This was a Technicolor Cinemascope film with reasonable budget. It is one I like – or at least I did as a very young lad all those years ago.

World Without End 1956

World Without End 1956

A spaceship’s crew is returning from a trip to Mars when something goes wrong and they find themselves transported to a future time where mankind has been forced to live underground to survive.

World Without End is inspired by H.G. Well’s classic novel The Time Machine  – Rod Taylor who plays Herbert in this film later went on to star in the 1960 film adaptation of The Time Machine).

World Without End perhaps lacks the originality that the H.G. Wells novel had, but as far as this type of film goes, it is pretty effective

When we look back on the science-fiction films of the 1950s most of us first think of the B-movies with low budgets and cheap effects and often Black and White.  World Without End is in Technicolor and Cinemascope – something that the the producers were keen to promote in posters of the day.

The reason World Without End was shot in Technicolor and CinemaScope despite having a low-budget and coming out in a time when most b-movies were in black-and-white is because Allied Artists, who produced the film, wanted to boost their image. . To do this they gave a little extra money to the film, allowing it to be shot in colour and wide-screen and to have a longer running time..

Some of the special effects look very good. The spaceship scenes are visually engaging. The design and costume work of the one-eyed mutated beasts is also impressive- they are grotesque. Some of the other effects aren’t quite as good.

The giant spider that jumps out on the astronauts in the cave is un-impressive – but I do remember all of us young lads that went to see the film, jumping out of our seats at the suddenness of the attack

Edward Bernds directed this feature. He directed dezens of b-movies throughout the 40s all the way to the 60s. Perhaps his most remembered work is Return of the Fly starring Vincent Price, which was a sequel to classic monster movie The Fly.

Hugh Marlowe stars in here, who also starred in 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still and later in Earth vs. the Flying Saucers.

 The real star here is Rod Taylor in his first major role and he rises to the occasion. 

He later went on to star in films like The Time Machine and  The Birds

Another possibly recognisable face is that of the beautiful Nancy Gates.

World Without End is an enjoyable film. For a low-budget film it’s extremely watchable. It’s not the best of the best 50s sci-fi films. Not very impressive but enjoyable.

The film went on release along with Lon Chaney in ‘The Indestructible Man’ both from Allied Artists