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Things to Come (1936)
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That was another common feature of old visions of the future. We were all supposed to be wearing capes when not driving our flying cars.
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Steve Joyce
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 10:12 pm    Post subject: Re: Things to Come (1936) Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
"Things to Come" may fail as mere entertainment, but most viewers agree that it succeeds handsomely as a vehicle for a magnificent message.

Well put. I've read the movie panned in some quarters but say what you want about it, there are few movies as damned earnest as this film.

...and... I didn't find it that un-entertaining.

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Ludi
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 8:44 pm    Post subject: Re: Things to Come (1936) Reply with quote

Steve Joyce wrote:
there are few movies as damned earnest as this film.

Too earnest for Ernest, apparently, who was replaced by Cedric Hardwicke.



More about it: http://ernestthesiger.org/Ernest_Thesiger/Things_to_Come.html

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scotpens
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 12, 2016 12:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Eadie wrote:
A picture from a cut scene in the futuristic bedroom.


In the deleted scene, Oswald Cabal's ex-wife Rowena was played by Margaretta Scott, the same actress who played the Boss' mistress in the 1970 scenes. Her dual role as "Roxana/Rowena" is still listed on the film's credits.
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MetroPolly
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have always wondered, why in the hell does everybody in the future wear capes?
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

It's perplexing, certainly. When I was young and naive and totally devoted to Superman, I ran around with a towel pinned at my neck, bravely fighting crime in my backyard.

However, with the wisdom of my advanced years, I now agree with Edna from The Incredibles.




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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Mar 21, 2018 5:37 pm; edited 1 time in total
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 12:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Capes were the old way of telling the difference between superheroes and people just wearing ballet costumes.
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 12:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Reminds me of the old joke: When I was a kid, I thought my dad was Superman. But when I got older, I realized he was just a guy who liked wearing a cape.
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 4:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In this period of movie making (and extending into the 1960's) the vision of the future clothing seemed to be heavily influenced by Greco-Roman styles, at least the theatrical interpretation of it.

Capes were often a badge of authority. For example a commander of legions ( Like Caesar ) was distinguished by a red cape.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

orzel-w wrote:
Capes were the old way of telling the difference between superheroes and people just wearing ballet costumes.

Ah-ha! That explains why THIS outfit seems so very very wrong!

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Mar 21, 2018 5:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 2:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Another batch of interesting trivia items from IMDB, compliments of All Sci-Fi! Very Happy
________________________________

Before filming started, author H.G. Wells told everyone connected with the movie how much he'd hated Fritz Lang's film Metropolis (1927) and how he wanted them to do the opposite of what Lang (whom he called "Lange") and his crew had done.

Note from me: This is interesting in view of the fact that Metropolis in generally consider superior to Things to Come — although that's a subjective opinion.

The futuristic costumes worn by citizens of Everytown in 2036, and particularly the rigid shoulder extensions, were patterned after the kata-ginu (shoulder cloth) of Japanese samurai.

Note from me: I'm no slave to fashion, and certainly no expert on cultural garb, but the customs in this movie look much more like Roman toga's than samurai outfits! Shocked

A number of film critics in the United States criticized H.G. Wells's screen adaptation of his book for its failure to adequately address class struggle. The complaint rang with a tone of irony for Wells, whose book had been criticized by literary critics for containing too much of the author's analysis of class struggle and his socialist-leaning political beliefs.

Note from me: Critics! You can't live with 'em, and you can't just kill 'em! Rolling Eyes

In general, the film was extremely well received by British critics. At the box office, however, the film was a disaster, failing to garner a large audience after its profitable first week in cinemas.

Note from me: Audiences! You can't live with 'em, and you can't just kill 'em! Rolling Eyes

The film drew huge audiences upon its opening in New York City. Advertisements for the film mentioned that large crowds continually flocked to New York's Rivoli Theatre from 9:30am on opening day until the ad went to press four days later. The initial interest in the film apparently wore off, as the film earned significantly less at the box office than the studio had expected.

Note from me: This was sort of the reverse of what happened with Star Wars: A New Hope. It took off like a rocket based largely on word-of-mouth from the dazzled audiences who couldn't get enough of it! Very Happy

Despite H.G. Wells's dislike of Fritz Lang and his landmark film, Metropolis (1927), and Wells's request that William Cameron Menzies avoid patterning his film after Metropolis, Menzies nonetheless drew a great deal of inspiration from the film. Menzies admitted that the lengthy montage depicting the transition of the war-torn nineteenth-century Everytown to the progressive and rational futuristic city, in particular, owed a huge debt to Metropolis.

Note from me: I'm not sure how Metropolis influenced Things to Come. They seem very different in every way.

Perhaps ignoring the "fiction" part of this science fiction film, scientific contemporaries criticized the film on scientific and technical grounds. The Journal of the British Interplanetary Society insisted that the space travel depicted in the film was unfeasible, as the "space gun" used to launch the two citizens into space would require greater force than the human body could sustain.

Note from me: Okay, this one is just being kind. A "space cannon" that launches a manned capsule the way we see it done in this movie would turn the poor crew into strawberry jam on the floor of the spacecraft! Shocked

As pointed out in the DVD commentary, in the scene where Passworthy tells his son to "do his bit", the foliage on the wall in the background forms a vague image of the face of Adolf Hitler.

Note from me: Foliage? In the shape of Hitler's face? Sorry, but this sounds like somebody spotting the face of Elvis in the jelly on their toast!
Rolling Eyes
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Feb 28, 2018 11:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

orzel-w wrote:
For those of you who are fans of the single-place "Bolide" aircraft flown by Raymond Massey, I've made my drawing of it available here:

http://orzel-w.deviantart.com/art/Bolide-495646233

I'm so impressed with Wayne's drawing of the aircraft from Things to Come that I just had to show it off here on the thread! Very Happy



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I was surprised and pleased to find a trailer for this movie which has an excellent picture. In fact, it looks better than many of the prints I've seen for the movie itself.

Trailers often have poor picture quality, so this trailer is a real treat. Very Happy
________________________________



_____________ Things to Come (1936) - Trailer


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Eadie would have made a great "buddie" when I was a kid. She speaks my language. Like her reply to my post about when I was about seven and I pretended a big cardboard box was a spaceship.

She replied by laying an entire fantasy star system! Very Happy


Eadie wrote:
Bud Brewster wrote:
One of my fondest memories is of a time when I played with a huge box our new hot water heater came in, back around 1955.

I went to the planet Timbuktu . . . I thought it was the planet next to Timbuk 1.
Very Happy

And don't forget:

Timbuk The most stable star in the Universe. Also the farthest. And the hardest to find.

Planets:

Timbuk I — Nothing but sandy beaches, Palm groves and shallow seas for surfing and swimming.

Timbuk II — Restricted world. LOTS of Krell artifacts, so the rumors say. Open only to members of All Sci-Fi.

Timbuk III — Pleasant tropical world where all dinosaurs are found. (Even the meat eaters are friendly.)

Timbuk IV — Mountainous world designed for hiking, skiing and camping.

Timbuk V — (Also known as DisneyWorld) The ultimate in every kind of family entertainment!

Timbuk VI — (Also known as Magarathea) The factory world where other planets are made to order. Currently closed for business.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:29 am; edited 1 time in total
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Krel
Space Ranger


Joined: 19 Feb 2023
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have read that at the time, the British movie industry didn't have the effects men needed for the movie, so they imported Americans to do the models and effects.

Years ago, I saw a site on the web where someone made a flying model of the Bolide. Does anyone know the origin of that name?

David.
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