The War of the Worlds: HG Wells' Martians in 1953

Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever*

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.

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Chapters

1. Introduction to the show and guests (00:00:00)

2. HG Wells original text and his place in science fiction history (00:02:26)

3. The 1938 Orson Welles CBS radio play (00:09:00)

4. 1953 USA: paranoia and morality (00:12:46)

5. The differences from the novel: jingoism, religion and diversity (00:15:04)

6. California: Manifest Destiny and small town attitudes (00:21:31)

7. Race and racial segregation (00:24:52)

8. The spectacle of the film (00:36:04)

9. The 2005 Spielberg rendition (00:38:31)

10. The legacy of the film (00:43:35)

11. Related recommendations (00:47:22)