Collection: Science fiction films of the 1930s
==============================================

:: Title
Science fiction films of the 1930s

:: Date
1930-1939

:: Description
Science fiction films that premiered between 1 January 1930 and 31 December
1939.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_films_of_the_1930s

:: Collections
Collection: Science fiction films of the 1930s


movie: Alraune (1930)
=====================

:: Title
Alraune

:: Date
1930-03-02

:: Description
Professor ten Brinken artificially inseminates a bar girl with a mandrake root
that was somehow formed from the semen of a hanged man.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alraune_(1930_film)

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
mandrake root legend [story based on the legend that old German mandrake legend related to using a mandrake root that is somehow formed from the sperm of a hanged man to impregnate women]
playing God with nature [Professor Brinken was directly accused of playing God with nature by artificially inseminating a bar girl with a mandrake root and warned that he would pay for what he had done]
what is natural [it is discussed whether Alraune was an unnatural and monstrous creation]
uncle and niece [Professor Brinken raises the mandrake girl Alraune as his niece]
unrequited love [Professor Brinken and Frank Braun loved the girl Alraune who could not experience the emotion of love]
facing organized pursuit [Professor Brinken faced investigators closing in on him for having committed fraud and blackmail and shot himself before they got him]

:: Minor Themes
uncle and nephew [Frank Braun urged his uncle Professor Brinken to create a woman from a mandrake root]
scientist occupation [The geneticist Professor Jakob ten Brinken artificially inseminated a some rats with a mandrake root (a plant that was formed from the sperm of a hanged man) as a prelude to performing the procedure on a bar girl.]
the thrill of danger [Alraune commands her driver to go faster and faster down the road presumably for the thrill of it all]


movie: Just Imagine (1930)
==========================

:: Title
Just Imagine

:: Date
1930-11-23

:: Description
A portrayal of New York City in an imagined 1980 where tenement houses have
morphed into 250-story buildings, connected by suspension bridges and multi-
lane elevated roads.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Imagine

:: Ratings
4 <paul>

:: Major Themes
infatuation [J-21 and LN-18]
what if I found myself in the future [Scientists in 1980 New York revived a man named Peterson (a.k.a. Single O) who had died in 1930 of a lightning strike.]
nostalgia [Peterson longed for the good old days in 1930 New York; J-21 sang songs expressing his wish to live back in the New York of 1930 when life was comparatively simple]
human vs. institution [J-21 was prevented from marrying LN-18 because of a New York tribunal ruling and risked going on a dangerous mission to Mars to up his status and have the tribunal ruling reversed]
love triangle [J-21 and LN-18 wished to marry but the New York city tribunal ruled that J-21 must marry the MT-3.]
speculative spaceship [the inventor Z-4 spent five years building a spaceship capable of flying to Mars]
space exploration [The inventor Z-4 had a passion to explore Mars and it caught on with J-21 and RT-42.]
interplanetary space travel [J-21, RT-42, and Single O flew Z-4's spaceship to Mars]
Martian extraterrestrial [J-21, RT-42, and Single O encounter Martians on Mars and watch a Martian opera]

:: Minor Themes
flying car [people in 1980 New York get around in flying cars]
once speculative device [People used camera-equipped doorbells equipped to see who was outside ringing at their doors.]
videophone [people used video phones to communicate in 1980 New York]
scientist occupation [Some scientists performed an elaborate experiment in laboratory to bring a man who died in 1930 back to life.]
artificial womb [People in 1980 New York grew fetuses in incubator pods.]
revival long after death [scientists in 1980 New York revive a man who died in 1930 of a lightning strike]
alcohol in society [prohibition was still around in 1980 New York]
unrequited love [MT-3 at LN-18]
father and son [Single O is reunited with his son Axel]
human vs. captivity [J-21, RT-42, and Single O held captive by Martians and needed to escape within our days in order to reach Earth in time to hear the tribunal appeal]
what if I found myself in a low gravity environment [J-21, RT-42, and Single O surprised by how easy it is to move their spaceship on the surface of Mars]
coping with a loved one being in peril [LN-18 went hysterical over the well-being of her lover J-21 while he was on dangerous mission to Mars]
what it is like in a legal proceeding [A dramatic tribunal was held to render judgement on whether LN-18 was obligated to marry her conceited and mean suitor MT-3.]
legal occupation [A dramatic tribunal was held to render judgement on whether LN-18 was obligated to marry her conceited and mean suitor MT-3.]


movie: The End of the World (1931)
==================================

:: Title
The End of the World

:: Date
1931-01-23

:: Description
A comet hurtling toward Earth on a collision course and the different
reactions people have to the impending disaster. Scientist Martial Novalic who
discovers the comet, seeks a solution to the problem and becomes a fugitive
after skeptical authorities blame him for starting a mass panic.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_the_World_(1931_film)

