When Worlds Collide

When Worlds Collide

1951. USA. Directed by Rudolph Mate. Produced by George Pal. With Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hanson, Larry Keating. Hungarian-born George Pal had headed the UFA cartoon department in the closing years of Weimar. His work on Puppetoons for Paramount in the 1940s eventually led to feature films and several Oscars for special effects—including one for When Worlds Collide. Mate had been a great Weimar cinematographer, and he was behind the camera on several key films by Carl Th. Dreyer. In linking this film to Weimar cinema, one might also suggest that the fatalism inherent in contemplating the end of the Earth reflects certain attitudes prevalent in Germany in the early 1930s. 81 min.