No Blade of Grass (film)

Last updated
No Blade of Grass
"No Blade of Grass".jpg
Theatrical release poster by Bill Gold
Directed by Cornel Wilde
Screenplay bySean Forestal
Cornel Wilde
(as Jefferson Pascal)
Based on The Death of Grass
1956 novel
by John Christopher
Produced byCornel Wilde
Starring Nigel Davenport
Jean Wallace
Lynne Frederick
Anthony May
CinematographyH.A.R. Thomson
Edited by Frank Clarke
Music byBurnell Whibley
Production
company
Theodora Productions
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • October 23, 1970 (1970-10-23)(United States)
Running time
96 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States [1]
LanguageEnglish

No Blade of Grass is a 1970 apocalyptic dystopian film co-written, directed and produced by Cornel Wilde and starring Nigel Davenport, Jean Wallace, and John Hamill. It is an adaptation of John Christopher's novel The Death of Grass (1956) and follows the survivors of a plague that has hit London in the not-too-distant future. When London is overwhelmed by food riots caused by a global famine, a man tries to lead his family to safety to a remote valley in Westmorland.

Contents

Plot

The film opens with a montage of pollution, which, as implied by the narrator, is the cause of a virulent new disease arising in Asia, a virus that strikes all members of the grass family, including wheat, rice, and maize. It spreads to Africa, Europe and South America, bringing starvation, anarchy and cannibalism in its wake. Hundreds of millions die. The Chinese use nerve gas on their own population, killing 300 million, in their desperate attempts to survive.

A year after the start of the disaster, John Custance, his family and his daughter Mary's boyfriend, scientist Roger Burnham, leave London during rioting just before roadblocks are set up. They head for his brother David's farm in the north.

They stop at Mr. Sturdevant's shop to obtain firearms. When Sturdevant refuses to sell them any without the proper permits, John and Roger overpower him, but are held at gunpoint by his assistant, Andrew Pirrie. However, when John explains the situation to Pirrie, he shoots his employer, and he and his wife Clara join them.

To get past an Army roadblock, they are forced to shoot three soldiers. Later, the party become separated when Roger and Pirrie race each other in their cars. John's car is stopped by a gate at a train crossing. He is knocked out, and his wife and 16-year-old daughter are taken away and raped by three men. John and the others find them and shoot two of the men, but one gets away.

Later, they are stopped by vigilantes guarding their settlement and robbed of everything useful, including their vehicles and guns. Fortunately, they are only 50 miles (80 km) away from their goal. Now afoot, they come upon an isolated farmhouse. They kill the farmer and his wife and take their guns. While staying in an abandoned factory Pirrie's wife Clara attempts to seduce John and is shot by her husband. Mary and Pirrie become close, as Mary believes Pirrie can protect her. Next, they encounter a larger group trudging the other way. John offers to take them along to his brother's easily protected valley. Their leader objects and goes for his gun, so Pirrie shoots him. The others decide to join John's party.

As they walk beside a road, a motorcycle gang rides by. John's wife Ann recognizes one of them as the escaped rapist. The armed gang mount a series of mounted attacks, but are killed in the ensuing gun battle, as are some of John's people.

When they finally reach David's place, they see that it is well protected by a stone wall and a machine gun. David tells John privately that he cannot let such a large number of people in—the valley cannot feed so many—and suggests John sneak away from his group in the night with his family and Roger. Instead, John mounts a night attack. Pirrie shoots David, who is manning the machine gun, but is himself also killed. The attack is successful, and John takes charge of the valley.