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
transnational institution for peace [The One World Congress which unanimously agrees to unite all governments into a single harmonious entity after the people of Earth are miraculously spared from a cometary collision.]
a danger shared can bring people together [The One World Congress which unanimously agrees to unite all governments into a single harmonious entity after the people of Earth are miraculously spared from a cometary collision.]
messiah [Jean Novalic fancies he will become the shepherd of humanity after cometary impact event and Genevieve sees a vision of Jean as Christ.]
Messiah complex [Jean Novalic fancies he will become the shepherd of humanity after cometary impact event and Genevieve sees a vision of Jean as Christ.]
the religious end of the world [Jean Novalic fancies he will become the shepherd of humanity after cometary impact event and Genevieve sees a vision of Jean as Christ.]
close encounter with a passing astronomical object [An errant comet passes by Earth and causes natural disasters.]
asteroid impact [a comet is detected hurtling toward Earth on a collision course]
romantic love [Jean Novalic and Genevieve de Murcie]
Christianity [The films opened with a Jesus Christ passion play, which prefigured the Jean Novalic Messiah complex, and end of the world motif.]
mass hysteria [a mass panic descends upon the people of the Earth as news spreads of an impending cometary collision]

:: Minor Themes
father and daughter [Genevieve defies her scientist father Monsieur de Murcie and proposes to Jean Novalic]
love triangle [Schomburg is the boyfriend of Isabelle Bolin but he becomes entranced by Genevieve de Murcie]
government secrecy [The government hides that a comet is on a collision course with Earth in order to allows the stock market to recover from a crash.]


movie: Frankenstein (1931)
==========================

:: Title
Frankenstein

:: Date
1931-11-21

:: Description
A scientist and his assistant who dig up corpses to build a man animated by
electricity, but his assistant accidentally gives the creature an abnormal,
murderer's brain. The resultant monster is portrayed by Boris Karloff in the
film.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_(1931_film)

:: Ratings
5 <paul>

:: Major Themes
hubris [The film's presenter describes Frankenstein as “a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God.” Frankenstein was convinced he had found a way to create a normal human being, but in his arrogance he instead created a monster]
playing God with nature [Frankenstein and the hideous monster of his own creation]
maker and monster [Frankenstein and the hideous monster of his own creation]
engaged couple [Frankenstein and Elizabeth]
obsession [Frankenstein to create life]
undead being [Frankenstein's monster.]
what it is like to be different [Frankenstein's monster was rejected by society and treated cruelly.]
mad scientist stereotype [Dr. Frankenstein had the hubris to presume he could reanimate a corpse using the power of electricity.]
pride goes before a fall [Dr. Frankenstein was certain that he'd found a way to restore life to the ded, but was horrified when the fruit of his labor turned out to be a hideous monster.]

:: Minor Themes
scientist occupation [Frankenstein worked in his laboratory to create his eponymous monster.]
unrequited love [Victor at Elizabeth]
pride in one's own creation [Frankenstein in his monster]
coping with the death of someone [Some peasants were shook up over murder of Little Maria by the Monster.]
body snatching [Igor stole a fresh corpse to reanimate.]
electricity [Dr. Frankenstein used the power of electricity to bring life to inanimate matter.]


movie: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
=====================================

:: Title
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

:: Date
1931-12-31

:: Description
The story of Dr. Henry Jekyll, a kind English doctor in Victorian London, who
is certain that within each man lurks impulses for both good and evil.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Jekyll_and_Mr._Hyde_(1931_film)

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
the human capacity for good and evil [Henry Jekyll has two selves: his philanthropist good self and his evil split personality Edward Hyde]
engaged couple [Henry Jekyll and Muriel Carew]
romantic love [Henry Jekyll and Muriel Carew]
human vs. self [Henry Jekyll versus his evil side, Edward Hyde]
what if I underwent a physical metamorphosis [Henry Jekyll into the evil Edward Hyde]
facing one's darker side [Henry Jekyll faces his evil side, Edward Hyde]
fighting one's inner demons [Henry Jekyll faces his evil side, Edward Hyde]
life in Victorian Britain [The story was set in Victorian London.]
mad scientist stereotype [Dr. Jekyll had the hubris to presume he could use science to rid a person of their evil side, leaving only the good side behind.]
monster [Dr. Jekyll's deranged alter ego Mr. Hyde.]

:: Minor Themes
father and daughter [Sir Danvers Carew and Muriel Carew]
scientist occupation [Henry Jekyll developed a potion in his laboratory to temporarily transform himself into the evil Edward Hyde.]
unrequited love [Edward Hyde at Ivy Pearson; Ivy Pearson at Henry Jekyll]
domestic violence [Edward Hyde terrorized and abused his lover Ivy Pearson.]
remorse [Henry Jekyll sent Ivy Pearson 50 pounds out of shame over his behavior toward as Edward Hyde]


movie: L'Atlantide (1932)
=========================

:: Title
L'Atlantide

:: Date
1932-06-08

:: Description
A French officer searches for Atlantis in the sands of the Sahara Desert only
to be captured by Queen Antinéa, a descendant of the rulers of Atlantis.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Atlantide_(1932_film)

:: Ratings
2 <paul>

:: Major Themes
Atlantis [St. Avil search for Atlantis in the sands of the Sahara Desert only to be captured by Queen Antinéa, a descendant of the rulers of Atlantis.]
human vs. captivity [Saint-Avit and Morhange held captive by the queen Antinéa.]
infatuation [Saint-Avit at Queen Antinéa.]

