An environmental catastrophe destroys civilization. Led by father John and mother Ann, the Custance clan sets out on a quest for safety in a savage world that may just end up turning them in... Read allAn environmental catastrophe destroys civilization. Led by father John and mother Ann, the Custance clan sets out on a quest for safety in a savage world that may just end up turning them into the very thing they are fleeing.An environmental catastrophe destroys civilization. Led by father John and mother Ann, the Custance clan sets out on a quest for safety in a savage world that may just end up turning them into the very thing they are fleeing.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- George
- (as M.J. Matthews)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe rape scene had nearly a minute and a half deleted from the final cut of the film before release but was included in later DVD releases. The reasoning for the heavy editing was because Lynne Frederick (who was one of the rape victims in the scene) was only 15 at the time and questions of the usage of a body double for Frederick remains a controversial question to this day.
- GoofsFor a man with military experience, John made a major tactical mistake walking along a road when the goal was to be inconspicuous. Even so, he should have been able to hide the group from the large gang on motorcycles which certainly made enough noise to warn John before they were within line-of-sight. All the hikers would have had to do was lie down behind the stone wall along the road. Instead, they wind up in a costly gunfight. Stupid.
- Quotes
Fat Woman: George, do you know what I think caused the virus? It's 'cause them Chinese fertilize everything with human shit!
[husband George, sitting by her side, ignores her, so she elbows him]
Fat Woman: George, ya hear what I said?
George: [turning to look directly at her] Yes, I did. And if it's true, I could sell you to them chinks for a blooming fortune!
- Alternate versionsTo receive a 'AA' certificate the UK cinema release was heavily cut by the BBFC to remove scenes of sex and violence, which resulted in the running time being reduced by over 15 mins. For the 15 rated MGM video most of the cuts were restored although 1 min 20 secs were still cut from the rape scene.
- ConnectionsFeatured in 42nd Street Forever, Volume 4: Cooled by Refrigeration (2009)
- SoundtracksNo Blade Of Grass
By Cornel Wilde (as Louis Nelius), Mike Curb and Charles Carroll
Sung by Roger Whittaker
The idea is that humans have finally contaminated their home planet so badly that a virus has emerged that affects things like grass, wheat and rice. London descends into a state of utter chaos, and amid this societal breakdown, the Custance family makes the very long trek up North to where John Custance (Nigel Davenport) has a brother (Patrick Holt) with a farm. The Custance family acquires numerous other travelling companions along the way.
The deliberately stylized "flash forward" shots are a little disconcerting, but mostly Wilde sticks to the meat and potatoes of the tale. He's not afraid to show things getting grim, showing us that, in the end, survival can be a pretty ruthless business. And basically good people like the Custances can make alliances with a somewhat shady individual named Pirrie (Anthony May).
Wilde lays on the message a little thick with the opening minutes of stock footage, but soon draws us into the story proper, thanks to an effective, time-honoured premise and generally good acting. Davenport is solid as a no-nonsense, take-charge kind of guy, with the real-life Mrs. Wilde, Jean Wallace, cast as his wife. John Hamill, Lynne Frederick, Anthony Sharp, George Coulouris, Wendy Richard, Nigel Rathbone, Christopher Lofthouse, Ross Allan, and Christopher Neame comprise a very fine supporting cast.
Overall, a respectable effort that also works because the Custances and their followers do create a strong sense of community.
Seven out of 10.
- Hey_Sweden
- Aug 10, 2019
- How long is No Blade of Grass?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Death of Grass
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,500,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1