Things to Come

Things to Come

17/4/1936 1h 40m 6.5/10

Overview

The story of a century: a decades-long second World War leaves plague and anarchy, then a rational state rebuilds civilization and attempts space travel.

Director

William Cameron Menzies

Top Billed Cast

Raymond Massey

Raymond Massey

John Cabal / Oswald Cabal

Cedric Hardwicke

Cedric Hardwicke

Theotocopulos

Ralph Richardson

Ralph Richardson

The Boss

Margaretta Scott

Margaretta Scott

Roxana / Rowena

Edward Chapman

Edward Chapman

Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy

Maurice Braddell

Dr. Harding

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

6/19/2022

6/10

This is a rather fanciful adaptation of the HG Wells tale. Mankind is all but obliterated by war; reduced to tribal existences - under the overly theatrical leadership of Ralph Richardson and Margaretta Scott - fighting plague, tyranny and the elements. Then they encounter Daniel Massey ("John Cabal") who helps reconcile and rebuild society to an almost Utopian level. It manages to intertwine megalomania with human aspiration; an overpoweringly rousing score and some truly Shakesperian style soliloquy. It comes to force a future upon us that is eerily portentous of an Orwellian style dictatorship; of interstellar exploration to spread our plague of self-destructive ambition to other worlds - and all, broadly speaking with the consent of the masses. Sadly, i saw a colourised version which robbed this film of almost every element of potency; indeed it rendered it little better than a very poor cartoon. It's still just about worth watching; but Massey is no Olivier and I found it all rather preposterous.

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