:: Minor Themes
human vs. nature [Tanit Serga and St. Avil trek through Sahara Desert in search of Atlantis.; St. Avil and girl wander in Saraha Desert after escaping from lair of Queen Antinéa.]
charting unknown territory [St. Avil had a desire since childhood to search for Atlantis.]


movie: Chandu the Magician (1932)
=================================

:: Title
Chandu the Magician

:: Date
1932-08-18

:: Description
For three years, Frank Chandler has studied eastern magic with the Yogis in
India and is now known by his new identity, Chandu. He now has the power to
teleport, astral project, mesmerize, as well as project illusions. With these
supernatural abilities he has been entrusted by his teacher to go forth with
his youth and strength to conquer the evil that threatens mankind.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandu_the_Magician_(film)

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
death ray [The inventor Robert Regent developed a death ray whose beams reach half way round the world.]
speculative ability [Chandu learned how to teleport, astral project, mesmerize, as well as project illusions from the Yogis in India.]
the lust for power [Roxor plots to use death ray to aid his plans for world domination.]
romantic love [Chandu and Princess Nadji.]

:: Minor Themes
human vs. captivity [Robert Regent held captive by Roxor.]
alcohol abuse [Chandu tired to help Albert Miggles overcome his drinking problem.]
husband and wife [Robert Regent and Betty Lou Regent.]
teleportation ability [Chandu was taught how to teleport himself by Yogis.]
remote projection of self [Chandu was taught how to project an image of himself by Yogis.]


movie: Six Hours to Live (1932)
===============================

:: Title
Six Hours to Live

:: Date
1932-10-16

:: Description
Captain Paul Onslow is brought back to life after being assassinated, but has
only six hours to live.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Hours_to_Live

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
international issue [Representatives from governments of the all countries of the world met to negotiate a world-wide free trade agreement. Paul Onslow cast Sloveria ballot against agreement, which in his view, was for the good of the people. The treaty was vetoed as a result.]
revival long after death [Paul Onslow is revived from the dead by Prof. Otto Bauer after being assassinated]
what if I was brought back to life long after my death [Paul Onslow is revived from the dead]
romantic love [Baroness Valerie von Sturm and Paul Onslow.]
love vs. career [Paul Onslow faced with choosing between advancing his political career and marrying his love Baroness Valerie von Sturm.]
coming to terms with one's own death [Paul Onslow accepted that he had only six hours to live with dignity and made the best of his time.]
what if I had only one day to live [Paul Onslow had only six hours to live after being revived from the dead.]
playing God with nature [Paul Onslow smashed Prof. Otto Bauer's dead revival machine, claiming that life and death was better left in the hands of God.]
sacrifice for one's people [Paul Onslow risked assassination by going to meeting of world governments to cast his vote in his country's interest against free trade agreement.]

:: Minor Themes
unrequited love [Karl Kranz at Baroness Valerie von Sturm.]
love triangle [Paul Onslow, Baroness Valerie von Sturm, and Karl Kranz.]
scientist occupation [Professor Otto Bauer brought a rabbit and a man back from the dead using elaborate scientific apparatus.]
coping with romantic rejection [Baroness Valerie von Sturm was crushed when Paul Onslow told her to forget about him and take up with Karl Kranz]
Christianity [Paul Onslow came to accept Christ before his death.]
the afterlife [Paul Onslow comforted a little girl by telling her that her deceased sister was having fun in heaven.]


movie: Island of Lost Souls (1932)
==================================

:: Title
Island of Lost Souls

:: Date
1932-12

:: Description
The first film adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel The Island of Dr. Moreau,
published in 1896. Both book and film are about an obsessed scientist who is
secretly conducting surgical experiments on animals on a remote island.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_Lost_Souls_(1932_film)

:: Ratings
2 <paul>

:: Major Themes
species uplifting [Dr. Moreau became obsessed with transforming animals into humans.]
playing God with nature [Dr. Moreau described the transforming of animals into humans made him feel like God.]
obsession [Dr. Moreau became obsessed with transforming animals into humans.]
unethical human experimentation [Dr. Moreau's unethical experiments on animals bordered on human experimentation since he had transformed them into humans. In particular, Edward Parker accused him of vivisecting human beings.]
unrequited love [The Panther Woman Lota Edward Parker.]
romantic love [Edward Parker and Ruth Thomas.]
human vs. captivity [Shipwrecked traveler Edward Parker held captive on remote island by Dr. Moreau.]
human vs. beast [Dr. Moreau's animal creatures turned on him in the end.]
the thirst for knowledge [Dr. Moreau about the extent to which it possible to transform animals into humans. In particular, whether the panther woman Lota had the capacity to fall in love with Edward Parker.]
super accelerated Darwinian evolution [Dr. Moreau accelerated the evolution of plants and animals by scientific means. In particular, he evolve lower animals into human-like creatures.]
maker and monster [Dr. Moreau and the Panther Woman Lota and his other various monstrosities.]
hybrid being [Dr. Moreau created half-human creatures out of various different animals.]
mad scientist stereotype [Dr. Moreau became obsessed with transforming animals into humans in his laboratory of horrors.]

:: Minor Themes
vivisection [Edward Parker was horrified at the thought that Dr. Moreau was engaging in sadistic vivisections of animals.]
speculative evolution [Dr. Moreau asserted that all animal life was naturally evolving toward the human form, a form which he considered to be the pinnacle of evolution.]


movie: F.P.1 Doesn't Respond (1932)
===================================

:: Title
F.P.1 Doesn't Respond

:: Date
1932-12-22

:: Description
Lieutenant Droste wants to build an air station in the middle of the ocean to
allow pilots on intercontinental flights to refuel and repair any damage to
their aircraft.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.P.1

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
speculative artificial island [An artificial island of glass and steel, the Floating Platform 1, is constructed in the middle of the Atlantic ocean in order to serve as a stopping point for trans-Atlantic flights.]
unrequited love [Ellissen at Claire Lennartz.]
obsession [Lieutenant Droste was obsessed with building a his floating platform on the sea and wouldn't leave it even when it became apparent that it was going to sink into the sea.]

