Daily Express alcoholic reporter Peter Stenning meets telephonist Jeannie Craig , they fall in love with each other and have a love affair. The Day the Earth Caught Fire. At that time, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were just starting to deploy the first of the thousands of nuclear weapons they would eventually aim at each other on hair-trigger alert. It was shot with 35 mm anamorphic lenses using the French Dyaliscope process. When the USA and Russia test atomic bombs at the same time, it knocks the Earth out its orbit and sends it spiraling toward the Sun. At that time, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were just starting to deploy the first of the thousands of nuclear weapons they would eventually aim at each other on hair-trigger alert. Title: The Day the Earth Caught Fire Summary: When the U.S. and Russia unwittingly test atomic bombs at the same time, it alters the nutation (axis of rotation) of the Earth. "[8], Val Guest and Wolf Mankowitz received the 1962 BAFTA for Best Film Screenplay for The Day the Earth Caught Fire. When the U.S. and Russia unwittingly test atomic bombs at the same time, it alters the nutation (axis of rotation) of the Earth. Guest speculated that the bells motif had been inspired by the film The War of the Worlds (1953), which ends with the joyous ringing of church bells after the emergency (and a nuclear explosion). People start evacuating the cities. Journalists of the London Daily Express investigate reports of strange phenomena occurring all over the world, such as flooding in the Sahara, unseasonable blizzards in New York, and violent tornadoes in the Soviet Union. Unrated | 1h 39min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi | May 1962 (USA) When the U.S. and Russia unwittingly test atomic bombs at the same time, it alters the nutation (axis of rotation) of the Earth. When a killer alien creature, who is misunderstood, begins killing specific members of a small town, a school psychologist learns of its link to a young boy's tragic childhood, and his … Peter Stenning (Judd) had been an up-and-coming journalist with the Daily Express, but since a divorce threw his life into disarray, he has been drinking too much (one of his lines is "Alcoholics of the press, unite!") The Day The Earth Caught Fire is a cracking film, directed with real verve and flair and written superbly well, realistic and yet dramatic while eschewing any sense of melodrama. When Jeannie overhears a conversation, they learn that the explosions have altered the Earth axis of rotation by eleven degrees, changing its orbit. The disaster genre is not generally known for its insights into characters or its clever dialogue, but The Day the Earth Caught Fire is an admirable exception. [11] Plot Keywords THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE is a british production co-written and directed by Val Guest in 1961. It becomes apparent that Earth's nutation[9] has been altered by 11 degrees, affecting the climatic zones and changing the pole and the equator. The film opened at the Odeon Marble Arch in London on 23 November 1961. The Day The Earth Caught Fire. When Peter begins a romance with Met Center secretary Jeannie Craig, he learns from her certain clues that there has indeed been a cover-up, and he begins to sober up, so that he may win her love. They "meet cute", trading insults; later, they fall in love. 1961. At that time, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were just starting to deploy the first of the thousands of nuclear weapons they would eventually aim at each other on hair-trigger alert. There's a quick shot of a fire-engine from The Quatermass Experiment - but otherwise you can't see the joins."[8]. Meanwhile, after the Soviet Union and the United States accidentally detonate simultaneous nuclear bomb tests, strange meteorological events begin to affect the globe. The visual style of the film is straightforward and classical, but each scene is rendered with a great degree of realism and sense of place. [14], 1961 British science fiction disaster film directed by Val Guest, "Bryanston Films : An Experiment in Cooperative Independent Production and Distribution", "A doomed Earth of science fiction may well become a reality", "An intelligent low-budget sci-fi doomsday pic", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Day_the_Earth_Caught_Fire&oldid=995235806, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 December 2020, at 23:14. Ten days before this movie begins, two nuclear bombs had been exploded, one at the North Pole by the Soviet Union, the other at the South Pole by the United States. Great song from JORN.. -uploaded in HD at http://www.TunesToTube.com Val Guest) Trailer | BFI DVD / Blu-ray. and his work has suffered. Nobody noticed before now that they were set almost simultaneously, until the Chief Editor, in a conference with his reporters, draws a line from London to New Zealand, showing the path that floods and other catastrophes have created