THE
WORLD, THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1958)
Starring
Harry Belafonte, Inger Stevens, Mel Ferrer. Directed by Randald
MacDougall. (95 min).
ON
BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Mr. Paws😽
The
World, the Flesh and the Devil is one of the stranger sci-fi
films of the 1950s. No monsters, no aliens, no spaceships...just
three lonely people trying to co-exist in post-apocalypse New York.
For
much of the film, however, it’s only two. Following a nuclear
attack that apparently killed millions, Ralph Burton (Harry
Belafonte) emerges from the rubble to a desolate world, seemingly the
only man left alive. He makes his way to New York, hoping to find
survivors and eventually meeting Sarah (Inger Stevens). Ralph turns out
to be pretty handy, restoring the electricity and even setting up
direct phone lines between their two apartments.
That
they live in separate buildings is an interesting dynamic. Sarah wants to be closer and they obviously have feelings for
each other, yet in a compelling break from the typical '50s era film exploring issues of race, it’s Ralph who’s been conditioned to believe
that being black somehow makes him incompatible. A telling moment is
when Sarah laments she’s never been married, Ralph vows he’ll
find her a proper husband and marry them himself.
 |
| Harry goes apartment hunting. |
So
while they remain friends and he goes to great lengths to make her
happy, he stays physically and emotionally distant. Then Benson (Mel
Ferrer) arrives. Initially sickly and weak, Ralph & Sarah nurse
him back to health, at which time he makes his attraction to Sarah
clear. And even though Ralph is more than willing to step aside,
Benson soon sees him as an obstacle to be eliminated.
Because of this dynamic, the
film often plays more like a melodramatic soap opera than anything resembling
science-fiction, especially Sarah’s mood-swinging histrionics. Despite being the last woman on Earth, she’s such a shrill,
irritating, emotional roller-coaster that it’s difficult to see
what either man sees in her. But other than that, this three-character play unfolds in unexpected ways, particularly the climax,
which I suppose could be seen as provocative for its time. Belafonte
brings much-needed gravitas to his role, especially when he’s
wandering the city alone. One can’t help but think the visual power
of these desolate scenes had a direct influence on 1971’s The
Omega Man.
But
while conceptually similar, this is not The Omega Man
and takes a bit more patience on the viewer’s part to get anything
out of it, especially if one is expecting old school apocalyptic
sci-fi. Still, The World, the Flesh and the Devil paints an
intriguing picture, briefly raising a few interesting points about
human nature and societal norms along the way.
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.
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