The World, the Flesh and the Devil

1959
Approved
1h 35m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

3.6K

YOUR RATING

Harry Belafonte, Mel Ferrer, and Inger Stevens in The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)

Play trailer2:13

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Dystopian Sci-Fi Psychological Drama Drama Romance Sci-Fi

A miner trapped in a cave-in resurfaces, and upon discovering mankind has been wiped out in a nuclear holocaust, sets out to find other survivors.A miner trapped in a cave-in resurfaces, and upon discovering mankind has been wiped out in a nuclear holocaust, sets out to find other survivors.A miner trapped in a cave-in resurfaces, and upon discovering mankind has been wiped out in a nuclear holocaust, sets out to find other survivors.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

3.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Trivia
To film the striking images of a deserted New York City, the cast and crew had to start filming at dawn in order to capture the city before the early morning rush. This gave them no more than an hour or two per day in which to film the sequence.

Goofs
In his kitchen, Ralph shows Sarah how he's been throwing his dirty dishes out his apartment window because there's no water to wash them with. Sarah simply turns on the faucet and water flows, thanks to the water tower on top of Ralph's building. Ralph should not have been surprised by this, as he should have noticed that his toilet was still working.

In addition, both they and their hair look spotlessly clean, with Sarah's hair being particularly shiny.

Quotes
Ralph Burton: They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Ralph Burton: [This quotation from Ralph Bunche Park in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of New York City was named in 1979 for Ralph Bunche, the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The park is across from the United Nations headquarters; it has the famous quotation from Isaiah 2:4 incised into its wall, and is known as the "Isaiah Wall."]

Crazy credits
As the film's final credits cut-in, the film states "The Beginning" rather than "The End."

Connections
Featured in Out of this World Super Shock Show (2007)

Soundtracks
I Don't Like It Here
(uncredited)
Written by Harry Belafonte and Ranald MacDougall
Sung by Harry Belafonte

User reviews63

Review

Featured review

8/10

the first time i watched the world end

When I was in the 3rd grade I stayed home from school one day sick with the flu and watched this on a local TV station and some scenes from it have stuck with me ever since; I will never forget the sight of Harry Belafonte eating dinner with Inger Stevens and then cleaning up by casually throwing the entire contents of the dinner table out the high rise apartment window and calculating that it would be YEARS before the pile of smashed crockery reached his window; who can explain the eerie fascination of empty cities? This film is one of the first to successfully pull off the effect, setting the standard for what followed: The Omega Man, The Day of The Triffids, 28 Days later and especially The Quiet Earth.