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Summary: A Fantasy Trend-setter...
Review: The DVD's been out a while and I finally got it. This is a worthy film on many levels; as one reviewing predecessor said, there was no baggage to bring along: it could be as new and daring as it wanted to be. Certainly, this is unsettling in its premise, and, in 1951, probably freaked everyone out. I saw it about 10 years later as a little kid and was seriously affected by its message. That final scene of the rocket launch has been repeatedly referred to in most SciFi anthologies. I don't know the work of Rudolph Mate, the director, but he kept things going at a swell pace. The script and editing were appropriate, also, to keep interest. As in all SciFi films, one's thoughts must be provoked and tension should be created. "When Worlds Collide" has every element of great SciFi. The cast was well chosen. Richard Derr was solid as the lead character, delivering some goofy lines so they didn't sound as goofy as they were. Great confidence, though I've seen him in a few Outer Limits episodes and not much more. Barbara Rush is customarily concerned, and John Hoyt is wonderfully hammy as the bad rich guy. Hayden Rorke ("I Dream of Jeannie") and Frank Cady (Sam Drucker in "Green Acres"/"Petticoat Junction") found success on TV. Cady in particular was fun to watch, in retrospect. This won the Oscar for Special Effects in 1951. The previous year, "Destination: Moon", another George Pal production won that award, and two years later Pal won again for "War of the Worlds". When onethinks back to that era, if you can imagine, it must've been wonderful to see this kind of entertainment for the first time. 50+ years later, I'm as comfortably entertained as ever, probably more so. Though much of the special effect footage was done with "fake" looking artwork (by the brilliant Chesley Bonesteil), it all worked for me. References to Biblical stuff (the Ark) were not entirely inappropriate. All in all, "When Worlds Collide" belongs in the film library of every serious SciFi afficianado.
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Summary: Rainy Sat. mornings, Sci-Fi from the fifites, nothin better
Review: I love movies like this....watching them on a rainy saturday morning brings back memories from my childhood...cowboys and indians and science fiction flicks...George Pal brought us Destination Moon and of course War of the Worlds..2 other classics...When Worlds Collide was unknown to me...but once I started watching I was wisked back in time to being a 10 yr old kid. "Mom!...I'm watching TV!"
Rating: 
Summary: Calling Malcolm X
Review: Oh, brother! This movie I enjoyed so much as a kid is not exactly a classic. The prime reason for watching are the then "state-of-the-art" special effects, most of which hold up fairly well except for the godawful cartoon landscape that closes the film on a "new planet" (assumedly named Pluto, after the dog). The earthquakes and volcanic eruptions do their job, and the now classic scene in which a tidal wave hits New York City has an eery immediacy that none of the recent "computerized" disaster films have matched. What irks here is the simplistic storyline and the typical, hamfisted fifties melodramatics that take the place of actual performances. Richard Kerr (Dave Randall) mugs as if he's in a musical waiting for his next cue. And who does Barbara Rush think she is anyway, Grace Kelly by way of Helen Hayes? The supporting performances are all black or white...in terms of interpretation, not complexion. Which leads to the one now utterly offensive aspect of this film: no one chosen to survive the destruction of Earth has the slightest pigmentation. Ouch! Did the film makers figure that noone would notice how lucky all those white people were? Oh well, "Worlds..." WAS made in 1951, before anyone dared ask such questions. Artifact.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best of the period
Review: When Worlds Collide was (albeit loosely) based on the novel by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer, first published back in 1932. George Pal (who became known as the best producer of SF genre films of the 1950s) produced this film after his highly successful "Destination Moon". The cast was comprised mainly of unknowns, probably to save money, only Barbara Rush and John Hoyt (who played the nasty industrialist Stanton to the hilt). going on to moderately successful film careers. Or you might notice Frank Cady, as Stanton's assistant, who later became well-known in the 1960s TV shows "Petticoat Junction" and "Green Acres", playing the same character in both shows, or a very young Stuart Whitman in a bit part. The recently released DVD was long overdue, as the film has been restored to what I can only imagine was the original Technicolor clarity and hue of it's theatrical release. As has been pointed out, the film was a product of it's time (for instance, there are only white people on the space Ark). But if you keep in mind when the film was made, and the structure of American society at the time, such details, so politically incorrect today, fall into the irrelevancy they deserve. Also, I don't think this was Pal's effort to do some kind of nuclear holocaust allegory, as some have suggested. Pal was a deeply religious man, and this was reflected to varying degrees in all of his films, and after seeing this movie many times, I lean more towards it being a truly Biblical "end of the world" story, rather than the more common 1950's "atomic doom" sort, although he was certainly cognizant of this angle (see his version of "The Time Machine"). As usual, Pal got an Oscar for special effects (nearly all of his movies did). The acting is good in spots, stiff in others. I have never seen Richard Derr (David Randall, the pilot) in anything else, but always felt he played his character quite believably and well in WWC. The story starts slow, but picks up with the flow of events leading up to the launch of the space Ark to the new world. Technically, the film was fairly accurate for it's time, with a few scientific holes you could fly their spaceship through. But then the book upon which the movie was based had the same issues. Master space artist Chesley Bonestell's fingerprints were all over this one, as was his excellent artwork. Yes, I know some complain about that last matte shot at the end of the movie, showing the new world's landscape, but I think both Pal and Bonestell intended for it to have that "stylized" look, and if you are not out to pick nits, I think they pulled it off. The DVD version of When Worlds Collide deserves a place of honor in any SF movie aficionado's collection.
