Things to Come (1936)

Director:

William Cameron Menzies

Writers:

H.G. Wells (novel)
H.G. Wells (screenplay)

Release Date:

1936 (Austria)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

What will the next hundred years bring to mankind?

Plot:

A story of 100 years: a decades-long second world war leaves plague and anarchy, then a rational state rebuilds civilization and tries space travel.

Plot Keywords:

Plague | Progress | 1940s | Scientist | Techne

Cast

Raymond Massey	...	John Cabal / Oswald Cabal
Edward Chapman	...	Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy
Ralph Richardson	...	The Boss
Margaretta Scott	...	Roxana / Rowena (as Margueretta Scott)
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Theotocopulos
Maurice Braddell	...	Dr. Harding
Sophie Stewart	...	Mrs. Cabal
Derrick De Marney	...	Richard Gordon (as Derrick de Marney)
Ann Todd	...	Mary Gordon
Pearl Argyle	...	Catherine Cabal
Kenneth Villiers	...	Maurice Passworthy
Ivan Brandt	...	Morden Mitani
Anne McLaren	...	The Child
Patricia Hilliard	...	Janet Gordon
Charles Carson	...	Great Grandfather
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gordon Bailey	...	Undetermined role (uncredited)
Patrick Barr	...	World Transport Official (uncredited)
Noel Brophy	...	Irishman (uncredited)
Tony Bruce	...	Undetermined role (uncredited)
John Clements	...	The Airman (uncredited)
Hilda Davies	...	Undetermined role (uncredited)
Aubrey Dexter	...	(uncredited)
Don Gemmell	...	Undetermined role (uncredited)
Florence Harwood	...	Undetermined role (uncredited)
Anthony Holles	...	Simon Burton (uncredited)
Allan Jeayes	...	Mr. Cabal (uncredited)
Eugene Leahy	...	Undetermined role (uncredited)
Pickles Livingston	...	Horrie Passworthy (uncredited)
Kim Peacock	...	Undetermined role (uncredited)
Clarence Rigge	...	(uncredited)
George Sanders	...	Pilot (uncredited)
Abraham Sofaer	...	The Jew (uncredited)
Terry-Thomas	...	Man of the Future (uncredited)

Directed by
William Cameron Menzies

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
H.G. Wells		novel "The Shape of Things to Come"
H.G. Wells		screenplay

Produced by
Alexander Korda	....	producer

Original Music by
Arthur Bliss		(music specially composed by)

Cinematography by
Georges Périnal		(as Georges Perinal)

Film Editing by
Charles Crichton
Francis D. Lyon		(as Francis Lyon)

Costume Design by
John Armstrong
René Hubert		(as Rene Hubert)
Cathleen Mann		(as The Marchioness of Queensberry)
Sam Williams		(uncredited)

Production Management
David B. Cunynghame	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Geoffrey Boothby	....	assistant director

Art Department
Vincent Korda	....	settings designer
Frank Wells	....	assistant art director
John Bryan	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Frederick Pusey	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
A.W. Watkins	....	recording director
Desmond Dew	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Lawrence W. Butler	....	assistant special effects (as Lawrence Butler)
Edward Cohen	....	special effects photographer
Ned Mann	....	special effects director
Ross Jacklin	....	special effects (uncredited)
George J. Teague	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)
Wally Veevers	....	assistant special effects (uncredited)
Harry Zech	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Jack Cardiff	....	special effects camera operator (uncredited)
W. Percy Day	....	matte painter (uncredited)
Peter Ellenshaw	....	assistant matte artist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Krasker	....	camera operator
Bernard Browne	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Jack Cardiff	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Editorial Department
William Hornbeck	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	musical director
Gordon Jacob	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
Lionel Salter	....	assistant musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Nigel Tangye	....	aeronautical advisor

Production Companies

• London Film Productions

Distributors

• United Artists Corporation (1936) (UK) (theatrical)
• Dr. Hauser & Company (1936) (Austria) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1936) (USA) (theatrical)
• Adams Filmi (1937) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Exclusive Films (1943) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release) (edited)
• Film Classics (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• British Lion Film Corporation (1948) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) (1977) (West Germany) (TV)
• Memory Lane Video (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• Hollywood Classics (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Ventura Distribution (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Timeless Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Englewood Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Navarre Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Allied Artists Classic Library (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Aurora DVD (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Legend Films (2006) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Legend Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Genius Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Legend Films (2008) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Hamburger Medien Haus (HMH) (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
• YLE Teema (2010) (Finland) (TV) (subtitled)
• Elephant Films (2012) (France) (video)
• Criterion Collection, The (2013) (USA) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• LS Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• MediaOutlet.com (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Network Enterprises (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Unknown Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)

Special Effects

• General Service Studios
• Teague Process Service

Other Companies

• Legend Films  colorization
• Legend Films  restoration
• Scala Theatre, London  music scoring

Also Known As:

Runtime:

100 min | UK:117 min | Canada:91 min (VHS version) | UK:108 min (premiere cut) | UK:113 min (original version) | USA:92 min (cut version) | Spain:89 min (DVD)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1937) (cut) | UK:PG | Australia:PG | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

London Film Productions

Trivia:

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the bombing of Everytown, a man in a top hat follows several people across the hood of a car in an attempt to escape. There are footprints clearly all over the hood. A later scene shows more people using the same car, But this time the hood is clean.

Quotes:

John Cabal:If we don't end war, war will end us.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Time After Time (1979)

Soundtrack:

Epilogue

a testament to the price of progress

While this film stands the test of time as a science fiction classic, its importance may not lie in its depiction of future wars, pestilence, and rebuilding. The most telling prediction comes in the latter part of the film -- the worker revolt. I disagree with the premise that workers would revolt out of fear of space travel. But, the idea of revolt out of fear of what technology is (and will) do to their lives is a real fear. Even today.

Sociologists who've read the Unibomber's manifesto have said that, while his methods and mentality were unsound, some of his suppositions on the effects of automation on humanity were plausible. We've evolved from a craft culture (human) to a mechanized culture (where humans used machines to meet the needs of humans) to an automated culture (where humans are expected to adapt themselves to the needs of their machines). Don't believe it? Pull a check out of your checkbook and look on the back. You'll find the words "Do not write below this line." This is NOT a request or suggestion, it's an ORDER to conform to the needs of machines that read checks.

Still, the film clearly illustrates a future that will eventually occur -- one where some people put all their trust and faith in our modern marvels -- while others left powerless and impotent by these modern marvels ask whether this progress was worth the price.