Sci Fi, Superhero, and Fantasy Films! (1900s-1940s)

I know a little about sci fi, fantasy, and superhero films, most of these I’ve seen, so let’s go explore them through the decades! Sci fi comes out earlier than fantasy with A Trip to the Moon (1902) by Georges Melies. I saw it on Netflix, it is visionary, surreal with fantastic designs. The film was based on Jules Verne’s novel and features insect-like Selenites, men in costumes. One of the earliest fantasy films that I know is a silent, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, was in theaters in 1921.  There were also Disney shorts called the Alice Comedies, the ten minute b&w shorts had young Virginia Davis finding her way into an animated world, starting with Alice’s Wonderland (1923). This of course made Ms. Davis Disney’s first star and pioneered the combination of live action and animation that was later in Three Caballeros (1944), Song of the South (1946), and Mary Poppins (1964). Early stop motion by Willis O’Brien was in The Lost World (1925) based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel. The brilliant German sci fi film Metropolis (1927) was by Fritz Lang. The art direction is highly influential with the robot Maria inspiring C-3PO.

Disney of course was interested in fairy tales, toned down from their brutal European versions starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Then, in the following decade was A Connecticut Yankee (1931) based on the Mark Twain story, bringing Will Rogers, Hank Martin, to Camelot. Arthurian fantasy has always been a source material for films. We also had a live action Alice in Wonderland (1933) with Charlotte Henry as Alice. 1936 was the start of the Flash Gordon serial starring Buster Crabbe, very influential to Star Wars. We also had pulp heroes, the precursors to superheroes, with the  movie serials with first one showing up in 1938, The Spider’s Web (1938). 1939, had another sci fi hero, Buck Rogers starring Buster Crabbe. Of course the decade finished with the classic The Wizard of Oz (1939) which explored the fantasy land of Oz with Judy Garland. It was nominated for Academy Awards and won Best Original Song and Score. Wizard of Oz lost Best Special Effects to The Rains Came!

1940 started off with Buster Crabbe continuing with Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe. The pulp hero serials continued with The Shadow and The Green Hornet.  The 40’s brought one of the most stunning fantasy films of all time, highly recommended, The Thief of Bagdad (1940). This was a film with several directors, but known for it’s producer, Alexander Korda. It won the Academy Award for Cinematography, Art Direction, and Special Effects. The film is all too familiar with a thief, Ahmad (John Justin), his friend Abu (not a monkey played by the very charming Sabu!), trying to find a princess, aided by a Genie (Rex Ingram), and fighting against a sorcerer called Jaffar (Conrad Veidt). One of the first superheroes was the movie serial of The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941), now known as Shazam! The new film, Shazam!, is coming out on April 5th next year, 78 years after the first film! 

There was also a One Million B.C. by Hal Roach with dinosaurs which were really lizards with fins glued to them.  Another superhero serial, the first for a DC character, was Batman (1943) played by Lewis Wilson.  23 years before the 60's Batman The Movie, 46 years before the Tim Burton's Batman, and 62 years before Christopher Nolan directed Batman Begins.  We also had another serial with The Phantom (1943) based on the Lee Falk comic strip. Another movie serial was Captain America (1944) with Dick Purcell playing the superhero. The first Marvel superhero on film, it would be 35 years before the Reb Brown movie and 67 years before he appeared in the MCU.  In 1946, we have the landmark vision of Beauty and the Beast by Jean Cocteau, it is a surreal b&w film of the fairy tale. We finally had the first screen incarnation of Superman (1948) played by Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill portrayed Lois Lane.  In 1949, we have another version of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court featuring Bing Crosby and Alice in Wonderland with stop motion puppets. The year finished with another serial, King of the Rocket Men (1949), featuring Jeff King and his rocket pack. It is almost a pattern, starting with sci fi, then fantasy and fantasy again before we get to the sci fi heavy later years. Still, superheroes were there in 40’s.  We are moving on to the alien invasions of the 50's and incredible fantasy films of Ray Harryhausen! 

#ATriptotheMoon, #Metropolis, #ThiefofBagdad, #Superman