| World Without End - 1956 | |
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A rather obscure entry in the 50's rocketship genre, echoing a lot of the influence of other films and combining it with good production values. Overall, an entertaining, if flawed, film. A rocket mission to Mars hits time warp, and winds up on a future earth after an atomic war. The surface is populated by violent mutants, with a more advanced civilization living below. The Underground civilization is advanced but complacent.The women of the underground civilization are all beautiful in their little miniskirts; their men, however, are puny types. The civilization here is in decline, whithering, as they stay safe in their underground bunkers, undergoing a genetic and societal stagnation. In the finest tradition, the 1950's American Men resolve that they will put this right!! The 50s guys evolve a plan to begin moving the subsurface folks onto the surface. This naturally leads to dissent, particularly with one of the council members who is jealous of one girl's attraction to a member of the space crew.Intrigues develop, the machinations of the villian are revealed, and he flees onto the surface, where a gang of mutants beat him up and take his lunch money. Now, with villian dead, the '50s guys bring the others around...and (armed with bazokas!) they evolve a plan to confront the mutant leader and end their warlike ways--even if they have to thump him to do it. Finally, Hugh Marlowe challenges Naga, the mutant leader--if he wins, he will take leadership of the surface dwellers. (Priceless line: "Well, he's got only one eye...no depth perception....") and --what do you know-- Marlowe wins. He tells the mutants to vamoose, and they vamoose, and the world becomes a regular Disneyland as they build a groovy new society, surface people and underground dwellers living in the sunshine.....An interesting blend of simple-minded pulp and occasionally intelligent drama. Dialogue is often florid and awkward, though this pays off at other times in the story (you gotta like a movie that actually uses the word "pallaverin'"). The events of the plot, though similar to other films we have seen before, are often given remarkably thoughtful spins. The underground civilization is quite reminiscent of FLIGHT TO MARS, with its colorful but bland scenes, it's beautiful women, and it's boring, bland males. The quality of photography is similar to FORBIDDEN PLANET (though not with as elaborate art direction)...the quality of the production is remarkably high for a minor film. Like so many of the 50s B-movies, though, it forgets that it's a science-fiction film and winds up spending time in romance and courtly intrigue. It winds over territory similar to CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON, FLIGHT TO MARS, and QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE, though considerably better handled. It's obviously done in a viewpoint of 1950s America, you can decide what to make of that for your own self. With Rod Taylor, soon to do more temporal commuting in THE TIME MACHINE.
PLUSES: Some good looking photography, good production values, and, occasionally, interesting goings-on. MINUSES: Some rather stock situations and standard melodramatics. |
