Things to Come

 

 

Create your own review

Things to Come; written by H.G. Wells; directed by William Cameron Menzies; starring Raymond Massey (John Cabal/Oswald Cabal), Edward Chapman (Passworthy/Passworthy) and Ralph Richardson (The Boss) (1936): Things to Come gives us 100 years of extrapolated human history in about 100 minutes. That doesn't leave a lot of room for characterization, but characterization isn't on Wells's mind anyway -- or at least not the characterization of individuals, as humanity is the evolving character in the bildungsroman presented here.

We follow humanity's rocky road by watching the history of Everytown (pretty obviously London, England), beginning on the eve of a world war in 1936 and ending with humanity's first baby steps into outer space in 2036. In between, we get vignettes of diasaster and rebuilding, and one long middle section setting the hyper-civilized, transnational Airmen against the tribal warriors of bombed-out Everytown, led by Ralph Richardson's engaging barbarian Boss, the only character in the movie I could imagine not punching in the face as soon as I met him. And he's the bad guy!

The visual effects are occasionally stunning -- moreso given the technology of the time. One's reactions to Wells's utopia, built by scientists and engineers who love lengthy declamatory speeches and airplanes with giant wings, will vary depending on one's own opinions about 'human nature', the perfectability of man, and the wisdom of wearing togas and capes all the time. Why did seemingly everyone in the 1920's and 1930's think the citizens of future utopias would wear capes and dress all in white? Recommended.

Please note that some of the reviews below refer to the two previous DVD releases, both of which are low-priced (one is the double-feature that also includes "Journey to the Center of the Sun"). Picture and sound quality on these other releases is poor; however the Image release, priced at around ..., features a new transfer that boasts a clear sharp picture through most of the movie and an improved soundtrack (on the cheap editions, the dialogue was frequently unintelligible). If you are a fan of this movie, this is the DVD version you should buy.

I agree with some reviewers that Wells's vision of the future is fascist in some respects. The vaulting ambition of human PRO-gress depicted in this movie is inspiring to a degree, but is laid on pretty thick. Viewed in the context in which it was made, this is a very enjoyable film, featuring some first-rate production design and visual effects, particularly for the time, along with a lantern-jawed performance by Raymond Massey that is stirring if not always believable.

This is a worthwhile film for all science fiction fans, in my opinion, and should be seen at least once. If you're going to buy it on DVD, though, I recommend you spend the extra bucks and buy the IMAGE version.

Legend Films present "H.G. WELLS:THINGS TO COME" (Released: March 31, 1936) (92 mins) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- now in COLOR and Glorious Black and White --- Things to Come is a 1936 British science fiction film, produced by Alexander Korda and directed by William Cameron Menzies. The screenplay was written by H. G. Wells and is a loose adaptation of his own 1933 novel The Shape of Things to Come and his 1931 non-fiction work, The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind. The film stars Raymond Massey --- The film, written throughout 1934, is notable for predicting World War II, being only 16 months off by having it start on 23 December 1940, rather than 1 September 1939. Its graphic depiction of strategic bombing in the scenes in which Everytown is flattened by air attack and society collapses into barbarism, echo pre-war concerns about the threat of the bomber and the apocalyptic pronouncements of air power prophets. Wells was an air power prophet of sorts, having described aerial warfare in Anticipations (1901) and The War in the Air (1908).(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Shape of Things to Come is a look into the future from the perspective of the people of 1936 --- the film relates to what could have been a real possibility, shows the horrors of war and the price of progress looking at a world on the brink of World War II --- what the world would be like if a major war broke out --- an early attempt of a science fiction film that takes a long hard look into the future.

Under William Cameron Menzies (Director), Alexander Korda (Producer), Lajos Biro (Screenwriter), H.G. Wells (Book Author / Screenwriter), Georges Périnal (Cinematographer), Arthur Bliss (Composer (Music Score), Muir Mathieson (Musical Direction/Supervision), Charles Crichton (Editor), Francis D. Lyon (Editor), Vincent Korda (Production Designer), John Armstrong (Costume Designer), Rene Hubert (Costume Designer), Lawrence W. Butler (Special Effects), Edward Cohen (Special Effects), Ned Mann (Special Effects), Harry Zech (Special Effects) - - - - The film has Massey's character delivering a speech to the idea of Progress and Humanity's quest for knowledge, claiming that "If Man is merely an Animal then he must fight for every scrap of happiness he can, but if he is something more, then he must strive for more - the Universe or nothing - which shall it be?"

