La Fin Du Monde (1931)

An idealist (Abel Gance) who works for world peace is fatally wounded by a mob when they think he is a rapist. His brother is a renowned scientist (Victor Francen) who discovers a comet headed toward a collusion with the Earth. The idealist's dying wish is that his brother work toward the unity of mankind and the end of war to those that survive the comet's collusion. Based on the novel OMEGA: THE LAST DAYS OF THE WORLD by Camille Flammarion and directed by Abel Gance (NAPOLEON). Notable as the first sound film made in France. Those expecting a precursor to the disaster film like WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (1951) are going to be disappointed. This is a muddled piece of naive political rhetoric. World peace is a commendable dream but the idea that world powers would unite as one universal entity toward a brave new world is, well ..... a lovely fantasy. The movie's biggest crime is that it's dull. It also has a religious bent so it's no surprise that Cecil B. DeMille showed interest in purchasing the U.S. rights to the film. When Gance's original cut pushed the three hour mark, the film's backers took the movie away from him and cut it down to 96 minutes. I'll give Gance the benefit of the doubt that his longer cut would have been more coherent but given what's seen here, I suspect it would have been every bit as ponderous. The film's original reception was given the cold shoulder by both critics and the public. With Colette Darfeuil, Sylvie Grenade and Samson Fainsilber.