The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)

Director:

Ranald MacDougall

Writers:

M.P. Shiel (novel)
Ferdinand Reyher (story)

Release Date:

20 May 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Most Unusual Story Ever Told!

Plot:

Ralph Burton is a miner who is trapped for several days as a result of a cave-in. When he finally manages to dig himself out...

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship | New York City | Minimal Cast | Post Nuclear | Based On Short Story

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Harry Belafonte	...	Ralph Burton
Inger Stevens	...	Sarah Crandall
Mel Ferrer	...	Benson Thacker

Also Known As:

The End of the World (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

French | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo | Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (1959) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

HarBel Productions

Trivia:

To film the striking images of a deserted New York City, the cast and crew had to start filming at dawn in order to capture the city before the early morning rush. This gave them no more than an hour or two per day in which to film the sequence.

Goofs:

Continuity: The rifles carried by Ben and Ralph change. Ben is initially shown shooting at Ralph with a bolt action rifle. Later, he is armed with a Remington pump action. Ralph grabs a tube fed Winchester lever action from the sporting goods store, but when he throws his rifle down, it has changed into a Winchester 1895 with a box magazine.

Quotes:

Benson Thacker: I have nothing against negroes, Ralph.
Ralph Burton: That's white of you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I Am Legend (2007)

Soundtrack:

FIFTEEN

the first time i watched the world end

When I was in the 3rd grade I stayed home from school one day sick with the flu and watched this on a local TV station and some scenes from it have stuck with me ever since; I will never forget the sight of Harry Belafonte eating dinner with Inger Stevens and then cleaning up by casually throwing the entire contents of the dinner table out the high rise apartment window and calculating that it would be YEARS before the pile of smashed crockery reached his window; who can explain the eerie fascination of empty cities? This film is one of the first to successfully pull off the effect, setting the standard for what followed: The Omega Man, The Day of The Triffids, 28 Days later and especially The Quiet Earth.

So, what does this film have to offer? Some good acting, great scenes of life in empty cities,and it also has a nice plea for racial tolerance, and the world could certainly benefit from more of THAT.