Based upon the 1933 modern by Edwin Balmer (1883-1959) and Philip Wylie (1902-1971), “When Worlds Collide” was adapted to film in 1951 under the direction of Rudolph Maté (1898-1964) and with a budget of approximately $936,000. (By comparison in the same year, this was only slightly less than the budget faded for “The Day the Earth Stood Collected”, but a cramped fragment of the $7,000,000 budget spent for “Quo Vadis”) . The memoir begins at a remote observatory where the noted astronomer, Dr. Emery Bronson (Hayden Rorke, 1910-1987) discovers that a rogue star with its orbiting planet (that he names Bellus and Zyra respectively) may be on a collision course with Earth. In absolute secrecy, Dr. Bronson sends his horrific data to his colleague Dr. Cole Hendron (Larry Keating, 1896-1963) in Recent York via the leather-jacketed, ace pilot & courier Dave Randall (Richard Derr, 1918-1992) . With the assistance of his daughter Joyce Hendron (Barbara Run), Dr. Hendron analyzes Dr. Bronson’s data on the “Differential Analyzer” (an veteran analog computer) and confirms the trajectories of Bellus and Zyra. Dr. Hendron confers with other scientists and world leaders to ask them to manufacture rockets to ferry as many people, animals and plants as possible away from the doomed Earth and to a unusual home on Zyra. (The similarity to the Judeo-Christian narrative of Noah’s ark is definite.) However, the findings tumble on deaf ears, except for the aging, wheelchair-bound millionaire Sydney Stanton (John Hoyt, 1905-1991), who agrees to fund the building of a single rocket that can buy unprejudiced over 40 passengers as long as he has a seat. The film follows the construction of the rocket, the devastating effects that the gravity of Zyra and Bellus have upon Earth as they reach, and the impact that the impending doom has upon the social structure.
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For a film that was made long before computer-generated special effects existed, the special effects conventional in “When Worlds Collide” are effective and challenging. It’s especially fun to peruse how people in the early 1950’s envisioned the types of technology that could be ragged to proceed into site years before any nation had created an real state program or trained any astronauts. Though the science extinct in the film was flawed and film’s meager budget prevented a more realistic vision of a Zyran landscape, neither seriously adversely affects the film-watching experience. Overall, I rate the 1951 “When Worlds Collide” with 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to any sci-fi aficionado.
So where will you be when the destroy is nigh? And when I snarl of the raze, I’m talking about the ruin of the world, as depicted in producer George Pal’s classic science fiction feature When Worlds Collide (1951), which won an Oscar in 1952 for best special effects. Based on the unique written by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie, and directed by Rudolph Maté (D.O.A., The Violent Men), the film features Richard Derr (The Bride Goes Wild) and Barbara Urge (It Came from Outer Spot) . Also appearing is Larry Keating (”Mister Ed”), John Hoyt (Lost Continent, The Conqueror), Peter Hansen (The Deep Six), Alden Lumber (The Blob), Hayden `Dr. Bellows’ Rorke (”I Dream of Jeannie”), and Frank Cady (The Abominable Seed, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao), probably best known for his role as the amiable general store proprietor Sam Drucker on the television series “Green Acres”. Also, hold an ear out for well-liked sigh over/narration artist Paul `The Voice’ Frees (Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, The Monolith Monsters, The Time Machine), who’s provided voices for such characters as Frances the talking mule, Boris Badenov, Morocco Mole, and the Pillsbury Doughboy, among a broad many others.
