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Nemo Goes Nuclear

From: <Rfbagby~at~aol.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 13:07:57 EST
To: jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il

To Garmt and Michael in particular --
Actually making Nemo an atomic pioneer predates the Disney film, having begun
at least with the 1951 fifteen chapter movie serial MYSTERIOUS ISLAND where
the reason Nemo and invaders from outer space (long story!) are both on the
island is it contains the 'fabulous' element "uranium" (wow, they even
invented the right name! ;-)
The Disney film did cement the idea of Verne as nuclear prophet, contributing
to nonNemo versions such as the unfortunate 1950's FROM THE EARTH TO THE
MOON (where Joseph Cotten uses "Power X") to the European SECRET OF
STEEL-TOWN (a BEGUM'S FORTUNE adaption using a neutron bomb instead of poison
gas.)
While many of Michael's points in his analysis are right, another reason for
having Verne "prophesy" something like nuclear power is it helps the
contemporary audience cope with it. Thus if Nemo was playing with nukes over
a century ago, there's less reason to fear we'll blow ourselves up with it
today (since it didn't happen "then".)
As with CARPATHIAN CHATEAU being seen to "prophesy" movies, TV, and virtual
reality as the state of the art shifted, Nemo probably will not move on from
atomics until some other energy source becomes the new Future to be read into
the Past.
RF Bagby
Received on Sun 13 Feb 2000 - 20:09:39 IST

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