:: Minor Themes
the need for adventure [Ellissen aspired to fly to the North Pole, fly nonstop around the world, and be the first pilot to land on Floating Platform 1.]
charting unknown territory [Ellissen aspired to fly to the North Pole, fly nonstop around the world, and be the first pilot to land on Floating Platform 1.]


movie: Men Must Fight (1933)
============================

:: Title
Men Must Fight

:: Date
1933-02-17

:: Description
When Laura Mattson's lover is killed in World War I, she raises their son as a
pacifist. However, when a second world war looms "between the United States
and a country referred to as the Eurasian States in 1940", that belief is put
to the test.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Must_Fight

:: Ratings
2 <paul>

:: Major Themes
pacifism [Laura Mattson raises her son Bob Seward as a pacifist but a looming war puts their pacifist way of life to the test.]
war is sometimes justified [Laura Mattson learns that freedom is not free and that we must always be prepared to safeguard it and we all have a responsibility to defend it.]
duty vs. conscience [Bob Seward decided to join the air force out of a sense of duty to his country in spite of his pacifist convictions.]
romantic love [Nurse Laura Mattson and World War I pilot Geoffrey Aiken fell in love during the war.; Bob Seward and Peggy Chase.]
engaged couple [Bob Seward and Peggy Chase.; Evelyn and Steve.]
mother and son [Laura Mattson raises her son Bob Seward as a pacifist.]
patriotism [Bob Seward angered patriots Peggy Chase and her grandmother by expressing the opinion that flag waving patriots are a bunch of fools.; Patriots heckled Laura Mattson at pacifist rally.; Patriotic servant of Peggy Chase's grandmother went off with enthusiasm to fight for his country.; Edward Seward assured angry mob that he was a patriot for his country.]

:: Minor Themes
World War I [World War I military pilot Lt. Geoffrey Aiken is fatally wounded on his very first mission.]
coping with the death of a lover [Laura Mattson's lover the fighter pilot Geoffrey Aiken was killed in World War I.]
the horrors of war [Nurse Laura Mattson became a pacifist after witnessing the horrors of World War I first hand.; Thousands of casualties in new world war.]
husband and wife [Edward Seward persuades Laura Mattson to marry him, after her lover Geoffrey Aiken dies in World War I.]
father and son [Edward Seward raised Bob Seward as his own son.]
social activism [Laura Mattson led pacifist women's movement in lead up to a world war.]
chemical weapons [Eurasian States used chemical weapons against the Americans in the world war.]


movie: King Kong (1933)
=======================

:: Title
King Kong

:: Date
1933-03-02

:: Description
A huge, ape-like creature dubbed Kong perishes in an attempt to possess a
beautiful young woman.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong_(1933_film)

:: Ratings
5 <paul>
5 <mikael>

:: Collections
Collection: Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 films

:: Choice Themes
giant monster [King Kong rampaged in New York City.]

:: Major Themes
cryptid [A huge ape-like creature dubbed Kong was discovered on Skull Island. There was also a dinosaur.]
romantic love [Ann Darrow and Jack Driscoll.]
human vs. monster [King Kong rampaged in New York City.]
beauty and beast romance [King Kong became enamoured with beauty Ann Darrow.]
isolated prehistoric land [Skull Island was home to King Kong along with various dinosaurs.]
charting unknown territory [Carl and his crew were exploring a hitherto unknown island inhabited by savages.]
impossible love [King Kong appeared to be impossibly in love with Ann. He killed other people like flies, including women.]

:: Minor Themes
sexism in society [First mate Jack Driscoll made remarks about a ship not being a place for a girl.]
living dinosaur [The expedition team encountered dinosaurs on Skull Island.]
engaged couple [Ann Darrow and Jack Driscoll got engaged upon returning to New York from the voyage to Skull Island.]
the battle of the sexes [Some seamen objected to having a woman aboard and she was somewhat offended yet worried about causing trouble.]
prostitution vs. poverty [Ann briefly thought she might have been hired for dirty things and objected that that was probably not how she hoped to escape her destitution.]
infatuation [Jack and Ann became besotted with each other.]
filmmaking [We saw a nature film director set out on a voyage to film the unknown.]

:: Other Keywords
giant ape [King Kong.]


movie: Deluge (1933)
====================

:: Title
Deluge

:: Date
1933-08-13

:: Description
A group of worldwide natural disasters lead to the destruction of civilization
on Earth.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deluge_(film)

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
catastrophic flood [A group of worldwide natural disasters, most notably a global flood, lead to the destruction of Earth.]
the religious end of the world [People saw the worldwide natural disasters as the coming of the biblical end of the world.]
human vs. nature [A group of worldwide natural disasters lead to the destruction of Earth.]
rebuilding society after a disaster [People struggle to pick up the pieces and survive in the wake of destruction of world civilization from combination of natural disasters.]
romantic love [Martin and Claire become good friends and eventually fall in love.]
husband and wife [Martin and Claire.; Martin and Helen.]
love triangle [Martin, Claire, and Helen.]
choosing between lovers [Martin forced to choose between who among Clair and Helen to take as his wife.]


movie: The Invisible Man (1933)
===============================

:: Title
The Invisible Man

:: Date
1933-11-13

:: Description
A scientist who has devoted himself to research into optics and invents a way
to change a body's refractive index to that of air so that it neither absorbs
nor reflects light and thus becomes invisible. He successfully carries out
this procedure on himself, but fails in his attempt to reverse it.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invisible_Man_(1933_film)

:: Ratings
5 <paul>

:: Choice Themes
invisibility ability [Jack Griffin made himself invisible and was unable to reverse the condition.]
personal invisibility cloak [Jack Griffin discovers how to make himself invisible.]

