The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)

A miner trapped in a cave-in resurfaces, and upon discovering mankind has been wiped out in a nuclear holocaust, sets out to find other survivors.

Director:

Ranald MacDougall

Writers:

M.P. Shiel (novel) (as Matthew Phipps Shiel), Ferdinand Reyher (story "End of the World")

Stars:

Harry Belafonte, Inger Stevens, Mel Ferrer

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Harry Belafonte	...	Ralph Burton
Inger Stevens	...	Sarah Crandall
Mel Ferrer	...	Benson Thacker

Storyline

Ralph Burton is a miner who is trapped for several days as a result of a cave-in. When he finally manages to dig himself out, he realizes that all of mankind seems to have been destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. He travels to New York City only to find it deserted. Making a life for himself there, he is flabbergasted to eventually find Sarah Crandall, who also managed to survive. Together, they form a close friendship until the arrival of Benson Thacker who has managed to pilot his small boat into the city's harbor. At this point the tensions rise between the three, particularly between Thacker, who is white and Burton, who is black.

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Plot Keywords:

post nuclear | post apocalypse | last man on earth | three protagonists | jealousy | 

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Taglines:

The last 3 people left alive!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Inger Stevens was secretly married in 1961 to Ike Jones, an African-American actor, in Tijuana, Mexico. They kept the marriage a secret because, at the time, it would've ruined her career. The truth was revealed after her death in 1970.

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Goofs

While Ralph walks around singing and playing the guitar, the whistle on the electric train is sounding without Ralph activating the whistle button on the transformer.

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Quotes

Ralph Burton: They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Ralph Burton: [...]

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Crazy Credits

As the film's final credits cut-in, the film states "The Beginning" rather than "The End".

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Connections

Featured in Out of this World Super Shock Show (2007)

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Soundtracks

I Don't Like It Here
(uncredited)
Written by Harry Belafonte and Ranald MacDougall
Sung by Harry Belafonte

User Reviews

Compelling and illogical, a guilty pleasure

Like a trashy coffee table book you just can't put down. Hard to say why, but I keep going back and watching this film again and again. The irresistible notion of a single man roaming the empty streets of the big city, holds my attention every time. However, the execution of such a powerful idea gets muddled in this particular telling. For example, the city is clean -- there are no dead bodies, and any force powerful enough to disintegrate the bodies would have left traces, of which there are none. Despite the significant problems I had with this picture, I rushed out to buy the DVD first chance I got. And I bought Miklos Rozsa's score, too.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

1 May 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Welt, das Fleisch und der Teufel

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,659,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

HarBel Productions, Sol C. Siegel Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) 4-Track Stereo

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1