Things to Come

Raymond Massey - John Cabal/Oswald Cabal
Edward Chapman - Pippa Passworthy/Raymond Passworthy
Ralph Richardson - The Boss
Margaretta Scott - Roxana/Rowena
Cedric Hardwicke - Theotocopulos
Maurice Braddell - Dr. Harding
Sophie Stewart - Mrs. Cabal
Derrick De Marney - Richard Gordon
Ann Todd - Mary Gordon

The story H.G. Wells Things to Come centres on the careers of two men: John Cabal, leader of the, technocrats who set up the world state, and his grandson Oswald Cabal, who has to deal with a reactionary backlash. Not surprisingly, given that the film industry was an integral part of the capitalist system, the attack on capitalism that is central to The Shape of Things to Come is omitted. The film concentrates more on attacking the horrors of war, which in the book Wells made clear was a product of that system. But Wells' screenplay was further streamlined and pruned by Korda and his script editor Lajos Biro to eliminate a diatribe against religion and a debate about the role of woman as love object or workmate. But otherwise the scenario was faithfully translated to the screen by Korda's top-flight production team. He imported the ace Hollywood designer William Cameron Menzies to direct and commissioned Arthur Bliss to provide the score. The art director was Alexander Korda's brother Vincent, who was inspired in creating the city of the future.

The resulting film was released in February 1936. For all the obvious artificiality of some of the special effects, the cut-glass accents and impeccable upper-class English manner of the juveniles and the hamminess of some of the acting, it remains a classic of science fiction cinema, a visionary work of compelling power, awesome imagination and uplifting optimism. The first theme is pacifism and hatred of war. Prophetically choosing 1940 as its starting date and setting the action in Everytown, though it is obviously London and in particular Piccadilly Circus, the film opens with the bravura intercutting of carol singers, turkeys for sale and Christmas shoppers with looming headlines proclaiming the imminence of war. At the house of John Cabal (Raymond Massey), the prospects of war are debated and Cabal insists 'if we don't end war, war will end us'. The children play games with their toy armaments, until over the wireless it is announced that the fleet has been bombed without warning, the country is at war and enemy planes are heading for Everytown. There follows a superbly staged air raid, a graphic and chilling illustration of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin's dictum: 'The bomber will always get through.' Motorcyclists surge across the screen, the roar of planes is heard overhead and although we never see the planes, their bombs bring destruction to the busy streets as searchlights vainly probe the sky. The panic and devastation ends with a slow and eloquent track in to the body of a child buried in the rubble. The child, symbol of hope for the future, is to be a recurrent image in the film.

The war drags on until 1966 and in its wake comes the plague - the Wandering Sickness - and the collapse of civilisation. Victims of the plague are shot to prevent them spreading infection and the pestilence subsides. Amid the ruins of Everytown, a quasi-medieval village springs up, with buses turned into houses, cars pulled by horses and the community led by a warlord, the As (Ralph Richardson), who still leads armed raids on neighbouring settlements. The Boss is challenged by the arrival of the white-haired, black-clad figure of John Cabal, who declares that he represents an organisation called 'Wings Over the World' which stand for 'Law and Sanity' and plans to restore civilisation from its advanced scientific base on the Persian Gulf. Although the Boss arrests Cabal, a great fleet of airships appears over Everytown, drops 'Peace Gas' bombs, knocking out the population and taking control. Everyone revives in time except for the Boss, who is found to have died.

Cabal declares that the work of rebuilding must go ahead with the creation of a new planned, technological society. So the second theme of the film scientific planning - emerges. 'Planning' was the great panacea of the 1930s. It was based on faith in the efficacy of reason and science to tackle and overcome whatever problems faced the nation. The lengthy quasi-documentary sequence detailing the building of the New World is a celebration of technology. At the end of it, we see Everytown in 2036, a great new underground city of shining towers, white, clean, clinical, with artificial light and air, huge television screens and scientifically prolonged life. A child, being given a history lesson by her grandfather, declares happily: ‘keep on inventing things and making life lovelier and lovelier.' The latest invention is the space gun, which will launch a projectile to begin the exploration of the universe. Oswald Cabal (Raymond Massey), John's grandson, and Raymond Passworthy (Edward Chapman) discuss the expedition, on which Passworthy's son and Cabal's daughter will be the crew. Passworthy is fearful, and the people share his fears. The symbol of reaction is Theotocopoulos (Cedric Hardwicke), sculptor, artist and individualist. He hates the cold, planned, technological perfection in which they live. He rouses the populace to destroy the space gun, but before they can reach it, it is launched. Passworthy asks if there is ever to be any rest.