Matt and Dave go back to the early days of sound cinema and one of the first great sci-fi films, scripted by none other than H. G. Wells. A lavish golden age blockbuster! We follow as the movie explores socialism and technology in the 1940s, 1970s, and 2030s. Along the way we cross paths with the philosophy of Hannah Arendt, Marshall McLuhan, and Karl Marx, as well as the late writing of Wells. At stake are questions of human progress, happiness, and intention.
Released 27 February 2021 | 34 mins
SEASON 1 : WINTER 2021 > EPISODE 4 : THINGS TO COME (1936)
EPISODE 4 TRAILER
DEEPER DIVES AND CONTINGENT TANGENTS?
> There’s a great overview of the film at BFI ScreenOnline.
> And the full film is restored and available at Archive.org.
> Also on Archive.org, the contemporary review of the film by Graham Green to which Matt refers.
> And the film treatment is also online at Leon Scripts.
> Finally, H.G. Wells’ book The Shape of Things to Come, on which the author bases his film script, can be viewed at Project Gutenberg. Dave reads selections from its faux intro and outro in the podcast ep.
ERRATA
No doubt we have made any number of errors, blunders, and boo-boos. We didn’t notice any we left in the edit this episode… but if you spot any, let us know!