No Blade of Grass (1970)

When a deadly virus strikes London, John Custance takes his family to hoped-for safety in Scotland.

Director:

Cornel Wilde

Writers:

Sean Forestal (screenplay), Cornel Wilde (screenplay) (as Jefferson Pascal)

Stars:

Nigel Davenport, Jean Wallace, John Hamill

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nigel Davenport	...	John Custance
Jean Wallace	...	Ann Custance
John Hamill	...	Roger Burnham
Lynne Frederick	...	Mary Custance
Patrick Holt	...	David Custance
Ruth Kettlewell	...	Fat Woman
M.J. Mathews	...	George (as M.J. Matthews)
Michael Percival	...	Police Constable
Tex Fuller	...	Mr. Beaseley
Simon Merrick	...	T.V. Interviewer (Fred Gray)
Anthony Sharp	...	Sir Charles Brenner
George Coulouris	...	Mr. Sturdevant
Anthony May	...	Pirrie
Wendy Richard	...	Clara
Max Hartnell	...	Lieutenant

Storyline

A strange new virus has appeared, which only attacks strains of grasses such as wheat and rice, and the world is descending into famine and chaos. Architect John Custance, along with his family and friends, is making his way from London to his brother's farm in Scotland, where hopefully, there will be food and safety for all of them. Along the way, they encounter hostile soldiers, biker gangs, and all manner of people who are all too willing to take advantage of travelers for a mouthful of food.

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Plot Keywords:

walking | television broadcast | television news | car | stillbirth | 

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Taglines:

No room to run! No place to hide!

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lynne Frederick and Nigel Davenport reunited four years later in another science fiction film "Phase IV (1974)." Because Davenport had gotten along so well with Frederick in their first film together, he personally recommended Frederick for a role in "Phase VI" when a suitable female actress couldn't be found for the desired role.

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Goofs

For a man with military experience, John made a major tactical mistake walking along a road when the goal was to be inconspicuous. Even so, he should have been able to hide the group from the large gang on motorcycles which certainly made enough noise to warn John before they were within line-of-sight. All the hikers would have had to do was lie down behind the stone wall along the road. Instead, they wind up in a costly gunfight. Stupid.

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Quotes

Fat Woman: George, do you know what I think caused the virus? It's 'cause them Chinese fertilize everything with human shit!
[husband George, sitting by her side, ignores her, so she elbows him]
Fat Woman: George, ya hear what I said?
George: [turning to look directly at her] Yes, I did. And if it's true, I could sell you to them chinks for a blooming fortune!

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Alternate Versions

To receive a 'AA' certificate the UK cinema release was heavily cut by the BBFC to remove scenes of sex and violence, which resulted in the running time being reduced by over 15 mins. For the 15 rated MGM video most of the cuts were restored although 1 min 20 secs were still cut from the rape scene.

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Connections

Referenced in 28 Days Later... (2002)

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Soundtracks

Lead Us On
By Charles Carroll

User Reviews

Exodus in a new guise

What most people seem to have missed is the Exodus theme and the Moses figure of the main character. He leads people to a new promised land in the midst of chaos and plague. He is assisted by a Joshua character who does the organizational work and heads the military actions. The daughter's fiancé is the hesitant and uncertain Aaron. Somewhat confused overall and not as effective as it could have been. The flash forwards were distracting and set up an anticipation that detracted from the present scenes. It is difficult to see how the film was an argument for environmental causes. It would be better seen as a cautionary tale on the fragility of society. Given a socially disruptive situation people are often incapable of recognizing the need for social order and become, instead, survivalists. Social order is even more necessary when normality is undercut and crisis events threaten to overwhelm our institutions.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Death of Grass

Filming Locations:

Ribblehead Viaduct, Low Sleights Road, Carnforth, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Theodora Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1