:: Major Themes
the human capacity for good and evil [Jack Griffin became immoral when he was invisible and not accountable for his behavior.]
the lust for power [Jack Griffin wished to rule the world after becoming invisible and hatched an elaborate plot of world domination.]
the desire for fame [Jack Griffin was motivated to invent invisibility cloak by a desire to be a famous scientist and become a powerful person in the world.]
engaged couple [Flora Cranley and Jack Griffin.]
romantic love [Flora Cranley and Jack Griffin.]
playing God with nature [Jack Griffin confessed on his deathbed that he had meddled with things that man must leave along.]
mad scientist stereotype [Jack Griffin invented an invisibility serum that he used on himself and then went mad.]

:: Minor Themes
scientist occupation [Dr. Cranley was carrying out experiments in his laboratory. Jack Griffin was working on chemical experiments to reverse his invisibility.]
father and daughter [Dr. Cranley and Flora Cranley.]
coping with a loved one being in peril [Flora Cranley was distraught over the disappearance of her fiancée Jack Griffin.]
unrequited love [Arthur Kemp at Flora Cranley.]


movie: Life Returns (1935)
==========================

:: Title
Life Returns

:: Date
1935-01-02

:: Description
A doctor is convinced that the dead can be brought back to life gets the
chance to prove his theory on a dog that has recently died.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Returns

:: Ratings
4 <paul>

:: Major Themes
revival long after death [The film culminated with Dr. Frederick bringing Danny's recently euthanized dog back from the dead.]
scientist occupation [The story followed a scientist (Dr. Frederick) as he tried to prove his theory that the dead can be brought back to life.]
father and son [Dr. Kendrick and his young son Danny.]

:: Minor Themes
philanthropist way of life [A.K. Arnold was supposedly running a philanthropic research institute, but he was mainly concerned with developing commercializable products.]
master and pet [The young boy Danny and his dog Scooter.]
coping with the death of a spouse [Dr. Kendrick grieved the sudden and unexpected loss his wife]
medical occupation [We saw Dr. Kendrick working as a practicing physician.]
coping with the death of a parent [Danny grieved the sudden and unexpected loss his mother.]


movie: Loss of Sensation (1935)
===============================

:: Title
Loss of Sensation

:: Date
1935-04-17

:: Description
The engineer Jim Ripl invents universal robots to help workers, being himself
from a workers' family. He theorizes that cheap production will make all goods
so cheap that capitalism will fall, but the workers do not share his view and
his family considers him a traitor.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_of_Sensation

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
workers replaced by machines [Jim Ripl invents universal robots to help workers, but the workers fear the robots will take their jobs.]
machines in society [Jim Ripl invents universal robots to help workers, but the workers fear the robots will take their jobs.]
humanoid robot [Jim Ripl invents universal robots to help workers.]
capitalism [Jim Ripl invents universal robots to help workers with the belief that cheap production will make all goods so cheap that capitalism will fall without any revolution.]
science for war or peace [Jim Ripl wanted to use his robots to bring an end to capitalism by peaceful means but the military planned to use his robots in looming war and to suppress a labor revolt.]
workers' rights [Factory workers organize a general strike and take action to prevent robots from taking their jobs.]
labor revolt [Factory workers organize a general strike and take action to prevent robots from taking their jobs.]

:: Minor Themes
brother and brother [Jack Ripl felt betrayed by his brother Jim Ripl.]
brother and sister [Jim Ripl's sister came to visit him after he had been ostracized by his family.]


movie: Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
===================================

:: Title
Bride of Frankenstein

:: Date
1935-04-20

:: Description
A chastened Henry Frankenstein abandons his plans to create life, only to be
tempted and finally coerced by his old mentor Dr. Pretorius, along with
threats from the Monster, into constructing a mate for the Monster.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bride_of_Frankenstein

:: Ratings
4 <paul>

:: Major Themes
playing God with nature [Mary Shelly explains the moral of the original Frankenstein film in the introduction.; Henry Frankenstein creates a bride for the hideous monster of his own creation.]
maker and monster [Frankenstein and the hideous monster of his own creation]
engaged couple [Henry Frankenstein and Elizabeth]
romantic love [Henry Frankenstein and Elizabeth]
mentor and protégé [Dr. Septimus Pretorius and Henry Frankenstein.]
the need for companionship [The monster was reviled but society, but wished for companionship, and Henry Frankenstein made him a bride.]
undead being [Frankenstein's monster.]
what it is like to be different [Frankenstein's monster was rejected by society and treated cruelly.]
mad scientist stereotype [Dr. Frankenstein went about creating a mate for his monster.]

