This film is part of Rentals
Things to Come
H.G. Wells' chilling vision of the future, which imagines the 20th Century as a near-endless war and struggle against tyranny, remains a key milestone in British science fiction.
Director: William Cameron Menzies
Overview
A key work in both British science fiction and the genre as a whole, this speculative fiction imagines, with some prescience, the progression of the remainder of the 20th Century, as tyranny and near-endless war eventually give way to a fragile utopia. Raymond Massey and Ralph Richardson star in this chilling and lavishly designed vision of the future, adapted for the screen by H.G. Wells from his own novel.
The author hated Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) - "I have recently seen the silliest film, I do not believe it would be possible to make one sillier.”, said his New York Times’ review - and vowed to do things differently. On release, Things to Come became the most expensive British film ever made. It survives now in the 96-minute version presented here.
Related
Demon Seed Demon Seed
Science Fiction 1977 94 mins Director: Donald Cammell
Visionary Scottish filmmaker Donald Cammell directs this claustrophobic ‘home-invasion’ sci-fi thriller based upon Dean Koontz’s best-selling novel.
2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey
Science Fiction 1968 149 mins Director: Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick took science fiction cinema in a grandly intelligent new direction with this epic story of man’s quest for knowledge.
Vesper Vesper
Action and Adventure 2022 114 mins Director: Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper
In a desolate post-apocalyptic future, a young teenage survivor has to avoid scrutiny from her uncle (a menacing Eddie Marsan) and the ruthless authorities pursuing her in this dark and dangerous fairytale.
After Blue (Dirty Paradise) After Blue (Dirty Paradise)
Fantasy 2021 129 mins Director: Bertrand Mandico
A mother and daughter living in a post-apocalyptic future are sent to hunt down and kill an evil demon hell-bent on destruction.
Alphaville Alphaville
Detective drama 1965 99 mins Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard’s venture into sci-fi pits secret agent Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) on a mission to destroy the malevolent supercomputer, Alpha 60.
Executive Order Executive Order
Science Fiction 2020 102 mins Director: Lázaro Ramos
In Lázaro Ramos’s disturbing dystopian thriller starring Alfred Enoch, the Brazilian government orders the deportation of the country’s entire Black population.
The 39 Steps The 39 Steps
Thriller 1935 83 mins Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Sublime and suspenseful version of the popular John Buchan spy thriller from the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock.
The Man Who Changed His Mind The Man Who Changed His Mind
Horror 1936 63 mins Director: Robert Stevenson
Boris Karloff stars as Dr. Laurence, a scientist who has devised a way to put one person’s mind into another’s body.
The Lady Vanishes The Lady Vanishes
Thriller 1938 96 mins Director: Alfred Hitchcock
An old woman disappears mysteriously on a busy train in Hitchcock’s delightful classic.
Q Planes Q Planes
Comedy 1939 79 mins Director: Tim Whelan
Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier star in a spy drama about the disappearence of prototype military aircraft.
A Canterbury Tale A Canterbury Tale
War 1944 125 mins Director: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Powell and Pressburger's most personal film combines a Chaucer-inspired pilgrimage with a war-time celebration of English landscape and values to create a gem of British cinema.
Oliver Twist Oliver Twist
Period drama 1948 116 mins Director: David Lean
Arguably the essential Dickens adaptation, David Lean’s evocative portrayal of Victorian London in sooty black and white features Alec Guinness as a memorably sinister Fagin.
The October Man The October Man
Drama 1947 95 mins Director: Roy Ward Baker
Roy Ward Baker directs John Mills and Joan Greenwood in this mystery noir about an amnesiac implicated in the murder of a young woman.
It Always Rains on Sunday It Always Rains on Sunday
Drama 1947 88 mins Director: Robert Hamer
Austerity noir: Ealing's downbeat but compelling East End thriller.
The Proud Valley The Proud Valley
Drama 1940 77 mins Director: Penrose Tennyson
Deeply moving mining drama that provided the legendary American singer/actor Paul Robeson with his best British film role.
Law and Disorder Law and Disorder
Legal and Courtroom drama 1940 74 mins Director: David MacDonald
Alastair Sim is in splendid form as a staid, slightly seedy solicitor in this cheerfully patriotic war-time espionage comedy.
The Green Cockatoo The Green Cockatoo
Action and Adventure 1940 64 mins Director: William Cameron Menzies
From an original scenario by Graham Greene, this is a neat crime thriller about a girl (René Ray) who witnesses a murder, becomes a suspect herself, and gets mixed up with a sleazy Soho gangster (John Mills).
Four Daughters Four Daughters
Drama-documentary 2023 103 mins Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
The mother-daughter relationship is explored to cathartic effect in this complex and poignant hybrid documentary about a woman and her missing daughters.
Her Last Affaire Her Last Affaire
Drama 1936 68 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell's 'society drama’ involving suspicion, clandestine romance and presumed murder, and glorious comic double-act from Googie Withers and John Lurie.
She Will She Will
Thriller 2021 96 mins Director: Charlotte Colbert
In Charlotte Colbert’s strikingly gothic film, an ageing actor recovering from a mastectomy taps into a mysterious power at a remote Scottish retreat.
Rynox Rynox
Crime 1932 46 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell’s earliest existing film is a twisty thriller crafted with a bold visual style that is unmistakeably influenced by Fritz Lang.
Hotel Splendide Hotel Splendide
Comedy 1932 53 mins Director: Michael Powell
Music hall veteran Jerry Verno stars as a lowly clerk who gets more than he bargained for when he inherits a hotel, in Michael Powell's charming comedy.
The Night of the Party The Night of the Party
Crime 1934 61 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell’s fun stage adaptation about a murder at a society party, with characterful performances from its fine ensemble cast.