When Worlds Collided

Credit: Paramount Pictures

                                        
                                                   When Worlds Collided

                                                                  by
                                                
                                                                      Jay Agan

      Back in '89, the Columbus Museum of "Art" had a special effects film fest for several weeks & I attended a few showings. One of the films was George Pals' When World Collide. I'd not seen this one on a "bigger" srcreen & wondered what it'd be like with an audience. As it turned out, I could have done without the audience.

      The dweeb running the show got up to give his 1/2 cent worth. The fool sneers at the idea that any such undertaking of manned space travel (Let alone saving humanity.) could be done by free enterprise (He couldn't bring himself to say "Capitalism". Maybe he thought it would sound too political.). No, only government was capable (The brand names on all that equipment at NASA notwithstanding.) After his spiel we get to the movie.

      Well , it's going great until we get a view of the (Obvious model.) space ark. The mob of  oh so sophistacated/annointed ones bust out laughing (They also got a few chuckles over the monologue of how a man gets to genuinly praying in a time of real crisis.).

     What did these Phillistines expect? An excellent film released in 1953, they didn't have the tech for the advanced special effects of '89 (Or of today for that matter.). When I first saw this film as a kid, I knew of the limitations, took that into account, & enjoyed the show. These barbarians seemingly couldn't. I at least had some satisfaction with the audience getting into the flick as the drama & tension built up (The scene with the wheelchair bound villian gunning down his rebellious flunky got their attention & surprise!).

      I'm reminded of an instance where this jerk I talked with was insistant about no movie was worth watching if the spfx didn't meet up with todays' standards. How does one explain culture to a savage? Or a newspaper to an idiot!

                                         Article copyright © 4-19-2011 Jay Agan

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