Mundo sin fin

World Without End has four astronauts on a Mars mission enter a time warp similar to what Charlton Heston and his crew encountered in Planet Of The Apes. Only they figure out before the end that it is earth about 500 years into the future where an atomic war has pretty well decimated the planet.

Fortunately for them the world is not just the savage mutants they inhabit outside. There is a civilization kept alive in earth's caves. But they're a pretty pacific lot and frown on these 20th century types with their weaponry which simply consists of handguns.

The four astronauts are Hugh Marlowe, Nelson Leigh, Christopher Dark, and Rod Taylor who would soon star in his own film about time travel. In the end it turns out that these guys and their knowledge of weapons come in pretty useful after all.

The director of this film Edward Bernds who did this for Allied Artists. Bernds who started out working on Frank Capra films was a director of several Bowery Boy features for Allied Artists formerly Monogram Pictures. This was a man used to working with minuscule budgets and realizing that the film didn't turn out half bad.

And unlike Planet Of The Apes it ends on a somewhat optimistic note.

Space pioneers are returning to Earth from a trip to Mars when their spaceship is propelled into the future. They land and discover a vastly different Earth than the one they left. All of the elements that went into the 50s scifi genre are here. Space travel, mutant creatures, and life in the far distant future. This film was a better than average film for its time. The effects are poor compared to today but the dialog makes up for it. The color is sharp and clear and there is a good cast to make it enjoyable. Pull up a chair and break out the popcorn. Following the adventures of the newly returned space travelers makes for a good Saturday afternoon viewing.

A few years ago I watched this movie with a group of friends. We had a terrific time with it. It was great to see `The Time Machine' star Rod Taylor with `The Day the Earth Stood Still' star Hugh Marlow. Other high points included that great rocket ship (which was first designed for `Destination Moon', but rejected in favor of the one actually used). The rocket was first used in `Flight to Mars', and it later appeared in `It! The Terror from Beyond Space' and `Queen of Outer Space'.

If your not into rockets, perhaps the stunning girls in the short `futuristic' skirts will hold your interest. Famed pin-up artist Alberto Vargas is listed in the credits, although he's credited with `production design', instead of `costume design'. Perhaps he did both.

The story has strong points and weak points. The weak points are forgivable: few special effects, a terrible `giant spider', and sets that not exactly spectacular.

The strong points are, I guess, a matter of personal taste. The story is simple, but still interesting. In a post-holocaust world, a small society of civilized people live underground, safe from the violent mutants who live on the surface. The characters interact well, and when they take on the mutants in the climax, my friends and I were cheering as if we were watching the Super Bowl.

Maybe it'll affect you the same way. Give it a chance.

Allied Artists pulls out their wallets and all the stops for this fantastic tale of men and mutants locked together in a time warp. The studio, at the time, had more in common with poverty row stalwarts like Eagle-Lion, Republic and Monogram, than the major studios of the era. But here they mounted a handsome production in "Cinemascope" and Technicolor. The major complaint about the film seems to concern the behavior and attitudes of the astronauts toward the females. I believe sexist and juvenile come to mind. But look a little under the surface and you will find the character of Deena. She breaks the typical space babe mold and develops an independent woman. Check out her courage in disobeying the elders as well as Rod Taylor, when she tags along in order to provide some practical information on the mutant culture. I can't believe I just wrote the words "mutant culture." In addition, I'm also aware that the costume department delivered the same mini-skirts which you might find in similar flicks of the period. But also remember that Star Trek dressed their female crew members in the same fashion--and in the late-sixties, too! I also like the engineer's character who is given feelings of sadness, regret and remorse when confronted with the ramifications of breaking the time barrier--with no means to return to his loved ones. Applause and salutations to the thoughtful screenwriter who delivered these pages.

Yes this movie is a little corny, but most of the sci-fi/horror movies of that time were corny, but still fun to watch. And this movie still has a good underlining story. The astronauts find themselves in another world from the one they left, their families and homes are gone and mutants attack them. Then they find another race like their own. And after fighting the mutants and the others they work together to start to rebuild the Earth. Corny but good.