Quando o Mundo Cegou (1963)

After an unusual meteor shower leaves most of the human population blind, a merchant navy officer must find a way to conquer tall, aggressive plants which are feeding on people and animals.

Directors:

Steve Sekely, Freddie Francis (uncredited)

Writers:

Bernard Gordon (screenplay), Philip Yordan (front for Bernard Gordon)

Stars:

Howard Keel, Nicole Maurey, Janette Scott

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Howard Keel	...	Bill Masen
Nicole Maurey	...	Christine Durrant
Janette Scott	...	Karen Goodwin
Kieron Moore	...	Tom Goodwin
Mervyn Johns	...	Mr. Coker
Ewan Roberts	...	Dr. Soames
Alison Leggatt	...	Miss Coker
Geoffrey Matthews	...	Luis de la Vega
Janina Faye	...	Susan
Gilgi Hauser	...	Teresa de la Vega
John Tate	...	Captain - SS Midland
Carole Ann Ford	...	Bettina (as Carol Ann Ford)
Arthur Gross	...	Flight 356 Radioman
Colette Wilde	...	Nurse Jamieson (as Collette Wilde)
Ian Wilson	...	Greenhouse Watchman

Storyline

A shower of meteorites produces a glow that blinds anyone that looks at it. As it was such a beautiful sight, most people were watching, and as a consequence, 99% of the population go blind. In the original novel, this chaos results in the escape of some Triffids: experimental plants that are capable of moving themselves around and attacking people. In the film version, however, the Triffids are not experimental plants. Instead they are space aliens whose spores have arrived in an earlier meteor shower.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | kew gardens london | lincoln's inn fields london england | piccadilly circus london | houses of parliament london | 

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Taglines:

From the nightmare novel that made the world shudder

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The triffids inspired the E.T. plants of E.T. - O Extra-Terrestre (1982)

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Goofs

When Bill counts the chimes of Big Ben (the iconic bell in the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster), he is in Moorfields Eye Hospital. This hospital is 2.5 miles from Big Ben and the chimes cannot be heard at that distance.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: [narrating voice over] In nature's scheme of things, there are certain plants which are carnivorous, or eating plants. The Venus Fly Trap is one of the best known of these plants. A fly drawn to the plant by its sweet syrup, brushes against triggered bristles. Just how these plants digest their pray has yet to be explained. There is much still to learn about these fascinating eating plants. This is a newcomer: Triffidus Celestus, brought to earth on the meteorite during the Day of ...

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Alternate Versions

On some video versions, Bernard Gordon's name has been inserted into the writing credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Meat Pie Massacre (2015)

User Reviews

After a meteor shower, confusion reigns...on-screen and off!

John Wyndham's novel "Day of the Triffids" becomes low-budget British-made monster movie without the proper finance to really sort out what promises to be a good mystery. The morning after a colorful meteor shower has lit up the evening skies over London, a high percentage of the population wakes up completely blinded; even worse, the landscape has been littered with a type of carnivorous flower seed--Triffidus Celestus--which makes The Venus Fly Trap look like child's play. A band of survivors with their sight still intact fight back against the man-eating plants, which apparently have the knowledge and the strength to break down barricades and crash through windows. Unfortunately, even with a handful of scientists featured in the scenario, we learn very little about the Triffids beyond their appetite for flesh and blood. Instead, we get macho heroics from sailor Howard Keel, and an antagonistic romance-on-the-rocks between an unhappy couple in their laboratory. Still, for fans of the genre, the framework of the plot is an intriguing one, and the sound and visual effects are both good. ** from ****

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 April 1963 (UK)

Also Known As:

Quando o Mundo Cegou

Filming Locations:

Poble Espanyol, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Artists Pictures, Security Pictures Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1