Cast

Production

Filming began 11 May 1970 in the Lakes District and then at Elstree Studios. It was the first film made at MGM European production head Robert Littman. [2]

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Primary criticism was for the film's deviation from the source material and turning it into an exploitation film.[ dubious – discuss ] It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. [3]

Rape scene controversy

The original cut of No Blade of Grass contained a scene where a group of three biker men abduct and rape Ann Custance (played by Jean Wallace) and her 16-year-old virgin daughter, Mary (played by Lynne Frederick in her film debut). The intense graphic nature and sexual violence of the scene generated some mild controversy from critics who felt it was gratuitous. Compounding matters was that Lynne Frederick, who was one of the rape victims in the scene, was only 15 at the time and questions over the use of a body double remain a controversial topic to this day.[ citation needed ]

In response to the controversy, re-releases of the film on VHS trimmed the rape sequence down by about a minute and a half. The uncut version appeared on DVD in numerous budget priced editions. In 2011, the Warner Archive Collection released No Blade of Grass with the rape scene intact.[ citation needed ]

Music

Roger Whittaker recorded the title song for the film; [4] "No Blade of Grass" was released on the New World in the Morning album (1971). It was covered by American disc jockey Casey Kasem as a spoken-word recording.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Back to the Future Part III</i> 1990 film by Robert Zemeckis

Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction Western film and the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, and Lea Thompson. The film continues immediately following Back to the Future Part II (1989); while stranded in 1955 during his time travel adventures, Marty McFly (Fox) discovers that his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd), trapped in 1885, was killed by Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Wilson), Biff's great-grandfather. Marty travels to 1885 to rescue Doc and return once again to 1985, but matters are complicated when Doc falls in love with Clara Clayton (Steenburgen).

<i>The Funeral</i> (1996 film) 1996 film by Abel Ferrara

The Funeral is a 1996 American crime-drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Christopher Walken, Chris Penn, Annabella Sciorra, Isabella Rossellini, Vincent Gallo, Benicio del Toro and Gretchen Mol.

<i>Lethal Weapon 3</i> 1992 American film directed by Richard Donner

Lethal Weapon 3 is a 1992 American buddy cop action film directed by Richard Donner and written by Jeffrey Boam and Robert Mark Kamen. The sequel to Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), it is the third installment in the Lethal Weapon film series and stars Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, and Stuart Wilson.

<i>Death Race 2000</i> 1975 action film directed by Paul Bartel

Death Race 2000 is a 1975 American dystopian science-fiction action film directed by Paul Bartel and produced by Roger Corman for New World Pictures. Set in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, the film centers on the murderous Transcontinental Road Race, in which participants score points by striking and killing pedestrians. David Carradine stars as "Frankenstein", the leading champion of the race, who is targeted by an underground rebel movement seeking to abolish the race. The cast also features Simone Griffeth, Sylvester Stallone, Mary Woronov, Martin Kove, and Don Steele.

<i>The Kremlin Letter</i> 1970 film by John Huston

The Kremlin Letter is a 1970 American spy thriller film in Panavision directed by John Huston and starring Richard Boone, Orson Welles, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, Patrick O'Neal, and George Sanders. It was released in February 1970 by 20th Century-Fox.

<i>The Hills Have Eyes</i> (1977 film) 1977 American horror film directed by Wes Craven

The Hills Have Eyes is a 1977 American horror film written, directed, and edited by Wes Craven and starring Susan Lanier, Michael Berryman and Dee Wallace. The film follows the Carters, a suburban family targeted by a family of cannibal savages after becoming stranded in the Nevada desert.

<i>Way Out West</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by James W. Horne

Way Out West is a 1937 Laurel and Hardy comedy film directed by James W. Horne, produced by Stan Laurel, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was the second picture for which Stan Laurel was credited as producer.

<i>El Topo</i> 1970 film

El Topo is a 1970 Mexican acid Western film written, scored, directed by and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky. Characterized by its bizarre characters and occurrences, use of maimed and dwarf performers, and heavy doses of Judeo-Christian symbolism and Eastern philosophy, the film is about El Topo—a violent, black-clad gunfighter played by Jodorowsky—and his quest for enlightenment.

<i>Zabriskie Point</i> (film) 1970 US drama film by Michelangelo Antonioni

Zabriskie Point is a 1970 American drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring Mark Frechette, Daria Halprin, and Rod Taylor. It was widely noted at the time for its setting in the counterculture of the United States. Some of the movie's scenes were filmed on location at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley. The movie was an overwhelming commercial failure, and was panned by most critics upon release.

