Just watched H.G. Wells' Things to Come. Apparently, he actually wrote the screenplay. It turns out that H.G. Wells was very possibly the worst screenwriter in the history of the planet, and yes, I have seen any number of Soviet propaganda films, and also, Yentl. The thing has to be seen to be believed. But be sure to lay in a good supply of beer first.
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He did, however, write one of the best final speeches of pre-war cinema.
i think H.G. Wells is very over-rated in general. his endings are usually total disappointments, esp. War of the Worlds and Island of Dr. Moreau. he deserves much credit as a forerunner/popularizer of a genre, but his stories are often disappointments.
at least they are to me.
Chris is remarkably offended by your statement here and plans on writing a diatribe-response tomorrow. I, however, agree with you. Shhhhh! Don't tell him!
Come on, Yentl isn't that bad. There have to be unanesthetized surgeries that are probably more painful.
Pretty sure HG Wells only wrote 3 screenplays, and War of the Worlds was certainly not one of them.
'Things to Come' has been one of my favorite guilty pleasures for years. Streamline Moderne airships! Scientists and engineers who double as paratroops! And nothing says techno-uopia like those weird fabric croissants on the shoulders of the "Wings Over the World" uniforms. I think this particular cliche-to-be was first seen in TTC. The whole thing is a sort of left-wing Ayn Rand movie. It even has Raymond Massey! Somebody pop me some corn!
I haven't seen the movie, but I've read a good deal about it. Although he wrote the screenplay I think he was trying to write for a movie audience and didn't know how to do that. Supposedly he ended up with a movie much cruder and more reprehensible than he was.
Which if so is quite an achievement because by that point in his life he was quite crude and reprehensible. He's the only person I can think of who described himself as a "liberal Fascist" and he believed in massively "re-educating" the population to eliminate anti-social behavior and religion.
Just watched H.G. Wells' Things to Come. Apparently, he actually wrote the screenplay. It turns out that H.G. Wells was very possibly the worst screenwriter in the history of the planet ...
Megan, didn't you tell us earlier that a boyfriend had informed you about "sunk costs"?
Beer? The heck with that, go for strait sprits. Your silly circuits will kick in sooner and with planning and a little luck after you pass out you can write it off as a nightmare. ;)
I love "Things To Come." The set and costume design is terrific art deco at its most over-the-top. It has a power-house cast. And it's an unabashed apologia for fascism. How often do you see one of those? "Gabriel Over the White House" (sadly, not available on DVD)is the only other one I know of. "Things to Come" is one of the oddest movies of all time. The narrative is episodic and the way it jumps though time,especially the final jump to the riots in opposition to the 'space gun,' is slightly awkward. But it is worth watching just for the costumes. I've seen friends sit slack-jawed watching it. Sometimes, it's the politics. Other times, it's the bizarre technology, like the 'gas of peace.' But, overall, this movie is a hoot, an experience like no other.
I've always kind of liked this movie, given that it successfully predicted a world war beginning in 1940 (OK, he was 4 months off) and had an early depiction of air bombardment of civilian populations as a key part of the war. I read once that the original cut was something like 60 minutes longer and better explained the story, but it was massively cut before distribution and the extra footage is long gone. I'd love to know more about that.
Because you hate Yentl, you are an anti-semite.
Oh, wait. You aren't a Democrat and you support the war.
Never mind.
Megan,
Your knowledge of bad movies must be very limited then.(That's a good thing.)
You must never have watched Mystery Science Theater 3000, because I doubt that H.G. Wells was a worst screenwriter than someone like Ed Wood or Coleman Francis (who brought us cinematic atrocities like Red Zone Cuba and The Beast of Yucca Flats) or Texas fertilizer salesman Hal Warren, who brought us the appalling Manos, the Hands of Fate.
had an early depiction of air bombardment of civilian populations as a key part of the war.
That was a cliche of the time. The real surprise of WWII was that air bombardment of civilian populations was not decisive.