Ostensibly drawn to the visual possibilities of the script, Ulmer quickly threw himself into the project, working together with the experienced German-born art director Ernst Fegte, who helped transform the drab interiors of the Centennial Building into a dynamic and visually-striking space -- a world in which Russian constructivism and German expressionism merge. -- Noah Isenberg on Beyond the Time Barrier in Edgar G. Ulmer: A Filmmaker at the Margins (University of California Press, 2014)
Ulmer made Beyond the Time Barrier for $125,000 at the abandoned 1936 Centennial Fairgrounds in Fort Worth, Texas, working quickly with stars Robert Clark and Darlene Tompkins, known mostly for their work in TV. The Film has impressive visual style with an emphasis on triangles; even the wipes are triangular. Clark is an air force major who flies a new plane accidentally into the future, 2024, where a plague has destroyed most the Earth's population and the remainder is living underground, except for the wealthy who have moved to Mars and Venus. Clark is held prisoner until he manages to escape with the help of the mute Tompkins who can read his mind and with whom he has fallen in love. Tompkins is killed in the escape attempt and Clark manages to escape back to 1960 by flying in the opposite direction of his individual flight. When he arrives back to 1960 Clark has aged sixty-four years and attempts to convince the authorities that they have to stop testing nuclear weapons, the residual effects of which will cause a plague in the future. It is not clear if the authorities believe him and the films ends with the Secretary of Defense saying "gentleman, we have a great deal to think about." The film reflects the wide fear in the 50's and 60's of the possibility of World War III, something Ulmer particularly felt, having lived through World Wars II and III, which produced in him a deep skepticism about the arms race and science in general
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