<i>Our Hospitality</i> 1923 film directed by Buster Keaton and John G. Blystone

Our Hospitality is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by Buster Keaton and John G. Blystone. Starring Keaton, Joe Roberts, and Natalie Talmadge and distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation, it uses slapstick and situational comedy to tell the story of Willie McKay, caught in the middle of the infamous "Canfield–McKay" feud, an obvious satire of the real–life Hatfield–McCoy feud.

<i>The Death of Grass</i> 1956 science fiction novel

The Death of Grass is a 1956 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel written by the English author Sam Youd under the pen name John Christopher. The plot concerns a virus that kills off grass species, including rice and wheat. The Death of Grass was the first of several post-apocalyptic novels written by Youd. The novel was written in a matter of weeks and liberated him from his day job.

<i>Ricochet</i> (1991 film) 1991 film directed by Russell Mulcahy

Ricochet is a 1991 American action crime thriller film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, written by Steven E. de Souza, and starring Denzel Washington, John Lithgow, Ice-T, Kevin Pollak, and Lindsay Wagner, with Mary Ellen Trainor reprising her role as Gail Wallens from Die Hard. The film details a struggle between a Los Angeles district attorney (Washington) and a vengeful criminal (Lithgow) whom he arrested when he was a cop.

<i>Blue Steel</i> (1990 film) 1990 film by Kathryn Bigelow

Blue Steel is a 1990 American action thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver and Clancy Brown. The film is about a New York police officer who shoots and kills an armed criminal on her first day of active duty, only for a witness of the incident to steal the criminal's weapon and begin tormenting her life as the object of a homicidal obsession.

<i>The Adventures of William Tell</i> British television series (1958–1959)

The Adventures of William Tell is a British swashbuckler adventure series, first broadcast on the ITV network in 1958, and produced by ITC Entertainment. In the United States, the episodes aired on the syndicated NTA Film Network in 1958–1959.

<i>The Seven Minutes</i> (film) 1971 film by Russ Meyer

The Seven Minutes is a 1971 American drama movie directed and produced by Russ Meyer. The movie was based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Irving Wallace.

<i>The Lady in Red</i> (1979 film) 1979 American crime film

The Lady in Red is a 1979 American crime drama film directed by Lewis Teague and starring Pamela Sue Martin and Robert Conrad. It is an early writing effort of John Sayles who became better known as a director in the 1980s and 1990s.

<i>The Warriors Way</i> 2010 film

The Warrior's Way is a 2010 New Zealand-South Korean fantasy action film written and directed by Sngmoo Lee and starring Jang Dong-gun, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, Danny Huston and Tony Cox. It was produced by Barrie Osborne, who also produced The Lord of the Rings. The film was released on 3 December 2010. Its plot concerns a 19th-century warrior named Yang, who is ordered to kill the last member of an enemy clan — a baby girl. He refuses the mission and flees with the child to a dilapidated town in the American West. Despite his attempts, his master closes in on him and he must fight to protect the child and his newfound comrades: Ron, the town drunk, and Lynne, both of whom have a tragic past.

A riding coat or jacket is a garment initially designed as outerwear for horseback riding. It protects the wearer's upper clothes from dirt and wear, and may provide additional protection in case of falls. It is very helpful to the riders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Holt</span> British actor (1912–1993)

Patrick Holt was an English film and television actor.

<i>Blade Runner 2049</i> 2017 film directed by Denis Villeneuve

Blade Runner 2049 is a 2017 American epic neo-noir science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, based on a story by Fancher. A sequel to Blade Runner (1982), the film stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, with Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Dave Bautista, and Jared Leto in supporting roles. Ford and Edward James Olmos reprise their roles from the previous film as Rick Deckard and Gaff, respectively. Gosling plays K, a "blade runner" who uncovers a secret that threatens to destabilize society and the course of civilization.

References

  1. ↑ "No Blade of Grass (1970)". BFI. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Cooper, Rod (3 May 1970). "All tuning up for 'Melody'". Kine Weekly. p. 20.
  3. ↑ "1971 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 26 July 2007. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  4. ↑ Mangos, Anthony. "UNRELENTING BLEAKNESS: NO BLADE OF GRASS FIFTY YEARS LATER". Diabolique magazine. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.