:: Minor Themes
seeing the error of one's ways [Henry Frankenstein renounced his designs to create life from death as an abomination onto the lord.]
scientist occupation [Dr. Septimus Pretorius and Henry Frankenstein worked in Frankenstein's laboratory to create a bride for Frankenstein's monster.]
pride in one's own creation [Henry Frankenstein in his monster.; Dr. Septimus Pretorius in his various homunculi.]
friendship [Blind hermit befriended the monster.]
loneliness [Blind hermit complained of being lonely before the monster arrived.]
electricity [Electricity was used to animate the corpse that was to become the bride of Frankenstein.]


movie: Air Hawks (1935)
=======================

:: Title
Air Hawks

:: Date
1935-05-07

:: Description
Pilot Barry Eldon is the owner of Independent Transcontinental Lines whose
airline is in direct competition with Martin Drewen, owner of Consolidated
Airlines. Drewen used a death ray to shoot down Eldon's airplanes.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Hawks

:: Ratings
2 <paul>

:: Major Themes
death ray [Shulter invents a death ray that Drewen plots to use to bring down three of Eldon's aircraft.]
romantic love [Barry Eldon and Renee Dupont.]
passion for vehicles [Barry Eldon had a lifelong passion for aviation.]
rivalry [Barry Eldon and Martin Drewen over desire to get lucrative airmail contract.]

:: Minor Themes
scientist occupation [The German inventor Shulter was working in his laboratory to develop a death ray.]


movie: The Tunnel (1935)
========================

:: Title
The Tunnel

:: Date
1935-10-27

:: Description
A group of wealthy industrialists commission the engineer Richard McAllan to
spearhead the building of a transatlantic tunnel between New York and London.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tunnel_(1935_film)

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
undersea tunnel [A group of wealthy industrialists build of a transatlantic tunnel between New York and London.]
husband and wife [Richard McAllan neglects his relationship with his wife Ruth because he is preoccupied with the building of a transatlantic tunnel.]
father and son [Richard McAllan neglects his fatherly duties to Geoffrey because he is preoccupied with the building of a transatlantic tunnel.]
disintegrating romantic relationship [Richard McAllan and Ruth's marriage fell apart when he became preoccupied with building a transatlantic tunnel.]
human vs. nature [Engineers versus undersea volcano in the building of transatlantic tunnel.]
a common interest unites [Politicians gave speeches about how the transatlantic tunnel would unite American and England.]
transnational institution for peace [It was thought that the building of a transatlantic tunnel would bring about world peace through the unification of the English speaking peoples of the world.; Richard McAllan believed the construction of the transatlantic would bring about world peace.]
romantic love [Richard McAllan and Ruth]

:: Minor Themes
secret crush [Lloyd's attractive daughter Varlia at Richard McAllan]
videophone [Richard McAllan communicated with investors and his wife Ruth over video telecommunication device.]
coping with a disability [Ruth went blind and was coping with it.]
coping with the death of a child [Ruth and Richard McAllan morned the death of her son Geoffrey who died in a tunnel accident.]


movie: The Invisible Ray (1936)
===============================

:: Title
The Invisible Ray

:: Date
1936-01-20

:: Description
A scientist creates a telescope-like device that captures light-waves from the
Andromeda Galaxy, giving him a way to view the distant past. Using this
knowledge, he travels to Africa to locate a large, unusual meteorite that fell
there a billion years earlier. He discovers that the meteorite is composed of
a poisonous unknown element, "Radium X". After exposure to its rays begins to
make him glow in the dark, his touch becomes deadly, and he begins to be
slowly driven mad.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invisible_Ray_(1936_film)

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
science for war or peace [Janos Rukh harnessed the power of Radium X for evil but Felix Benet wished to use it for the good of society by using to to cure people of illness.]
the desire for vengeance [Janos Rukh sought vengeance on his colleagues over his perception that they too the credit for his discovery of Radium X. Janos Rukh sought vengeance against Ronald Drake for marrying Janos' wife Diana Rukh.]
deadly touch ability [Janos Rukh causes death in anyone he touches after being exposed to Radium X.]
husband and wife [Janos Rukh and Diana Rukh.; Diana Rukh marries Ronald Drake after the apparent death of her husband Janos Rukh.]
romantic love [Janos Rukh and Diana Rukh.; Ronald Drake and Diana Rukh.]
mother and son [Mother Rukh confronts her son Janos Rukh over his growing madness and generally disapproved of his scientific pursuits.]
mad scientist stereotype [A scientist, Janos Ruth, went mad after he was not given the proper credit he was due for his discovery of Radium X and went about plotting his revenge.]

:: Minor Themes
time travel [Janos Rukh invented a telescope that can look far out into deep space, into the Andromeda Galaxy, and photograph light rays that show the Earth's past.]
what if I saw a glimpse of the past [Janos Rukh invented a telescope that can look far out into deep space, into the Andromeda Galaxy, and photograph light rays that show the Earth's past.]
land exploration [Dr. Rukh went on an expedition on the continent of Africa to find the location of a billion year ago crashed meteor.]
coping with a disability [Janos Rukh cured his mother Diana Rukh's blindness using Radium X.]
coping with bad cooking [Francis with antelope soup.]
death ray [Janos Rukh harnesses the power of Radium X to make a death ray, which he could also use to heal illnesses.]
the dangers of radioactivity [Dr. Rukh was being poisoned by radiation that was being emitted from the newly discovered element Radium X.]


movie: Cosmic Voyage (1936)
===========================

:: Title
Cosmic Voyage

:: Date
1936-01-21

:: Description
In the year 1946, Professor Pavel Ivanovich Sedikh leads the first manned
exploration to the moon as part of the Soviet space program.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_Voyage_(1936_film)

:: Ratings
2 <paul>

:: Major Themes
interplanetary space travel [Professor Pavel Sedikh and his assistants make a successful landing on the Moon.]
speculative spaceship [Professor Pavel Sedikh built a spaceship and used it to lead a manned mission to the Moon.]
space exploration [Professor Sedikh was determined to fly to the Moon in his a spaceship of his own design.]

