MovieChat Forums > World Without End (1956) Discussion > Planet of the Apes -- without the apes!

Planet of the Apes -- without the apes!

posted 16 years ago by haristas
8 replies | jump to latest

As some have said in their comments for this film, " World Without End" is precursor to "Planet of the Apes," made eleven or twelve years later. The script could have been written by Rod Serling for "The Twilight Zone," and other elements resurface in "Beneath the Planet of the Apes." But if those films kind of rip-off "World Without End," then this movie can be said to rip-off "The Time Machine," even though a filmed version of that was still four years away. Anyway, we have them all to enjoy. I was born in 1959, so I missed this when it was new, but because I was so crazy for "Planet of the Apes" when it premiered in 1968, I'm sure I'd have loved this if I'd been the same age in 1956. In fact, when I first saw this on TV in the seventies, I recognized it right away as something kind of forgotten but special.

[–] gary_overman 16 years ago

Like I said in the comments section, I first saw this film when I was young lad in Seattle, Washington, in the early 1960's. I enjoyed the heck out of it then, watching it every time it came on KIRO-TV's weekly sci-fi feature, Saturday Afternoon at the Movies, and I like it still.
So don't feel like the Lone Ranger, as there are a lot of people who enjoy it. And it is good to see that someone else sees similarities to POTA, besides me!!
Come to think of it, it has been a while since I've watched this film, so if you nice people will excuse me...........

[–] haristas 16 years ago

The print on the new DVD is widescreen (Cinemascope) letterboxed and 16X9 anamorphic and looks fantastic. I guess someone kept very good care of the original elements.

[–] dukeb0y 9 years ago

Yes, it does look very good.

[–] Flight_of_Fantasy 13 years ago

Hey, another Washingtonian! Hello there, gary! *waves*

I personally see more similarity to The Time Machine than Planet of the Apes, but whatever, they're all highly enjoyable and somewhat similar in a post-apocalyptic, Earth All Along way.

And YAY for fans of classic SciFi movies!

"He's already attracted to her. Time and monotony will do the rest."

[–] gary_overman 13 years ago

<Hey, another Washingtonian! Hello there, gary! *waves*>

Hello back!! I feel compelled to tell you however, that I have not lived in the state of Washington for quite some time. I live in 'the place where the wind comes whistling down the plain'.

So, how did you like the film World Without End? I absolutely love it! I have had it for quite a while, first on VHS and now on DVD.

[–] Iridescent_Phantom 16 years ago

The resemblance of Planet of the Apes to World Without End actually goes back even further than that...all the way to Arthur Conan Doyle, and possible Jules Verne, both of whom used the "two warring tribes on a lost continent/planet plot."

Conan Doyle put a lot of that in his novel, "The Lost World." I believe Jules Verne used the same idea in "Off On A Comet," where two men from earth are actually picked up by a comet that nearly collides with our planet. My recollection of Verne's novel is sketchy, so I could be wrong.

Wells used the "two warring factions" motif in The Time Machine. Several movies also used the plot: One Million BC (1940) and One Million Years BC (a remake, circa 1967)

[–] babettegillette 12 years ago

"There is nothing new under the sun". -Ecclesiates

[–] first-things-first 10 years ago

I saw the resemblance to " The Planet Of The Apes" also, but didn't see the connection to "The Time Machine" until you mentioned it. I am re-watching today on TCM. And I agree that it is a gem.
I also see an episode of "The Twilight Zone".

If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world