The World, the Flesh and the Devil

The World, the Flesh and the Devil, directed by Ranald MacDougall and adapted from M.P. Shiel's novel The Purple Cloud, is a post-apocalyptic science fiction film produced by Harry Belafonte through his own company, Harbel; Belafonte plays a coal miner who survives a nuclear disaster after being trapped underground. The film addresses the absurdity of racial prejudice persisting even under an existential threat to all of humanity, and ends ambiguously. A 1959 screening at a segregated theater in Georgia was abruptly halted under threat of a riot from the audience. The film holds a 54 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Who it's for: anyone curious about a post-apocalyptic film exploring racial tension among a handful of nuclear disaster survivors, whose screening at a segregated theater of its era was halted under threat of a riot. Who it's not for: viewers wanting a clear, satisfying resolution, since the film ends ambiguously.