:: Minor Themes
rivalry [Professor Sedikh's rival Professor Karin explained that Sedikh was being too old and too mentally unstable to lead the first mission to the Moon and it was better Krain do it.]
electromagnetic catapult [A spaceship was launched using some manner of electric rail gun.]
what if I found myself in a zero gravity environment [The flight crew delight in the experience of zero gravity on voyage to the Moon.]
speculative spacesuit [The flight crew used specially designed spacesuits to walk on and explore the Moon.]


movie: The Walking Dead (1936)
==============================

:: Title
The Walking Dead

:: Date
1936-02-29

:: Description
A wrongly executed man who is restored to life by a scientist.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_(1936_film)

:: Ratings
2 <paul>

:: Major Themes
revival long after death [John Ellman is restored to life after being hanged for a crime he didn't commit.]
what if I were being framed for a crime [John Ellman was convicted of and hanged for a murder that'd been pinned on him by a cabal of six men.]
remorse [The six men who framed John Ellman for murder died one by one from guilt over what they had done.]

:: Minor Themes
artificial body part <heart> [Dr. Evan Beaumont invented an artificial heart and used to to revive John Ellman from the dead.]
engaged couple [Jimmy and Nancy.]
romantic love [Jimmy and Nancy.]
facing one's own execution [John Ellman on death row.]
the afterlife [Dr. Evan Beaumont was curious to learn about the afterlife from John Ellman after he was revived from the dead.; John Ellman presumably acquired some understanding of who had framed him for murder while he was dead.]
the thirst for knowledge [Dr. Evan Beaumont was curious to learn about the afterlife from John Ellman after he was revived from the dead.]
murder [John Ellman was convicted and hanged for a murder that he didn't commit.]


movie: Ghost Patrol (1936)
==========================

:: Title
Ghost Patrol

:: Date
1936-08-03

:: Description
A scientific genius has invented a machine capable of causing planes to crash.
He uses it on planes loaded with valuables. Various characters become involved
in conspiracies and double crosses in an attempt to stop him.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Patrol

:: Ratings
1 <paul>

:: Major Themes
death ray [A scientist invents a ray capable of knocking down airplanes out of the sky.]
human vs. captivity [Jonathan Brent held captive by bandits and forced to adapt his radium death ray to be able to take airplanes out of the sky.]
father and daughter [Natalie Brent worked to rescue her father Jonathan Brent from bandits who had taken him captive.]

:: Minor Themes
scientist occupation [Professor Jonathan Brent was busy at work in his laboratory on a ray apparatus of some kind.]


movie: The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936)
==========================================

:: Title
The Man Who Changed His Mind

:: Date
1936-09-11

:: Description
A mad scientist swaps the minds of a crippled man and a well known
philanthropist.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Changed_His_Mind

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
mind transfer technology [Dr. Laurience transfered the mind of Clayton into philanthropist Lord Haslewood. He also transfered the mind from one chimp into another.]
body swap [Dr. Laurience swapped the minds of Clayton and philanthropist Lord Haslewood]
the quest for immortality [Dr. Laurience went mad and endeavored to use his mind transfer machine to transfer himself into the body of a younger man, and offered to transfer Clair's mind into a younger body.]
what if I found myself in the body of another person [Clayton in the body of Lord Haslewood.]

:: Minor Themes
sexism in society [Some ridiculed the notion that Clare Wyatt could be a good scientist.]
female independence [Clare Wyatt made a point to Dr. Gratton that she didn't need his protection while working for Dr. Laurience and later conveyed that she didn't need to get married.]
the need to be treated with respect [Dr. Laurience was ridiculed by his academic peers when he claimed to have performed a mind transfer on chimps and it drove him mad.]
romantic love [Clare Wyatt and Dick Haslewood.]
father and son [Dick Haslewood was worried about his father Lord Haslewood's health.]
engaged couple [Clare Wyatt and Dick Haslewood.]
scientist occupation [Dr. Laurience was working on a mind transfer contraption in his laboratory.]


movie: Things to Come (1936)
============================

:: Title
Things to Come

:: Date
1936-09-14

:: Description
A 1936 British black-and-white science fiction film based on the H. G. Wells
novel The Shape of Things to Come.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_to_Come

:: Ratings
4 <paul>

:: Major Themes
war of mutual annihilation [An aerial bombing raid on Everytown city results in general mobilization and then global war that throws the world into a dark age.]
science for war or peace [Science made civilization destroying global war possible, but also a journey to the Moon.]
the horrors of war [Everytown citizens experience multiple horrors of a global war.]
rebuilding society after war [The world rebuilt after a catastrophic global war.]
world government [Wings Over the World organization aimed to form a global government in the aftermath of the world war.]
the dangers of unfettered scientific advancement [By 2036 world civilization was devoted to peace and scientific progress, but Theotocopulos incited the population to demand a rest from all the rush of progress.]
technologically enabled utopia [The Wings Over the World organization aimed to create a utopia founded on science.]

