‘Time Of The Heathen’ (1961) Review – A Newly Remastered Masterpiece Of Post-Atomic Bomb Cinema

From the opening shot, Time of the Heathen steals attention. The 4K restoration of this powerful 1961 black-and-white masterpiece of independent cinema was recently completed by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and is being released theatrically by Arbelos. Despite an eerie post-dystopian aftermath atmosphere, it feels connected to our modern society.

The feature is written and directed by theater director and actor Peter Kass, and stars John Heffernan as Gaunt. Wandering a world ravaged by the effects of the atomic bomb armed with nothing but his Bible, he seems like a witness to the unfairness of the times as events unfold in front of his hard, solemn eyes. Tensions fly as a Black woman is raped and murdered at the hands of her rural employer and Gaunt is framed for it.

Kass’s theater background is obvious in directing the films, the framing of the actors, and the still-life quality of some background elements as actors walk and express themselves through movement. Blocking the actors and framing the scenes is done with the utmost poetic sensitivity to create the most heightened effect the director wants to put viewers in. Fear and claustrophobia take center stage, as does confusion. 

If anything, the film is a testament to Kass’s stellar directing style. Artistic and expressionistic at times, the film does not have a boring moment, or one thrown in for lack of a better purpose. Avant-garde cinematographer Ed Emshwiller’s camerawork is haunting and specific, closeups perfectly in sync with the toned-down performance all the actors deliver as the camera jumps frantically in the more physically demanding scenes.

What is striking about this film is how the most intense, uncomfortable scenes are shot off-camera, expanding the imagination rather than having to depict grim happenings either violent or racist. The whole ensemble carries out the sequence of scenes with class, orchestrated by a careful director in control of his tools and drawing from a long theatrical experience grounded in solid artistic expression.

Gaunt is the face of American guilt and paranoia. A post-atomic bomb manifestation of White Americana during the Civil Rights Movement progression, he is as Biblical as he is slumped, burdened by the catastrophe of the war and internal conflict. The film creates an inescapable hell, a world so constricting that after a few minutes pass by, the audience slowly succumbs to its somber mood and aesthetics. Kass perfectly establishes these ominous shots with fighter aircraft flying above and kids playing out in nature oblivious to the destruction or well-accustomed to it.

Time of the Heathen is a great companion piece to Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, another brilliant post-atomic bomb film. While Strangelove addresses the political mayhem and ensuing power dynamics with lighthearted nonchalance, Heathens takes a jab grimly at the tense dynamics and the disintegrating state of the world.

It shouldn’t feel like a familiar film, too relevant and alarmingly adjacent to modern times, but all the nightmarish happenings globally and threats of looming wars make this film even more effective and impactful now than ever. 

Time of the Heathen is currently playing with its new 4K restoration in New York at Lincoln Center courtesy of Arbelos. The film will debut in Los Angeles at the American Cinematheque on May 12, 2024.