The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)

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Siskoid
The World, The Flesh and the Devil is a surprise for 1959, well ahead of its time in terms of theme and even premise - a postapocalyptic film that prefigures everything from much of 70s sci-fi to 28 Days Later to Last Man on Earth - and does so intelligently in an era where science-fiction was usually the purview of B-movies and radioactive giants. The empty urban vistas of the film are impressive in and of themselves, and Harry Belafonte a great presence, but what's most intriguing is how the story happens in the shadow of the racial divide in America. They may be the only people on Earth, but Belanfonte's Ralph has it ingrained in him that he can't be with a white woman, no matter how sweet they are as a potential couple. Things get even more complicated when a second man, this one white, is found alive, and the trio is on the cusp of recreating the unjust world that was just destroyed. Can life have a fresh start without bringing that old baggage along? At some point, the film becomes more allegorical, but I don't care, especially if it's going to do such interesting things with sound (that last, echoing sequence, and the use of Belafonte singing), and give me well thought-out procedural elements too. 3 years 11 months ago
ClassicLady
Belfonte is nice enough to look at and hear singing but I don't like movies which make up race incidents just for the heck of it. 10 years 6 months ago