:: Minor Themes
chemical weapons [Everytown citizens faced poison gas attacks.]
natural pandemic [A pandemic set in after years of war ended.]
facing an epidemic [Everytown citizens were ravaged by pestilence in the aftermath of years of war.]
space gun [A space gun was planned to be used to send a spaceship to the Moon.]
interplanetary space travel [A mission to the Moon planned for launch in 2036.]
anti-technology way of life [Theotocopulos led a neo-luddist movement that destroyed the space gun in an effort to curb scientific progress.]


movie: Non-Stop New York (1937)
===============================

:: Title
Non-Stop New York

:: Date
1937-09-13

:: Description
A woman who can clear an innocent man of the charge of murder is pursued by
gangsters onto a luxurious transatlantic flying boat.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Stop_New_York

:: Ratings
2 <paul>

:: Major Themes
speculative vehicle [Jennie snuck aboard the Atlantic Airlines "Libson Clipper", a giant transatlantic flying boat.]

:: Minor Themes
what if I were being framed for a crime [Henry Abel had the murder of Billy Cooper pined on him by mobsters.]
facing one's own execution [Henry Abel on death row.]
mother and daughter [Jennie's mother and Jennie Carr.]
romantic love [Jennie Carr and Inspector Jim Grant.]
murder [Henry Abel was charged with murder.]


movie: Son of Frankenstein (1939)
=================================

:: Title
Son of Frankenstein

:: Date
1939-01-13

:: Description
Dr. Frankenstein's son revives finds his father's monster and revives it.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_Frankenstein

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
the desire for redemption [Baron Wolf von Frankenstein made a bid to redeem his father's soiled reputation by reviving the monster.]
the desire for vengeance [Igor directed the monster to murder the jurors who had sentenced him to death.]
playing God with nature [The revival of the monster was considered to be an abomination onto the lord.]
husband and wife [Baron Wolf von Frankenstein and Elsa.]
father and son [Baron Wolf von Frankenstein and Peter.; Henry Frankenstein and Wolf von Frankenstein.]
undead being [Frankenstein's monster.]
mad scientist stereotype [Dr. Frankenstein's son took up where he father had left off.]

:: Minor Themes
mother and son [Elsa and Peter.]
coping with a disability [Inspector Krogh had his arm torn out from the roots by the monster when he was a child and he could not pursue his dream of joining the military as a result.]
scientist occupation [Baron Wolf von Frankenstein reviving the monster in his laboratory.]
coping with being disfigured [The monster was revolted by its own appearance in the mirror.]
electricity [Central to the story was Baron Wolf von Frankenstein's experiments with electricity to harness its power to revive the monster in his laboratory.]


movie: The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)
=========================================

:: Title
The Man They Could Not Hang

:: Date
1939-08-17

:: Description
Dr. Savaard is obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. A young medical
student offers his services to him, but before he can bring him back to life,
Savaard is arrested, convicted, and sentenced to hang. He vows revenge on the
judge and the jury before his hanging. His assistant claims his body and
revives him by using his technique. The vengeful Savaard goes on a killing
spree.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_They_Could_Not_Hang

:: Ratings
3 <paul>

:: Major Themes
the quest for immortality [It was Dr. Henryk Savaard's goal in life to bestow humankind with the gift of eternal life. This he planned to do by replacing people's failing organs with artificial ones.]
artificial body part <heart> [Dr. Savaard was transplanted with an artificial heart after being hanged and was brought back to life as a result. Dr. Savaard transplanted an experimental artificial heart into the body of young medical student Scoop Fole.]
revival long after death [Dr. Savaard was revived after being hanged for murder. Dr. Savaard pronounced a medical student dead and then attempted revived him by transplanting him with an experimental artificial heart, but the police arrested him before he could finish the procedure.]
the desire for vengeance [Dr. Savaard sought to kill all the jurors who had sentenced him to hang after being revived from the dead.]
unethical human experimentation [Dr. Savaard killed a young medical student in order to bring him back to life with an artificial heart.]
father and daughter [Dr. Henryk Savaard and Janet Savaard.]

:: Minor Themes
engaged couple [A young medical student assured his fiancée that they'd be off to eat chop suey just as soon as Dr. Savaard killed him and brought him back to life.]
capital punishment [A few members of Dr. Savaard's jury objected to sentencing him to death.]
facing one's own execution [Dr. Savaard faced execution with a brave face.]
hexes and curses [Some reporters wondered whether the Dr. Savaard jury was cursed after six of them had been found hanged.]
romantic love [Scoop Foley and Janet Savaard.]
personal identity [Janet stated that vengeful full of hatred Dr. Savaard who was revived from the dead was not the same man as the father she had known before the hanging.]


movie: The Return of Doctor X (1939)
====================================

:: Title
The Return of Doctor X

:: Date
1939-12-02

:: Description
Dr. Maurice Xavier is revived from the dead using synthetic blood to sustain
him.

:: References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_of_Doctor_X

:: Ratings
1 <paul>

:: Major Themes
revival long after death [Flegg revives Dr. Maurice Xavier from the dead using synthetic blood.]
artificial body part <blood> [Flegg invented artificial blood and used it to revive a man from the dead.]

:: Minor Themes
scientist occupation [Flegg was experimenting in his laboratory with bringing a rabbit back rom the dead.]
remorse [Flegg regretted having brought Maurice Xavier back to life, because Xavier became a murderer.]