The film opens with an apocalyptic passage from the Bible (Pal certain loved his scripture), after which we seek some astronomers, working out of a South African observatory, busily crunching data and giving us the sense they’ve discovered something amiss with the universe, or, at least, our miniature corner of it…they pack up their materials and send them off with a pilot/courier named David Randall (Derr), to be delivered to Professor Cole Hendron (Keating), a scientist/astronomer who resides in the U.S. On arriving, Dave hooks up with Joyce (Hasten), the professor’s glorious daughter and eventually learns the ruin of the Earth is but eight, short months away. Here’s the deal…there’s two planetoids, one called Zyra, and the 2nd, larger one called Bellus, headed directory towards the Earth, and total annihilation is imminent. Hendron presents this information to the U.N., but they give him the bum’s speed. He then proceeds to win private backers to finance a wacky belief bewitching building a rocket ship (dubbed `the Ark’) and using it to hop onto Zyra as the planetoid passes, honest prior to the arrival of Bellus (the arrival of Zyra will cause massive destruction on Earth, but the arrival of Bellus will cause complete obliteration) . The professor does pick up his financial backing, the majority of it coming from a icy, calculating, cynical, wheelchair amble industrialist named Stanton (Hoyt), who will only shell out for the project as long as he gets a seat on the rocket. As the project develops, so does a adore triangle between Dave, Joyce, and her sort of fiancé, Professor Hendron and Stanton have various fallings out, and eventually the world comes to realize the threat, once perceived as non-existent, is actually very trusty. As the rocket ship and the associated preparations arrive to a halt, the final task is to choose who among the workers shall salvage to go…station is extremely cramped, and many will have to be left slack. Some sacrifices are made, both willing and unwilling, as the start draws arrive…
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As far as science fiction classics from the 1950s, When Worlds Collide is definitely in my top ten. What it may lack in scientific theory (which is quite a bit), it more than makes up for in imagination, and, as others have mentioned, objective slow fun. The film does require quite a bit in terms of suspending one’s disbeliefs, but this is made easy due to the fact it provides an absorbing and exciting storyline, with a number of racy characters. I conception Derr did very well as David Randall, an individual caught up in the middle of the of the action, struggling with guilt based his automatic inclusion in the chosen few who obtain to go (Joyce’s father, the professor, sees how she feels about him, so he makes an allowance for David), and the fact he feels he has so tiny to offer compared to the others working on the project, many of whom will not be able to invent the stagger (again, dwelling on the ship is extremely shrimp) . At times he did seem a bit overly benevolent and lacking the core, intrinsic trait everyone shares, that being a strong sense of self-preservation. I conception Ms. Bustle also did well as a woman torn between two men, her predicament heightened and brought to a head by having the specific knowledge of when the raze was coming. Perhaps my accepted character was that of the industrialist Stanton, played by John Hoyt. The character was a advance perfect cynical, self-serving `ying’ to Professor Hendron’s optimistic, altruistic `yang’…was it me, or did Hendron seem a minute too naïve at times in terms of thought human nature, specifically in times of desperation? Distinct, there will be those willing to sacrifice great, even their lives, for the overall trustworthy, but, being a person myself, I’ve got a strong suspicion most will be overcome with the innate desire to survive, something which Stanton understood implicitly. Some of my approved scenes from the film featured Stanton…the first being when Zyra was to pass the Earth, the expected result being cataclysmic, world wide destruction, particularly in the coastal areas. Predictions stated this would happen about 1 PM on a obvious day, and when the day finally arrives, we gape them all staring at a wall clock, waiting for something to happen. Time passes, and, for a moment, nothing happens, to which Stanton begins snidely mocking the `oh-so smart’ scientists, only to be silenced moments later by the beginning of the raze…what an a-hole…I contemplate when they predicted 1 PM, there was probably some leeway in there, and not meant to be dependable to the nanosecond. Another expansive sequence occurs when Stanton’s assistant becomes desperate and tells everyone, at gunpoint, that he’s going too…it’s at this point when he lets loose his fair feelings for his boss, and surprise, surprise, they’re all negative. The last sequence comes arrive the slay, as the wheelchair trek Stanton experiences sort of an ironic miracle…to say anymore would give it away, but the film is worth seeing if only for this scene. Given this is a George Pal production, one would quiz first-rate special effects and high production values, and both are expose. The ship itself looks incredible, even if the relatively simplistic looking controls aren’t. I especially enjoyed the worry sequences that followed once Zyra passes the Earth. Earthquakes, burning cities, giant tidal waves, volcanoes erupting…the works! The only element that didn’t work so well was the sure oil painting stale at the waste. I had read Pal had originally wanted to include a perform tiny area, but the studio, in a bustle to release the film, tacked on a somewhat grievous looking oil painting instead…oh well…
The represent, presented in fullscreen, looks decent, but does appear slightly grainy in some spots, and fuzzy in others. The describe quality on the archaic laser disc release was noteworthy cleaner, so I was a miniature surprised this release didn’t match. The Dolby Digital mono audio track comes across strong, so there’s that…as far as extras, it’s slim pickin’s (no, not the actor) as all that are included is a theatrical trailer and English subtitles. Seems to me Paramount could have done a microscopic more given the prominence of the film in terms of its significance to the genre overall, but they missed the opportunity.
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