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When Worlds Collide

  • 1951
  • G
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
10K
YOUR RATING
When Worlds Collide (1951)
Theatrical Trailer from Paramount
Play trailer2:00
1 Video
99+ Photos
Space Sci-FiActionSci-FiThriller

As a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home.As a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home.As a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home.

  • Director
    • Rudolph Maté
  • Writers
    • Sydney Boehm
    • Edwin Balmer
    • Philip Wylie
  • Stars
    • Richard Derr
    • Barbara Rush
    • Peter Hansen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    10K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Rudolph Maté
    • Writers
      • Sydney Boehm
      • Edwin Balmer
      • Philip Wylie
    • Stars
      • Richard Derr
      • Barbara Rush
      • Peter Hansen
    • 151User reviews
    • 69Critic reviews
    • 47Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    When Worlds Collide
    Trailer 2:00
    When Worlds Collide

    Photos122

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    Top Cast74

    Edit
    Richard Derr
    Richard Derr
    • David Randall
    Barbara Rush
    Barbara Rush
    • Joyce Hendron
    Peter Hansen
    Peter Hansen
    • Dr. Tony Drake
    • (as Peter Hanson)
    John Hoyt
    John Hoyt
    • Sydney Stanton
    Larry Keating
    Larry Keating
    • Dr. Cole Hendron
    Rachel Ames
    Rachel Ames
    • Julie Cummings
    • (as Judith Ames)
    Stephen Chase
    Stephen Chase
    • Dr. George Frye
    Frank Cady
    Frank Cady
    • Harold Ferris
    Hayden Rorke
    Hayden Rorke
    • Dr. Emery Bronson
    Sandro Giglio
    Sandro Giglio
    • Dr. Ottinger
    Kirk Alyn
    Kirk Alyn
    • Rioter Bringing Guns
    • (uncredited)
    Gertrude Astor
    Gertrude Astor
    • Traveler
    • (uncredited)
    Mary Bayless
    • Club Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Nina Borget
    • Translator
    • (uncredited)
    Steve Carruthers
    Steve Carruthers
    • Delegate
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Chapman
    • Student
    • (uncredited)
    Gene Collins
    • Newsdealer
    • (uncredited)
    James Congdon
    • Eddie Garson
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Rudolph Maté
    • Writers
      • Sydney Boehm
      • Edwin Balmer
      • Philip Wylie
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews151

    6.610K
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    Featured reviews

    Sargebri

    Good Despite its Flaws

    When I was younger, this was one science fiction film that definitely made an impression on me. This was one of those where I actually was scared that one day my world would come to an end. However, as I got older I realized that this was just a movie, but still it is one of the best genre films of its era. Sure, it has its flaws (especially the painted background at the end), but still it is a film that was a product of its time and it will always be one of my favorites.
    8ccthemovieman-1

    For Its Genre, This Is Surprising How Good It Is - Nice Effort!

    First, this is a nice-looking film with a good DVD transfer. Seeing an early '50s sci-fi film Technicolor is nice.

    Also, having just watched - I'm not kidding - "Plan 9 From Outer Space" and "Invaders From Mars," this George Pal film looked like multi-million dollar Oscar winner in comparison. Except for the ending scene, the special-effects were passable, the acting was good and the dialog pretty realistic. The story plausible? Of course not, but what they did know of space travel in 1951? Hell, we didn't send a man on the moon until almost 20 years after this movie. No, this is not one of those popcorn flicks that "is so bad, it's good" or just plaint stink. No, this movie is just good......period....even today, almost 57 years later!.

    This was a no-nonsense survival story without an overdone corny romance, no stupid or obnoxious kids nor goofy-looking adults. It had a solid reverence for God and to science at the same time, a realistic portrayal of people under stress and how they would react knowing their world was coming to end. For a mostly talky film, it moved fast with few, if any lulls.

    John Hoyt, who plays the wheelchair-bound millionaire "Sydney Stanton," may not be a "name" actor but he's very good. Check his resume: it's awesome. The man was in about every good television show for decades. The man could act. So did the rest of this cast.

    Overall, this "modern" Noah's Ark story was a good one, and far, far better than your normal sci-fi flicks from the time period. Well done!
    8Ruddfactor

    Money to burn!!!!

    This movie rocks!

