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. Matthews	...	George
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:

A virus of doom envelops earth! No room to run! No place to hide!

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Death of Grass

Filming Locations:

Ribblehead Viaduct, Ribblehead, 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

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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Quotes

John Custance: Just what are you getting at, Pirrie?
Pirrie: I mean the law... the old law. Well, there isn't any now, is there?

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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

Good story - lousy direction

I haven't read the original story, though a friend of mine who watched it with me who had read the book said that this film adaptation was fairly close to what happened in the book.

The story is an intriguing one, and fascinating as to how is constantly seem to show no hope, no promise. There are some powerful scenes here. Unfortunately, director Cornel Wilde was not the right choice here. Yes, he does get some powerful scenes, but there are a number of annoyances. He shows endless shots of polluted rivers, garbage, dead animals, etc. - this isn't really what the story is about! I know there was a big ecology kick going on at the time, but that's no excuse.

Also, there are a number of flash-forwards that spoil events that happen later in the movie. What was the point of ruining these plot turns for us? Couldn't we have been taken by surprise?

Also, some scenes go by at a rapid-fire pace, or seem to have been cut before they completely played out.

So it's not a great film. However, the story is what's interesting, and what will probably make the movie worth watching to viewers, provided they have patience. (If they can find it - it's not on video, unfortunately.) Plus, even though it's a little corny, it'll be hard for me to shake that haunting title song out of my head.