WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE: Blu-ray (Paramount, 1951) ViaVision 'Imprint'

Rudolph Maté’s When Worlds Collide (1951) is actually George Pal’s show – the ‘then’ master of such epic SFX, cleverly to massage the fundamentals of hardcore science to suit his own liberal escapist tastes about Earth’s grand finale. The lesson, alas, is hardly licked in this rather tedious ‘what if?’ scenario – too mired in its faux scholarship to be entertaining, and too clumsily written by Sydney Boem, who believes the best scenes in a sci-fi movie should be devoted to prolonged discussions/contemplations on how best to proceed to the ‘money shots’ in the picture – of which there are but a handful, and, even less that thoroughly convince us the end is near. Okay, so no one viewing When Worlds Collide ought to be expecting a science-fiction adventure on par with today’s overburdened CGI claptrap. Matte work is fine, especially when it effectively extends the boundaries of make-believe into the infinite. But Pal’s big reveal at the end of the picture, with David Randall (Richard Derr) and Joyce Hendron (Barbara Rush) emerging from their spacecraft into this ‘brave new world’ of Zyra, looks like a reject from Disney’s Ave Maria sequence in Fantasia (1940) – without even the moderately convincing implication of multi-plane camera trickery applied. It wasn’t Pal’s fault either, as Paramount, in their endeavor to keep tight reigns on the budget, pressed Pal to incorporate Chesley Bonestell’s color sketch rather than a finished matte painting for this closing shot. Alas, what precedes this moment of ‘discovery’ is hardly more engaging, and, in fact, tended to drag – and drag – then, drag some more, unraveling Pal’s ambitions into a rather clunky soap opera than a day of reckoning allegory for the nuclear age.

Initially, no less a cultural mandarin and storyteller than Cecil B. DeMille considered adapting the novels When Worlds Collide and After Worlds Collide, co-authored by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer, and first serialized in Blue Book magazine in 1933. Time and the Depression were not on DeMille’s side. And thus, plans languished as Hollywood girded its loins for the cost-cutting 40’s. But the 50’s, with their larger-than-life aspirations for the cinema, basically to countermand the effects television was having on their box office, had found a friend in science fiction, once considered the red-headed stepchild of little interest, and even less monies to be lavished. Hence, Pal’s initial ambitions for a super-colossus were repeatedly scaled down by Paramount as the studio, and Pal, grappled with ways to best tell the tale on a shoestring. Richard Derr, a disciple of the Actor’s Studio, with a decade’s worth of screen credits in minor roles, was afforded the plum part as leading man, Dave Randall; just one way, Paramount hoped to keep costs down, as Pal’s original star, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. would have cost the studio more. Despite all of the sacrifices Pal was forced to make to satisfy the studio, he still hoped against hope to make a sequel, the box office implosion of 1955’s Conquest of Space, kyboshing those dreams for good.

When Worlds Collide opens with pilot, David Randall carrying top-secret photographs from South African astronomer, Dr. Emery Bronson (Hayden Rorke) to Dr. Cole Hendron (Larry Keating) in the United States. Hendron’s calculations, ably assisted by daughter, Joyce, confirm a ‘worst case’ scenario: that a rogue star (a.k.a. Bellus) hurtling through space will soon smash into the Earth. Addressing the UN, Hendron urges the construction of several ‘arks’ capable of transporting a contingent of earthlings to the planet of Zyra, orbiting Bellus – mankind’s only real hope for survival. Naturally, the well-ensconced scientists scoff at this claim and the proposal is rejected outright by virtually all of the delegates. Undaunted, Hendron turns to wealthy humanitarians, fronted by wheelchair-bound business magnate, Sydney Stanton (John Hoyt). In exchange for financing, Stanton demands the right to hand-select the passengers who will survive Earth’s demise. Hendron balks at this request, and eventually, Stanton sees to reason and capitulates. Meanwhile Joyce, having developed a romantic yen for Randall, persuades Hendron to keep him close, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend, Dr. Tony Drake (Peter Hansen). As the skies overhead begin to turn an ominous red with Bellus’ advancing trajectory now unavoidable, the naysaying governments feebly begin to build their own spaceships. Martial law is declared. Residents in coastal cities are evacuated inland.

The magnetic field of Zyra’s near miss with Earth causes a gravitational outbreak of massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. The ark's construction camp is hit hard and, in the deluge, Dr. Bronson is killed. Afterward, Drake and Randall attempt a mercy rescue mission by helicopter. Drake sees this as his opportunity to be rid of Randall once and for all. Thus, when Randel disembarks to save a boy stranded on a rooftop in a flooded area, Drake flies away. Conscience, however, prevents him from abandoning Randall. He reconsiders his jealousy and returns to collect his copilot. As the final countdown begins, the ark is equipped with food supplies, medicine, microfilmed books, equipment, and animals. With the exception of Hendron, Stanton, Joyce, Drake, pilot, Dr. George Frey (Stephen Chase), and Randall, all other passengers are selected by a lottery. Hendron also includes the boy rescued by Randall and Drake. Believing he lacks any skills to be included in this lottery, Randall steps aside, preparing to surrender his seat on the flight. Hendron, knowing how much Randall means to Joyce, convinces him he must make the journey as a co-pilot, in case Frey’s ‘heart condition’ gets the better of him.

