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[quote]Never one to do anything by halves, director Abel Gance delivers just what the title La Fin du Monde promises: The End of the World. As a comet speeds along on a collision course with Planet Earth, the world prays for a miracle. Scientist Victor Francen races against time to avoid the cataclysm, while Francen's religious-fanatic brother (played by director Gance) puts his fate in the hands of God. Meanwhile, the governments of the world adopt near-fascistic methods to keep their panicking minions under control. Once all hope is abandoned, virtually all of civilization degenerates into a drunken orgy, replete with rape and bestiality. The worst is reserved for last, as the ever-approaching comet causes a plethora of natural disasters before the final "Big Bang." For its premiere engagements in 1929, La Fin du Monde was outfitted with a primitive but effective stereophonic-sound system, the aural equivalent to Abel Gance's Cinerama-like "Triptychs" in his 1927 masterpiece Napoleon. With his typical flair for the messianic, Gance originally released his film as Abel Gance's La Fin du Monde.

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Abel Gance's 1930 LA FIN DU MONDE, a wild and reportedly erratic effort from the maker of the silent classic Napoleon. Said to have utilized a primitive stereophonic sound system called perspecta sonore, Gance made his theme the conflict between whether certain doom should be met with stoic faith or hedonistic abandon. The only bits of this film Savant has seen were excerpts shown in Kevin Brownlow's cable documentary on Silent European Cinema: some good effects of a bright heavenly body approaching Paris; and highlights of a wild orgy scene.

The rather convincing orgy (those shots in the docu are pretty hot!) apparently was achieved by gathering a couple hundred wild and willing Parisian actors, letting the wine flow, locking the stage doors, and shouting 'Orgy! Action!' or the French equivalent. Contemporary reviewers were too busy criticizing Abel Gance's ego and fiscal irresponsibility to take a good look at the film. Gance gave himself the starring role, one that allowed him to be crucified, Christ-like. As with many a Gance production, his backers revolted, took the film from him, and it was finished without his participation.

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La carrera de Gance no se detuvo con la llegada del cine sonoro. En 1931, Gance estrenó su primera película hablada, La Fin du monde, filme de ciencia ficción en que un astrónomo, interpretado por el propio Gance, descubre que un cometa está a punto de estrellarse con la Tierra. No tuvo demasiado éxito. [/quote]


Not much info on this early take on "Deep Impact".
It seems it was one of the very first talkie from France... and it sounds like! Acting is sometime laughable,
direction is solid as you would expect, script is weird and the chick are hot (if you're the kind who likes early movies beauties).
It seems too Artaud was contacted for the main role, which in the end was played by Gance himself.

Speaking of Gance, anybody has "J'Accuse"? I'd like to see that.

La Fin du Monde (Abel Gance 1931 - 90min)(TVRip - VOSITA).avi |
http://webs.ono.com/javu61/pgn_mis_subs.html#p20