in a devastating line. Though it initially caught the attention of few Cleveland residents, ... after an oil slick on the river caught fire in 1952. The Day the Earth Caught Fire or (Pervy Men and the Apocalypse) (1961) Aside from the sexism (which is sadly unsurprising in a British film from the early 1960s), this is an impressive science fiction disaster film which at first plays out like a mystery, intricately revealing the reasons behind the freak weather we witness. "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" came out in 1961, at the height of the Cold War. Stenning gathers from hints Jeannie gives him that the two explosions shifted the Earth's orbit and set it on a course toward the sun. Balzac also filmed … The government imposes a state of emergency and starts rationing water and supplies. The film then goes back several months. | [7][8] His editor (Christiansen) has begun giving him lousy assignments. Synopsis Arthur Christiansen, a former editor of the Daily Express, played himself as the editor of the newspaper. On the 2014 BFI release, the rating was reduced to "12". One has the headline "World Saved", and the other "World Doomed". | The film was rated "X" (minimum age 16 admitted) by the British Board of Film Censors on its initial release. ... How the First Earth Day Was Borne From 1960s Counterculture. Parents Guide. Val Guest ... efficiently directs by making good use of the atmospheric effects such as the extreme heat and mist on Londoners, which gives this fascinating story an eerie feel. Dir. Day The Earth Caught Fire, The on DVD (013131142990) from Starz / Anchor Bay. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Synopsis submission guide. The Day The Earth Caught Fire. The Day The Earth Caught Fire is a fascinating film that came around at a time that I guess would have been a little bit uncertain for the sci-fi genre. He orders science reporter Bill Maguire and alcoholic columnist Peter Stenning to dig for information. Be the first to contribute! | Original title: The Day the Earth Caught Fire. The Day the Earth Caught Fire book. Overview of The Day the Earth Caught Fire, 1962, directed by Val Guest, with Edward Judd, Janet Munro, Leo McKern, at Turner Classic Movies "Day the Earth Caught Fire" is a song by the Japanese horror punk band Balzac from their 1995 album The Last Men on Earth. The film ends without revealing which one will be published. The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a 1961 BAFTA-winning British science fiction film co-written and directed by Val Guest, starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern, and Janet Munro.It is regarded as one of the best apocalyptic movies to come out of the '60s and a classic in the genre. The film, which was partly made on location in London and Brighton, used matte painting to create images of abandoned cities and desolate landscapes. Stenning then discovers that the weapons tests have had a massive effect on Earth. The film was shot in London and South East England. The only possible solution is for another explosion of bombs that will restore the Earth's orbit. Three years before Zulu, a then-unknown Michael Caine played an uncredited police officer diverting traffic. [4][5][6] The film opened at the Odeon Marble Arch in London on 23 November 1961. Green discusses many of the themes in the film in his review:[8], The film holds an 86% "Certified Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. With Nastassja Kinski, Bobby Edner, Randy Quaid, Harry Groener. Although the film's special effects aren't particularly noteworthy, matte paintings and the incorporation of real London locations work to good atmospheric advantage (heavy rains buffet the windows; thick, unexpected fog wafts through the city; a raging hurricane crashes into the British coast). Essayist Paul A. The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a British science fiction disaster film starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern and Janet Munro. The Day The Earth Caught Fire (UK. Now the only chance for mankind is to explode bombs again so that the rotation shaft returns to its position. Guest also cleverly incorporates stock footage to depict floods and meteorological disasters worldwide. [8], Val Guest said there was a lack of enthusiasm to make the film and he only managed to persuade British Lion to finance it by putting up his profits from Expresso Bongo as collateral. Summaries. Hysterical panic has engulfed the world after the United States and the Soviet Union simultaneously detonate nuclear devices causing a change to the nutation (axis of rotation) of the Earth. Will Earth be saved or doomed? … "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" came out in 1961, at the height of the Cold War. The film was made in black and white but in some original prints, the opening and closing sequences are tinted orange-yellow to suggest the heat of the sun. The Day the Earth Caught Fire ( 1961) The Day the Earth Caught Fire. In the