John_carter_movieposterEdgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), one of the “grandfathers of science fiction”, wrote A Princess of Mars in 1911, first of the John Carter of Mars/Barsoom series of nine books. This Disney production is based on characters and story elements in the series, with dramatic special effects. John Carter, a former Confederate officer and gold prospector, is taken to Mars – a planet with strange humanoids races, bizarre animals and technologies, with some shape-shifting, teleportation mixed in. Adventure, conflict, and romance! Ann Ford will quickly recap our discussion last Sunday – the Theosophical ideas Burroughs used in his vision of Mars and its people. You can see some of those ideas in this movie version if you look closely. Because the film runs 2 hrs and 12 minutes, we will be ending a little later than usual.