Stanton, well aware of human nature, raises concerns over what the dejected lottery players might do to the ark. As a precaution, he stockpiles weapons. When a young man gives up his winning ticket because his sweetheart is not among these chosen few, Stanton's put-upon assistant, Harold Ferris (Frank Cady), nervously claims the right to board at gunpoint. Instead, Ferris is shot by Stanton. As a precaution, the women board first, while the chosen men wait outside. As predicted, the failed lottery players riot in self-preservation, storming the ark. Now, Hendron, the only true altruist, activates the launch while he and Stanton remain outside, presumably so the rocket’s firing will consume less fuel. Realizing the futility of his own survival too late, Stanton attempts to board the departing spaceship but to no avail. Rendered unconscious by the ark’s G-force acceleration, the crew and passengers aboard do not witness Earth's implosion. When Randall does awaken to find Dr. Frey piloting the ship, he realizes he has been deceived by Hendron. Nevertheless, Randall’s skills come in handy when, upon entering Zyra's atmosphere, the ark prematurely runs out of fuel. Randall’s quick reflexes allow him to coast the ark to safety.  Mercifully, Zyra is found to be inhabitable. Thus, Randall and Joyce emerge from their metal cocoon to face this brave new era in human evolution as the sun begins to rise in the distance.

When Worlds Collide is a case of high-concept sci-fi distilled into a C-grade potboiler by studio short-sightedness. Paramount’s hastiness likely cost the picture its popularity and box office. For although the picture made money, it was hardly of a caliber that helped elevate its reputation in the genre as anything better than Saturday matinee filler for the kiddies. Worse, particularly when viewed from today’s ‘progressive’ vantage, hell-bent on ‘inclusion’, the ham-fisted Judeo Christian ‘message’ about America’s survival – limited to 40 Caucasians deemed ‘worthy’ to propagate the human species abroad - is fairly uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the memory of When Worlds Collide remained ever-present in Hollywood; dormant until the mid-1970’s when producers, Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown quietly began working on a remake, hiring screenwriter, Anthony Burgess and, then wunderkind, Steven Spielberg to direct. For one reason or another, nothing ever came of all this preliminary activity, although nearly two decades later, director, Mimi Leder’s similarly themed ‘end of days’ disaster epic, Deep Impact (1998) would become the beneficiary of all this planning and consideration, with Zanuck and Brown as producers and Spielberg serving as its executive producer. Alas, even when placed in its proper context and time-frame, When Worlds Collide is a pretty second-rate affair, unprepossessing, with the exception of W. Howard Greene and John F. Seitz’s lurid use of Technicolor, Oscar-nominated, but losing out to An American in Paris. The movie did take home an honorary award for Best Visual Effects, a curiosity too, given the other sci-fi movies from this same year – The Day the Earth Stood Still, and, The Thing from Another World – neither nominated.

When Worlds Collide arrives on Blu-ray from ViaVision’s ‘Imprint’ line, and is described as a new 4K scan from surviving 3-strip Technicolor elements. I am not sure where this claim is coming from, as what is here appears to be a very tired an anemic re-composite at best, with frequently mis-aligned Technicolor showing differential shrinkage, and otherwise, illustrating a particularly gritty texture uncharacteristic of the Technicolor process, further afflicted by digitally baked in edge effects and other untoward digital tinkering. Colors are frequently muddy rather than rich, and flesh tones never appear as anything better than burnt orange or unhealthy pinkish purple. So, color balancing – I sincerely doubt – has been applied. Contrast is generally ‘okay’ – although several sequences suffer from lower than permissible levels. Fine detail looks harsh with occasional haloing noted. Age-related dirt and scratches are everywhere and frequently distract. Honestly, I was extremely disappointed with this 1080p image, especially given the trumped-up marketing, which promised something infinitely superior to the tired old DVD transfer of yore. The 2.0 LPCM mono audio is, likewise, a dead giveaway nothing has been done by Paramount (the custodians of this title) to upgrade this release for Blu-ray. We get a commentary from Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman, plus over 90-minutes of extended interviews with Gene Roddenberry, Ray Bradbury, Ray Harryhausen, Roy Edward Disney, Wah Chang, Russ Tamblyn & Duke Goldstone recorded for the 1985 documentary, Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal. The only other extra is a theatrical trailer. Bottom line: When Worlds Collide fails to hold up under today’s scrutiny. At least if the Blu-ray transfer had been solid, there would have been something to recommend here. Alas, no. Not good – especially for the future of the ‘Imprint’ line-up. And decidedly, NOT recommended!

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

2.5

VIDEO/AUDIO

2

EXTRAS

2