#26 – Vonnegut, Adams, and Modern Satire – A Reader's History of Science Fiction
While many early works of proto-sci-fi were satires like Gulliver's Travels, satirical works also appear in modern sci-fi. In this episode, we take a look at the two most famous authors of this subgenre, Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams. Book recommendation: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut's letter to his family during World War II. Other works discussed: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
At the same time science fiction came into its own as a genre, cinema was doing the same. Here, we see an overview of the most notable sci-fi films of the silent and pre-Code eras, and how they influenced the culture.
Movie recommendation: Metropolis.
Other films mentioned:
Le Voyage Dans La Lune (YouTube link with 2011 restoration soundtrack.)
Frankenstein
King Kong
Another movie from this era that influenced science fiction cinema was “Our Heavenly Bodies” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Heavenly_Bodies) which incorporated a lot of practical effects that sci-fi uses. The characters touring the solar system meet the inhabitants of the various planets. It was basically Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” for 1925. The film was lost for many years but recently reconstructed and presented at the AFI Silver Spring theater a few years ago.
Interesting. I hadn’t heard of that one. I’ll have to check it out.