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Summary: Mankind leaves its cradle
Review: Whether you love or hate this movie -- for it tends to polarize people -- depends largely on how much you believe in its central tenet: mankind is destined to leave the Earth to colonize other parts of the universe. Just to be perfectly clear, we are not talking about a brief space voyage and return to Earth, but irrevokably leaving our cradle. Those that grew up on "Star Trek" and "2001" are very familiar with this theme; but this movie was the pioneer. The special effects are of course dated, but I found a certain charm in them anyway.
Oh, yes -- there is one more noteworthy thing: the spaceship (actually a space-ark) is guided down a long incline before being redirected to a more vertical path at launch. There is actually some merit to this scheme. Because rockets are extremely inefficient when standing still or moving slowly, is is highly desirable to get as fast as possible through this fuel-robbing phase. This principle of "launch assist" has been used in practice, but never on large vehicles. (The thinking is that the added complexity and risk are not worth it for large vehicles.)
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Summary: George Pal invented the disaster film
Review: When Worlds Collide has it all; romance, conflict, spaceships, science fiction and the end of the world. Although Irwin Allen is credited as the creator of the disaster film (I'll give Allen credit for tweaking the genre), George Pal came up with the blueprint with this interesting but dated science fiction classic. Based on Philip Wyle's classic early science fiction novel, the plot is fairly simple: astronomers discover that a large body is moving through space towards the Earth. As if that wasn't enough, Earth will be pulverized by the first body and knocked out of its orbit. A second body will follow the first. This second rogue planet might actually be inhabitable. It's decided that an ark to save samples of humanity and our flora and fauna will be launched to this second world. Veteran director Rudolph Mate and producer George Pal manage to create considerable drama and tension from the conflict between those who are going to be saved and those who must stay behind to die (if the plot sounds familiar that's because Deep Impact borrowed large chunks). The optical effects are cutting edge for the time the film was made. The only drawback is the final image of the colonist new home; a panoramic shot of the new world looks fake. Given the high quality of the other effects it's rather surprising until you learn that it was a temporary effect. Originally Pal had planned for an elaborate miniature to be constructed. Once the film was completed, Paramount decided that the film didn't need the miniature at all and nixed plans after a successful sneak preview of the film. Pal always regretted not being able to add the final touch to the film. Unfortunately, it mars an otherwise fine conclusion to an early science fiction classic.
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Summary: God Proposes, Pal Disposes
Review: Producer George Pal's film 'When Worlds Collide' (1951), as directed by Rudolf Mate, began as the first of a two-volume novelistic sequence written in 1932 by co-writers Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer; they turned out a sequel two years later, as 'After Worlds Collide.' Together, the two novels tell the story of how astronomers detect two extra-solar bodies entering our home system in such a way that one of them will collide with and destroy the earth while the other (a sort of habitable moon of its much larger primary) will assume the earth's orbit. Against both elite and popular incredulity, farsighted men in the industrial nations undertake to build spaceships capable of leaving the earth and landing on the new planet, in so doing to preserve a small number of human beings. In the novelistic version of the story, the plot is complicated by rivalry between the free and the totalitarian nations to rescue a representative sample of their respective societies (and so to reproduce those societies in new circumstances); once the survivors have alighted on the new world, the old conflicts must at last to be worked through to their uncompromising conclusion. The Americans and British use atomic power to wipe out the Soviets, who only just fail to wipe out the Americans and British. Pal's film avoids the political element and concentrates on events in the first of the two linked stories. This was Pal's second essay in medium-budget Technicolor science fiction for the silver screen, the earlier effort having been 'Destination Moon' (1949), where, as a matter of fact, the producer does not avoid an overtly anti-communist theme. The movie begins at an observatory in South Africa, where Dr. Sven Bronson has made the fateful discovery. A courier, Dave Ransdell, has accepted the commission to bring the photographic plates to Bronson's colleague in New York. The colleague, Dr. Cole Hendron, plans to take the facts before the United Nations. When he does, the world's leaders scoff, but a few supporters offer their help to Hendron to build his proposed 'Space Ark.' Bronson and Hendron have made the prediction that the large body, 'Bellus,' will pass close to earth in its penultimate