    Okay, I know it's dated. know what?? I Don't care! This kind of movie making would put half the people in Hollywood out of work today. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. They did it right in the early days. They had their priorities right:

    Story first

    Then characters

    Then Special effects

    Seems simple, doesn't it? How come they can't get it right today? (with few exceptions, of course). Nope, today it's Special effects, stars, then story.... in fact, even the stories aren't original!!!

    This sums up why I like this movie so much and many like it from the same era. They're exciting, fun, and captivating. The kind of movie that leaves you thinking, dreaming, having nightmares, all in the name of fun. You're left dreaming of what it would be like, how you'd react, what you'd do. You'd sit and ponder about a new life on a new planet. And not once would the level of special effects tarnish your view of this gem.

    When was the last time you felt that way coming out of a modern movie? My guess is a lonnnnnng time. There are very few exceptions today. The special effects in movies like "Worlds" was icing on the cake... BUT IT WAS THE CAKE THAT MATTERED! Today, it's all icing and the cake can't support it (crappy icing, in fact!!)

    Eat your cake and have it too! Watch "When Worlds Collide"!
    Bucs1960

    The Sky Is Falling!

    Loved this movie!......remember, this was 1951 so don't expect the computer generated special effects that we enjoy today. The roller coaster rocket ship take-off is like something from a comic book but, again, remember when this was made.....who knew about rockets to outer space? Richard Derr, whoever he was, is OK in the lead but seems a little bit laid back for someone who knows the world is going to end with a bang. In fact, most of the cast, seems rather off-hand until the very end when the chips are down and decisions are being made as to who lives and who gets to stay for the big one. There are a lot of familar faces (except for Derr) in this movie although they are mostly second leads and not "stars". Look for some walk-ons from actors on their way down and on their way up......John Ridgely who was a staple in WWII films, Kirk Alyn, Superman from the old serials, and Stuart Whitman who would go on to play some decent roles in the 60's and 70's. This film may not be "Independence Day", but it is the best of the early doomsday/futuristic movies of the time.
    7bellino-angelo2014

    A great sci-fi movie a bit ahead of its time

    This is one of the least known sci-fi movies from the 1950s, but it's one of the best of the era. The great thing about this movie is that it concerns the lives of the characters and their personal problems.

    The plot is about a group of researchers that after a trip in Africa discover some shocking news, that the star Bellus will collide to Earth, destroying the planet. Soon they begin to build a giant rocket ship that will take a group of survivors in Zyra, a safer planet.

    The best part of the movie (for me) was the part of all the cataclysms (mountains crumbling, giant sea waves, the Brooklyn Bridge auto-destroying in pieces), and the music fits with the viewer's emotions. I also liked the chemistry between the two main characters (Richard Derr and Barbara Rush), especially in the night-club scene. And the ending is very superb for a 1951 sci-fi movie!

    This is a sci-fi movie that every sci-fi fan must see almost once in their life.

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    Related interests

    Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek (1966)
    Space Sci-Fi
    Bruce Willis and Taniel in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin saw this film as a ten-year-old, and has cited it as "the beginning of the emergence of philosophy" in his life. In The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin (2007), he explains that right after he and a boyhood friend saw the film, they spent hours discussing the end of the world. Rubin mentions this memory while explaining that Steven Spielberg approached him to do the screenplay for a remake of "When Worlds Collide," and that it eventually evolved into Deep Impact (1998), with Rubin credited as one of its two writers.
    • Goofs
      Throughout the film, Bellus is referred to as a star; this is presumably how life is able to be sustained on Zyra. However, if this was the case, Earth would have been destroyed from the heat long before Bellus collided with it, even if it was a small brown-dwarf star. Also, departure should have been at least 17 days earlier, before descending deep into Bellus' gravity well and needing far more fuel. This part of the plot, and the time to build the ship, could have been resolved by sticking to the novel's pair of planets and a longer time frame - Zyra and Bellus both passing by with Bellus, a gas giant planet, ripping up Earth's surface, then returning months later for Bellus' direct collision with Earth, as Zyra enters orbit around the sun.
    • Quotes

      Sydney Stanton: Your salvation doesn't interest me; mine does.

    • Connections
      Edited from Spawn of the North (1938)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 15, 1951 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Portuguese
      • Spanish
      • Hindi
    • Also known as
      • Le choc des mondes
    • Filming locations
      • Calabasas, California, USA(Rocket Ship Campsite)
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $936,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 23m(83 min)
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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