Blog #6 When Worlds Collide Movie Review

Review by JM Strasser

Science Fiction film

Directed by George Pal (Originally, producer-director Cecil B. DeMille considered adapting both books)

Stars Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hansen, and John Hoyt

This film was based on the 1933 science fiction novel of the same name, co-written by Edwin Balmer and Phillip Wylie.

There is a sequel (I just purchased it and it was great) that, at least in the film, ends with the landing on the planet Zyra and going out of the ark. I want to know what happens next.

In the film, a group of astronomers in South Africa discover a rouge star called Bellus on a collision course with Earth. Zyra, a planet that orbits Bellus, could be a place for a precious few humans to find a new home. However, few take the threat seriously, as with the movie Jaws 1975 and Don’t Look Up 2021. The astronomers find two wealthy humanitarians who give enough to start building an ark, and the rest comes from a disgustingly rich, bitter man, Sidney Stanton, who is in a wheelchair. He wants a seat and the right to select passengers. The lead scientist, Dr. Cole Hendron, stands firm, and all Stanton gets is a seat.

The story progresses to the day Bellus gets near enough to cause many natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and volcanoes. Now it is time to leave. Dr. Hendron and Stanton are left outside the ark, which is Dr. Henderson’s choice. He wants the two to stay on Earth so his daughter has a better chance. It will give the ark more fuel for the trip. Stanton is furious but helpless even though he tries to stand up and walk up the ramp to the ark.

I perused the details of the movie, starting with the stable of actors. Two of the performers were interesting and stood out to me:
1) Kirk Alyn played a rioter bringing guns (not credited). That was funny in itself. In previous work, Mr. Alyn played the first Superman in 1948.
2) Paul Frees, the Narrator/U.S. President (not credited either), is a very familiar voice for Disney. He played several roles in the original version of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, known for the line “Dead Men Tell no Tales” and for the ghoulish guide at the Haunted Mansion.
The film had excellent special effects for the time, enough to earn an Honorary Academy Award for Special Effects at the 24th Academy Awards. John F. Seitz and W. Howard Greene were nominated for Best Cinematography, losing to Alfred Gilks and John Alton for An American in Paris.

The film was lauded for its scientific accuracy, though there were criticisms (of course). The special effects were acknowledged but left some scholars irritated. One astronomer complained that George Pal used one of their planets to collide with Earth. I guess that was not appreciated. Charles P. Mitchell, librarian and filmographer, said, “…scientific gaffes that dilute the storyline and a failure to provide consistent first-class effects.” One highlight of the scientific accuracy in the film was the use of UCLA’s differential analyzer (a mechanical analog computer designed to solve differential equations by integration, using a wheel-and-disc mechanism), something that doesn’t look like much today but was cutting edge. The audience at the opening in the Globe (I assume in Los Angeles) showed slight interest and were even skeptical and bored. A notable exception was a round of applause for the perfect pancake landing. ¹

I did have trouble with the lack of data on Zyra (the planet the ark was headed for). Today, we know so much more about other worlds. I know that in 1951, astronomy was much less developed, but at least they could have discussed what they did know instead of- We think it will be OK. Also, the struggle to get the lead David Randall to go on the ark. It seems his only purpose was to keep Joyce Hendron, Dr. Hendron’s daughter, happy. Randall and the scientists both overlooked that he was a pilot (of planes, not spaceships) even though the ark was to land like a plane like the space shuttle does.

They knew everyone on the ark would blackout from the G’s of acceleration, but only one person was flying the ark (Dr. Henderson had a role but had been left behind on Earth). Looking forward to unknown contingencies seemed to be lacking. Randall was the one who took over and landed the ark, using his great experience with flying planes.

Finally, one of the crew was going to run out the door of the ark (he thought Zrya was so wonderful!) without checking anything. So the guy stands on the gangplank and breathes in the air. “Seems fine to me.” Wow!

Despite these negatives, this is an iconic film that has endured in popular culture:
• When Worlds Collide is one of the many films referenced in the opening theme (“Science Fiction/Double Feature”) of both the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show (1973) and its cinematic counterpart, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
But “when worlds collide”
Said George Pal to his bride
“I’m going to give you some terrible thrills” ²

• In the feature film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), two cargo containers can be seen labeled “Bellus” and “Zyra” in the Genesis Cave.

• In the film adaptation of L.A. Confidential (1997), tabloid writer Sid Hudgens arranges for the publicity-loving detective officer Jack Vincennes to arrest a young actor on the night of the premiere of When Worlds Collide. This results in photos being taken of the arrest, with the fictional El Cortez Theatre (actually an abandoned bank building at 5620 Hollywood Blvd.) redressed as a movie theatre marquee in the background, accompanied by the headline “Movie Premiere Pot Bust” (the scene is set in 1953, long after the actual 1951 premiere).

• When Worlds Collide is the title of a 1975 album (the related single is “Did Worlds Collide?”) by Richard Hudson and John Ford, their third release after leaving Strawbs.

• “When Worlds Collide” is the title of a single by the heavy metal band Powerman 5000 from the 1999 album Tonight the Stars Revolt!

• In Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter’s 2013 novel The Long War, scientists have named the theoretical space object that obliterated one of the alternate Earths “Bellos,” which the character Sally Linsay describes as “Some dumb old movie reference.”¹

The actual story itself is predictable, but that doesn’t take away from the novelty and fun of it for me. The two leads, David Randal, our intrepid hero, and Joyce Henderson, playing the role of a powerhouse scientist in her own right (but given the age of the material, it’s not a surprise that it wasn’t explicitly stated), are attractive with good chemistry between them. Barbara Rush, whom I know from her later movies. I found her believable and competent in this role. Randall is dashing and quite a rogue who gets tamed by the intelligent and beautiful scientist. I enjoyed their interaction and believed in their attraction and the slow realization that they were in love. The scientists, astronomers, and officials had many cliché lines and actions, but I think the actors pulled it off, and I would have gladly joined the crew on their journey.

The planet Zyra was quite lovely. Because of a lack of time and money, the final background had to be a sketch instead of a finished matte painting from Chesley Bonestell. I still enjoyed it and wanted to look around. There were buildings in the background, suggesting intelligent life on Zyra. Something that could have been a real issue, but in the innocence of this film, it was just exciting.

All in all, I enjoyed the film, even buying the DVD. I will re-watch it even though the science is somewhat off. Watching the outdated errors and how Hollywood conveys “science” amuses me. It is a good film; I like the characters and appreciate how it all came together.

RENT

Apple TV $3.99 HD

Pictures

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:When_Worlds_Collide_Book_Cover.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/15/After_worlds_collide.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t Look Up

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044207/mediaviewer/rm886052609

https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/peter-hansen-barbara-rush-and-richard-derr-looking-up-to-the-sky-in-a-picture-id148297755

https://derekwinnert.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/529.jpg

Footnotes

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Worlds_Collide_(1951_film)