Nigel Davenport and Jean Wallace comfort daughter Lynne Frederick after she is attacked in Cornel Wilde’s apocalyptic NO BLADE OF GRASS.


them herself. The family is forced to deal ruth- lessly with all who oppose them. The police, mili- tary and civil authorities, as well as uncooperative citizens are summarily shot down whenever they offer resistance, and soon other families join the group, forming a sort of people’s army whose only law is that of self-preservation. Their reversion to near-animalism, combined with flashes of the humanity they still retain, make for strong, even moving dramatic moments. The trek through the deceptively beautiful, polluted countryside includes a turbulent encounter with a roving motorcycle gang and ends with Davenport killing his own brother over the group’s entry into the fortified farm area. The principals face an uncertain fu- ture defending their sanctuary against the rest of the populace. Sean Forestal and Jefferson Pascal’s realistic


updating of John Christopher’s 1956 novel piles death upon death, with one extremely graphic, unsettling natural childbirth scene culminating in the birth of a dead baby. The major flaw, and one that could easily be corrected, is the incessant


and pointless use of flash-forwards showing ac- tion soon to come, which is like watching to trailer for the picture as the film itself unfolds, and seri- ously vitiates the suspense. The horrid flashing red tints over these shots only confuse things fur- ther. Davenport lends militaristic authority to his role, supported by a realistic and credible cast. Miss Frederick, an uncommonly beautiful girl, is especially good as the daughter. H.A.R. Thompson’s Metro-Color-Panavision photogra- phy is unusually crisp and clear, but the jangling, inappropriate music score and a foolish title song are no help.


1970. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Symbol Productions). 96 minutes. MetroColor, Panavision [2.35:1]. Nigel Davenport, Jean Wallace, Anthony May, George Coulouris. Produced and directed by Cornel Wilde.


Interesting that Joe wrote “the subject could hardly be more timely,” as it seems to be the case today, nearly 35 years later. There has been no official domestic release of this worthy title to date, though an eBay seller claims to have based his DVD-R on a VHS acquired through the same auction site. Turner Classic Movies has shown the film letterboxed and uncut. Steer clear of MGM’s UK tape, which lost 1m 20s due to BBFC cuts.


17


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