re: #139 freetoken

Rewatching the end of the 1951 classic When Worlds Collide and I notice for the first time that the new world has, it appears, non-natural structures in the distance.

Anyway, of the 35 (34?) people onboard I was struck about how very similar they all were, in appearance. Not very big on diversity, back there in ‘51.

The book version had a sequel, After Worlds Collide, that described the survivor’s adventures on the new planet. The structures are undoubtedly related to a possible movie sequel that producer George Pal considered but never pursued.
Racial diversity is a weakness of all Pal movies, even by the lax standards of the time, When Worlds Collide is lily-white even though part of it is set in South Africa. The books, written by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer in the early 30s, do include non-white characters.

Many viewers have commented on the poor quality of the background painting in that final scene. It really is disappointingly cartoonish especially considering that it is the work of the great Ray Harryhausen. The painting we see was actually just a rough sketch for the much better one Harryhausen intended to use. Unfortunately the latter was ruined before the scene could be shot and producers did not want to wait for another to be painted. Over Harryhausen’s objections they insisted on using his crude sketch instead.
I first saw this movie when I was about 9 and instantly fell in love with then-24 year old Barbara Rush, a crush that is renewed every time I see it.