Things to Come (1936) on Jan. 1

[Mr. Arkadin]

The New Year starts with a bang (literally!). TCM has never showed this SciFi classic to my knowlege. Perhaps the most ambitious film about the future since Metropolis (1927), Things to Come is certainly its equal in set design. Scriptwise there's no contest--TTC definitely surpasses Lang's classic in scope and vision, although Willam Menzies does not have his directorial flair.

The story was originally written by H.G. Wells (The Shape of Things to Come) who also wrote the screenplay and had many controlling aspects over the film. Much of the story blends fears of the time (impending of WWII, poison gas, dictatorship) with futuristic ideas as traveling to the moon which would happen only 30 years later.

Wells anticipates many things of the future (including a desired peaceful colony in Iraq ) and rightly believes there are no plateaus. Mankind must continue to grow or die.

Hope you will enjoy this one. Don't forget to look for Raymond Massey. In his autobiography he claims working on this project was one of the most enjoyable films he made.

[feaito]

I bought the DVD edition many years ago and this film is tops!

In fact, thanks to Mr. Ark's post, I'm gonna re-watch it now!!

[feaito]

I watched it and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I've read though that the print that's going to be aired by TCM tomorrow is the longest running ever aired and that it might be the BFI restored version. I have the Image DVD edition which is supposedly the best yet issued, but far from perfect. I'd appreciate the feedback of my fellow American friends who have TCM, after watching the film. Thanks.

[mrsl]

I watched Things to Come and am half and half on it. First off, I had a hard time hearing it but . . . that could be the print, or my TV, or my ears - most probably my ears, it just seemed some of the dialog was drowned out by music or simply background noise. In any case, the sets were great, it was eerie how London looked after the war, considering how London really looked 10 years after the movie was made. For the heck of it, I checked out what they were saying about it on the TCM boards, and from the way they talk, you would think it was filmed last year, instead of the whole thing being a piece of imagination filmed in 1936.

One thing was funny though, a lot of it looked sort of like the old TV Flash Gordon series filmed in the 30's and run on TV in the 50's. Raymond Massey was good, but I wish more of the time was spent on him than on that Hugh Hefner pajama clad, swasi-Hitler and his Morticia girlfriend.

As I said, the first 45 minutes were interesting and held me but the war carried on just a little too long, I don't mean in the story, just the depiction in the movie. Then when things got better, the movie got better.

In all a good sci-fi film and I would give it a go, and maybe a second viewing to catch some of the stuff I might have missed.

Anne

[Mr. Arkadin]

I thought the print was pretty amazing. As another poster on TCM said most of those older prints were really murky.

You're right about the posters over there Anne. Sometimes it seems if a film is not in the TCM catalog or in rotation, it never existed to some people. Still, I'm glad it's getting some press. I'm a big Massey fan and love seeing his work.

[feaito]

Thanks for the feedback friends