Science, religion and salvation36:04 The spectacle of the film38:31 The 2005 Spielberg rendition43:35 The legacy of the film 47:22 Related recommendationsNEXT 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.
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53:52
The Day the Earth Stood Still: Klaatu's Ultimatum
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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The Thing from Another World: Howard Hawks and the Cold War
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 ExpertsJay 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.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the show and guests02:40 The 1950s sci-fi explosion06:34 The studio aversion to science fiction and the paramount decree09:55 Howard Hawks, Howard Hughes and who really directed this film?16:20 If it walks like a Hawk: Hallmarks and the Hawksian woman21:52 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 film48:56 Recommendations for listenersNEXT 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.
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
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