desmond b
The really odd thing about this cannibal film is that, while we witness the descent of civilised British gentlefolk into savagery, we never see any actual cannibalism. We hear a lot about it occurring in other countries, and speculation about it being about to happen at home, but the British seem to find each other particularly unappetising.
Cornell Wilde was an activist director, intent on convincing his audiences that the world was going pear-shaped in a hurry, and he was not big on subtlety. Unfortunately, the audience expects not just social commentary but also entertainment, and despite a lot of shooting and explosions and murders and rapes, the film suffered from some wooden dialogue and irritating flash-forwards which extinguished any suspense.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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joe m
Well, here's a film from 50 years ago that is like a prophecy of where we'll soon be at in the 2020's. "No Blade of Grass" is a well done dystopian look at a 'future' state where a virus is killing all grasses, included grains like wheat, thus leading to worldwide starvation, anarchy, mass killings and cannibalism. The film's focus is on one family, led by actor Nigel Davenport, and the various stragglers they pick up as they make their way up north to his brother's farm through an England gone mad. Their trek is by no means easy, filled with all sort of violent and unexpected travails. The film has that 70's style to it and it's somewhat over the top and preposterous at moments. Yet, overall it stands up well to the test of time. Well worth seeing if you get the chance.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
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Audience Member
Unrelentingly bleak post-apocalyptic tale. Dated and corny (at times) but still effective.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/24/23
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delysid d
Oh No! Its the end of the World!
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
04/09/18
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Audience Member
good message, but awful script. No chance of you being able to suspend disbelief so you can be entertained
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/17/23
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Audience Member
This film took me by surprise. I've only seen a few films directed Cornel Wilde, most of them seeming to be different survival stories, but none of those films were nearly as rough as this one. After a viral outbreak, a London family sets out on the road to reach a brother-in-law's home in distant Scotland for safety and security, away from the chaos of the city. Civil order has broken down and the pastoral British countryside is now overrun by biker gangs, picturesque hamlets now laying ambushes, and rogue military units. Although the film does have a surprising amount of violence for a film of this era (this was the time of "The Wild Bunch" and "Bonnie & Clyde," when violence in cinema was becoming more graphic) the characters maintain a very British stiff upper lip, which does lessen the harsh realities of what's happening to the characters, and I think to the detriment to the film's impact. Even after the main character's daughter is assaulted, he seems unrealistically stoic to the point of seeming uncaring towards his daughter's ordeal. Maybe this was intentional by the filmmakers, but this type of stoicism seemed to push credulity. The crux of the film is the question of when the civil order breaks down, do you cling to societal norms of decency or do you embrace survival no matter the cost? What's most interesting about "No Blades of Grass" is that it doesn't cleanly fall on either side and makes that case for needing to do both. In many ways, this story was quite reminiscent of Ray Milland's underrated "Panic in Year Zero!" another story about a family trying to survive an apocalyptic event and having make hard decisions in order to survive. As an aside, I wonder how much this film influenced "28 Days Later," which also featured a viral outbreak in London, followed a group of survivors setting out across the English countryside for Scotland, who also encounter a rogue military unit. Overall, "No Blade of Grass" is a fairly realistic depiction of how seemingly ordinary people might act when faced with such a life or death situation, even if the characters are bit too "British" about their situation (though maybe that's the American in me not understanding British culture).
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
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