original prints of The Day the Earth Caught Fire, the opening and closing reels were tinted yellow, representing the scorching heat beating down on the frightened populace. Principal photography included Fleet Street (the Daily Express building), Battersea Park, the HM Treasury Building in Westminster and on Palace Pier, Brighton. Directed by: Val Guest Actors: Edward Judd, Janet Munro, Leo McKern Production Company: Pax Films Release Date: May 1962 (USA) Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1 The Day the Earth Caught Fire Val Guest's production has a fascinating yarn, some very sound thesping and an authentic Fleet Street (newspaper) background. City Boy formed in the 70's, in an era where Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Rush or Deep Purple were dominating the scene. Details: ... Summary: Daily Express journalist stumbles accross the terrifying fact that the earth has been knocked off its axis by hydrogen bomb tests. Top scientists at the Meteorological Center refuse to give any official explanation, which makes the newspaper editor suspicious. The production also featured the real Daily Express, even using the paper's own headquarters, the Daily Express Building in Fleet Street, London, and featuring Arthur Christiansen as the Express editor, a job he had held in real life. Rent. "[10], Reviewer Dennis Schwartz wrote, "An intelligent low-budget sci-fi doomsday pic that gives us an authentic Fleet Street look at an old-fashioned newspaper office back in the day and a suspenseful scenario of the world tinkering on destruction as seen through the eyes of the newspaper. The film was shot in anamorphic widescreen, and the extended frame is always perfectly balanced with groups of people, city vistas, or detailed settings, whether bustling newsrooms, congested streets, or humid apartments. Hysterical panic has engulfed the world after the United States and the Soviet Union simultaneously detonate nuclear devices causing a change to the nutation (axis of rotation) of the Earth. As water becomes scarce, the British government takes emergency measures to control hysteria, rampant looting, and rioting by teenagers. A lone man walks through the sweltering streets of a deserted London. Directed by Terence Gross. At the newspaper print room, two versions of the front page have been prepared: one reads "World Saved", the other "World Doomed". But Guest maintained that his intention was to always have an ambiguous ending. The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a British science fiction disaster film starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern and Janet Munro. In a contemporary context of global warming, asymmetric warfare, nuclear proliferation and dwindling resources, the film's underlying optimism seems touching. After the explosion of nuclear bombs by the United States and the Soviet Union, the weather in London and in the rest of the world changes. More Cult Film / TV, Classics and Science Fiction DVDs available @ DVD Empire. Staring Janet Munro, Edward Judd and Leo McKern. The bombs are detonated, and the shock wave causes dust to fall from the bar's ceiling. As London swelters and the Thames starts to run dry, the paper's staff finally gets the Government to admit that the Earth's axis has shifted. On detonation day, Stenning heroically makes his way through a wasteland to the newsroom to write a story that will prepare for the results of the blasts. Eventually they discover that the full truth is far worse even than this. He asks Jeannie to help him get any relevant information. All the finance was British.[1]. Green wrote, "Guest and his editor Bill Lenny worked with archive footage. After the super-powers accidentally set off nuclear bombs simultaneously, the staff at Fleet Street's Daily Express report dramatic changes to the world's climate. It was directed by Val Guest and released in 1961, and is one of the classic apocalyptic films of its era. "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" came out in 1961, at the height of the Cold War. It looks like we don't have a Synopsis for this title yet. Directed by Val Guest. The Day the Earth Caught Fire was released in 1979 and it is by far the best record ever composed by this English rock band. Overview System Requirements Reviews Related. In August 2014 a restored version was screened at the British Museum's summer open air cinema. Its attention to the inner and outer lives of its protagonists makes its physical doom an externalized metaphor for Stenning's personal life, off-kilter and spinning out of control, both fates equally weighted between hope and despair. $3.99. Taglines In his commentary track for the 2001 Anchor Bay DVD release, director Val Guest stated that the sound of church bells heard at the very end of the American version had been added by distributor Universal, in order to suggest that the emergency detonation had succeeded and that the Earth had been saved. 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