Things to Come

"The future is here!"

1936 1h 40m EN

😐

6.5

MID

★6.5TMDB · 230

DramaScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The story of a century: a decades-long second World War leaves plague and anarchy, then a rational state rebuilds civilization and attempts space travel.

“The future is here!”

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Cast

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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Cameron Menzies
Writers: H. G. Wells
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

90 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Cameron Menzies, shot by Georges Périnal. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Arthur Bliss. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Francis D. Lyon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Raymond Massey and Edward Chapman and Ralph Richardson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The future is here!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0028358 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Cameron Menzies directs. Georges Périnal behind the camera. Arthur Bliss scores. Francis D. Lyon cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by William Cameron Menzies, shot by Georges Périnal. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Arthur Bliss. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Francis D. Lyon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Raymond Massey and Edward Chapman and Ralph Richardson carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The future is here!".
7IMDB entry: tt0028358 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Georges Périnal
Original score: Arthur Bliss
Editing: Francis D. Lyon
Costume design: Cathleen Mann
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Things to Come (1936)

Also by

William Cameron Menzies

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-19
★ 6/10
This is a rather fanciful adaptation of the HG Wells tale. Mankind is all but obliterated by war; reduced to tribal existences - under the overly theatrical leadership of Ralph Richardson and Margaretta Scott - fighting plague, tyranny and the elements. Then they encounter Daniel Massey ("John Cabal") who helps reconcile and rebuild society to an almost Utopian level. It manages to intertwine megalomania with human aspiration; an overpoweringly rousing score and some truly Shakesperian style soliloquy. It comes to force a future upon us that is eerily portentous of an Orwellian style dictatorship; of interstellar exploration to spread our plague of self-destructive ambition to other worlds - and all, broadly speaking with the consent of the masses. Sadly, i saw a colourised version which robbed this film of almost every element of potency; indeed it rendered it little better than a very poor cartoon. It's still just about worth watching; but Massey is no Olivier and I found it all rather preposterous.

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