The Encyclopaedia Of Science Fiction Movies by Phil Hardy (book review).
The challenge in compiling an encyclopaedia of science fiction films today is the sheer volume of new releases each year, making it impossible for one individual to watch and keep up with them all. In 1986, Phil Hardy published ‘The Encyclopaedia Of Science Fiction Movies’, which included 1,500 entries from four contributors: Denis Gifford, Anthony Masters, Paul Taylor, and Paul Wileman, along with a substantial selection of photos from the Kobal Collection. The photos alone would have made me look at this book. As with all reference books, I’ll be paying attention to accuracy, even that far back. We begin in 1895 with the French film Charcuterie Méchanique, also known as ‘The Mechanical Butcher,’ and conclude in 1985 with ‘Weird Science’.
The biggest surprise, in my opinion, was the sheer number of early films that depicted dogs being fed through a machine, emerging as sausages, and even reversing the process in one instance. The name ‘hot dogs,’ which most people likely aren’t aware of, originates from this cinematic trick.
If you ever thought SF films started with ‘Metropolis’ in 1926, you would be sadly mistaken. Granted, the film is a classic, but as our genre gained popularity, there were many other films that came before it.
As I traverse through the decades, it becomes evident that the various writers involved lack consistency, and it’s unfortunate that editor Phil Hardy doesn’t include their initials alongside their entries to at least identify them. One of them is especially harsh. One of them consistently draws comparisons to their later achievements, which can be perceived as unfair. How could these directors have known about these achievements at the time? All of them refer to crew members and cast members by their surnames, with their full names given at the end of each entry. You might have assumed that the standard practice of mentioning the full name first, followed by the surname, would have been more effective. The biggest nag is referring to the actor and not the part, which is of little help in identifying the film.
The film series gets coverage, although the only omissions are the Phantom and Blackhawk film series. Most people consider all James Bond films to be science fiction (SF). However, the fact that so many films typically fall under the horror category rather than SF demonstrates the diversity of our genre.
As we transition into the 1950s and the films I’m familiar with, I do notice mistakes, and it would be remiss of me not to mention them. A book this big is bound to have them. The editor must rely on the accuracy of the contributors’ writing, whether they have seen all the films or have relied on memory or notes. I expect deadlines to prevent double-checking once we allocate films.
In ‘Spaceways’ (1953), Stephen Mitchell (actor Howard Duff) mistakenly believed Lisa Frank (actress Eva Bartok) was someone else until they were in orbit. It isn’t as though there wasn’t space to clarify this.
The photographs from ‘The Creature Of The Black Lagoon’ credit Ricou Browning for the creature on land, although Ben Chapman, a land stuntman, executed these poses.
The odd mistakes do crop up. These are likely just a few of the errors I noticed. In the film ‘Our Man Flint’ (1965), Flint’s cigarette lighter doesn’t have 82 ways to kill people, but it does have 83 functions, if you count lighting a cigarette. Not quite the same thing. In the 1966 ‘Batman’ film, Lee Meriwether never made an appearance in the TV series.
The two ‘Thunderbirds’ films are riddled with errors. If the reviewer was dissatisfied with the films, he should have returned the assignment. With ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ (1966), the Tracys did not fly the Zero-X to Mars. With ‘Thunderbird 6’ (1968), I’d hardly call the Tiger Moth aeroplane a rocket or the Hood (who isn’t in this film) bland.
The head exploding scene in the 1981 film ‘Scanners’ is actually from the ending, where actor Stephen Lack’s body ignites.
The reviewer of ‘The Return Of The Jedi’ (1983) is perplexed as to where Luke Skywalker’s lightsabre was during Leila’s rescue. It’s evident that he failed to notice it was hidden in R2-D2, who ejected it into his hand.
Here’s a bit of trivia you might not know: both Bruce Boxleitner and Peter Jurasik were in Tron (1982) long before Babylon 5’. Contrary to the text, Jurasik’s IMdB entry shows both Bruce Boxleitner and Peter Jurasik playing digitally in the former.
If you want to track down early SF films, then it’s worth getting hold of this book to point you in the right direction. Future SF film books must have used it as a source, allowing for a comparison of their historical timeline.
GF Willmetts
December 2024
(pub: Octopus Books, 1986. 408 page illustrated, including a colour section of photos, very large hardback. Price: varies but most cheap. ISBN: 0-7064-2557-X)