the cast includes:
Raymond Massey ... John Cabal/Oswald Cabal
Edward Chapman ... Pippa Passworthy/Raymond Passworthy
Ralph Richardson ... The Boss
Margaretta Scott ... Roxana/Rowena (as Margueretta Scott)
Cedric Hardwicke ... Theotocopulos
Maurice Braddell ... Dr. Harding
Sophie Stewart ... Mrs. Cabal
Derrick De Marney ... Richard Gordon (as Derrick de Marney)
Ann Todd ... Mary Gordon
Pearl Argyle ... Catherine Cabal
Kenneth Villiers ... Maurice Passworthy
Ivan Brandt ... Morden Mitani
Anne McLaren ... The Child
Patricia Hilliard ... Janet Gordon
Charles Carson ... Great Grandfather
George Sanders ... Pilot

BIOS:
1. Raymond Massey
Date of Birth: 30 August 1896 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date of Death: 29 July 1983 - Los Angeles, California

2. H.G. Wells (Author/Screenplay)
Date of Birth: 21 September 1866 - Bromley, Kent, England, UK
Date of Death: 13 August 1946 - London, England, UK.

3. William Cameron Menzies (Director)
Date of Birth: 29 July 1896 - New Haven, Connecticut
Date of Death: 5 March 1957 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

4. Alexander Korda (Producer)
Date of Birth: 16 September 1893 - Pusztatúrpásztó, Austria-Hungary (now Hungary)
Date of Death: 23 January 1956 - London, England, UK.

5. Ray Harryhausen
Date of Birth: 29 June 1920 - Los Angeles, California
Date of Death: Still Living

SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Audio Commentary by Ray Harryhausen
2. Interview with Ray Harryhausen
3. Colorization Process with Ray Harryhausen
4. Ray Harryhausen Bio and Filmography
5. Classic Sci-Fi Toy Commercials
5. Legend Films Trailers - "Things To Come in Color Trailer", "Things to Come Original Trailer",
"She" in Color, "Plan 9 from Outer Space", "Carnival of Souls", "House on Haunted Hill".

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc), Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") and Trevor Scott (Down Under DVD Com) as they have rekindled my interest once again for Classics of the Silver Screen --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage era of the '20s, '30s & '40s --- order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on DVD --- stay tuned once again for top notch never to be forgotten films of Hollywood --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out Legend Films where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the fans and collectors alike --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 92 mins on DVD ~ Legend Films Video. ~ (11/28/2006)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 27 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars "Science is the enemy of everything that is natural in life."
Starting with the year 1940, we are given insight to how humankind progresses or regresses due to the inevitable war that lasts for decades. Read more

Published 22 months ago by bernie

5.0 out of 5 stars A TRUE classic
I saw this movie on tv years ago and fell in love with it.

Some have felt that none of H.G. Well's predictions came true. I beg to differ. Read more

Published on Nov 17 2009 by martel

3.0 out of 5 stars Classic Wells
This is classic H.G. Wells. 70 years on, technology is still both a boon & a bane, just like the people who create & use it. Read more

Published on Oct 7 2009 by Cat

5.0 out of 5 stars A Total Classic - Massey takes it to another level
If you are a SCI-FI and Space film fan like myself you tend to be very critical of films. Some films lack detail and some have actors that destroy the story. Read more

Published on April 11 2009 by S. Keller

5.0 out of 5 stars H. G. Wells' prophetic vision of the future
Things to Come is an unusual film with an unusual history. It plays on several levels, the most important being its anti-war message. H.G. Read more

Published on July 4 2006 by Daniel Jolley

4.0 out of 5 stars Eerie, but worthwhile
Okay, enough already about the transfers, let's talk about the film itself.

In a nutshell, this 1936 Brit sci-fi feature deals with war and progress. Everytown (London? Read more

Published on May 25 2004 by Andre M.

2.0 out of 5 stars Historical pageantry fast-forwarded
The British, for some reason, were obsessed with historical pageants in the 1930s, and this peculiar product (one of the most expensive films made in Britian up to that time) is... Read more

Published on Dec 29 2003 by Jay Dickson

5.0 out of 5 stars Be warned!
If you cannot appreciate a good story, have no imagination, and/or are some kind of idiot, you will not like this excellent movie. Be warned!

Published on Dec 22 2003 by arkhamdude69

2.0 out of 5 stars DATED!
This film is just overall dated. Although I respect the foretelling of actual events that did take place in history, the movie itself is just not up to standards anymore and I... Read more

Published on Sep 21 2003 by Luigi

3.0 out of 5 stars Greatness and Annoying
Let me preface this review by letting you know my frame of reference. I am reviewing Things to Come as a film, a historical visual doccument and a DVD

Things To Come has... Read more

Published on Mar 9 2003 by x_bruce

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 27 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!