orbit before the catastrophic collision, causing a variety of destructive geological and climatic effects. Disbelief ends when the close passage occurs, and more or less destroys organized civilization. Those involved on the 'Space Ark' project must now complete their task in a short period of time. They must also contend with disaffection from the majority among them who lose out in the last-minute lottery that will decide which forty souls out of many hundreds will find a place in the lifeboat. The scenes of destruction accompanying the first, non-fatal, contact with 'Bellus' are done in fine, convincing miniature, for the most part. The vista of a flooded New York City, with ocean liners tossed up against wrecked towers, is one of the mattes photographed by process specialist Farciot Edouart. The take-off of the 'Ark' represents another instance of fine miniature work. The conceit is that the colossal, winged spaceship rolls down a sloping track to gain speed. It's bad science (what you gain in going down you lose the moment when you need to go up, so you might as well start by going up!) but it's a neat image. The actual collision of the worlds is less spectacular than it might have been. The production apparently used up its budget before truly effective concluding scenes could be filmed. The final shot - of the pioneers disembarking from their vessel on the new world - uses a backdrop painted by renowned astronomical artist Chesley Bonnestell in his prime. It is beautiful, but once again one suspects that Pal originally had richer effects in mind than these. It is worth noting the players: Ransdell is Richard Derr, who takes on the role with panache (Derr played character roles until the 1980s ' he died in 1991); Dr. Bronson is Hayden Rorke, who became a regular on 'I Dream of Jeannie' in the role of Colonel Bellows, the base psychiatrist; Dr. Hendron is Larry Keating, later to fill the part as Wilbur Post's irate neighbor on 'Mr. Ed.' The lovely Barbara Rush (of 'Perry Mason' notoriety) provides the romantic interest, as Joyce Hendron. (The novel calls her 'Eve.) Peter Hanson, as Tony Drake, competes with Derr for Rush's attention; Derr gets her, but Drake is not a sore loser. John Hoyt plays the corrupt businessman, Sidney Stanton, who will pay for the 'Ark' but wants it for himself. Frank Cady, the zealous mortgage-banker from 'Petticoat Junction,' plays Hoyt's resentful assistant, Mr. Ferris. Beware of watching 'When Worlds Collide' late at night. The nostalgia equivalent of DNA splicing can open up bizarre plot-hybrids: I once had a REM-sleep nightmare in which the equine Mr. Ed shot his way on board a flying steam locomotive just at the moment when a vast tidal wave swept over the barn. In fact, 'When Worlds Collide' is superb sci-fi fare, despite the production limitations dogging the final sequence. The dialogue is mainly serious, the acting is competent, and the story is compelling. It's a much better film than either 'Armageddon' or 'Deep Impact,' despite four decades of technical progress in special effects. One reason is that Pal and Mate see no reason to spare the earth; they follow Wylie and Balmer in letting it be obliterated. The release is unfortunately not reproduced in full aspect, but is cropped, pan-and-scan style, to fit a standard television screen. This is too bad, given the spaciousness of the scenic design. Nevertheless, the DVD is worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: Fasten Your Space Belts
Review: The biggest mistake most sci-fi movies make is aiming for believability. In this genre, the screwier the better. "When Worlds Collide" doesn't take itself seriously for a moment; it's wonderfully whole-hog over the top every minute. Richard Derr's performance is flat-out great, and makes you wonder why he didn't make more of an impression in the cinema. Something like "Close Encounters" looks pretty insipid compared to this classic.
Rating:
Summary: IMPRESSIVE!!!!!!!!
Review: My God, was I impressed after seeing this great movie which I bought with some hesitation.
The movie has a great story and superb SFX which aren't dated!
Better than the mass-produced-Hollywood-happy endings flicks.
And it still holds up.
MUST SEE!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Its the end of the world as we know it
Review: This is a perfect example of Classic 50's Science Fiction. Not a really complicated scenario a string of comets are going to hit the earth and everyone is going to die. A small community of scientists try to persuade the world to listen to their finding but the world in typical arrogant fashion will not listen. What can they do to save a few people in all of this madness? How will they get to the new world?
What kind of people should they take
Should they concentrate on saving there own skins or take elements of the couture with them Like books or precious art? It would be very cool it you could plan your own people's great exodus from earth(in purely a hypothetical sense.
My impression-True the graphics seem a little choppy and the crews of the ships aren't exactly what you would call Politically Correct but remember that other countries were probably building the exact same ships. Also this movie had GOOD SCIENCE a thing relatively few movies produced these days have.
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