The Day the Earth Caught Fire

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source: The Day the Earth Caught Fire

One of those crazy movies from the nuclear age, with the earth 'blasted' onto another course, which will lead it to the sun! Now the only thing that can save mankind is yet another blast to change back the change in course... We follow the events from a newspaper editorial room where the reporters find out something fishy is going on after it's getting hotter, and hotter, and so on. In the middle is Peter Stenning, a heavy drinker and divorced father of one, and his newly found love Jeanny. What makes the movie extra special and likable are the incredible, fast-paced dialogues that occur. It's like you're reliving Bringing Up Baby all over again! Loved the ending as well, with both front-covers World Doomed and World Saved ready to print... 7/10.

After the explosion of nuclear bombs by the United States and the Soviet Unions, the weather in London and in the rest of the world changes. The Daily Express alcoholic reporter Peter Stenning (Edward Judd) meets the telephonist Jeannie Craig (Janet Munro), they fall in love with each other and have a love affair. When Jeannie overhears a conversation, they learn that the explosions have altered by 11 degrees the Earth nutation, changing its orbit. Now the only chance to mankind is to explode bombs again so that the rotation shaft returns to its position. Will Earth be saved or doomed? "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" is a disaster movie with an interesting storyline and an ambiguous conclusion. Peter Stenning is a non-likable character and his behavior betraying his girlfriend is the weakest part of the story. The conclusion with the newspaper showing two front pages written "World Saved" and "World Doomed" is fantastic. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): "O Dia em Que a Terra se Incendiou" ("The Day the Earth Caught Fire")

This movie showed man's foolishness sending the Earth to a fiery doom. That's so similar to global warming it's scary. Like this movie, global warming is a fiction. The story is awful, simplistic, ridiculous. Everything else about the movie is terrific. The sets are fantastic. The acting is top notch. The music is engaging. It was a tremendous production of a concept that belongs in a children's coloring book rather than in a serious movie. Nah, that's an insult to children. The Cold War aspect of the movie is also good. America's fear of the almighty USSR kept America sitting by as the USSR ran wild around the world. The story in this film expresses a ridiculous fear. Story: -100 Acting, Sets, Music, Direction: 10

Surely one of the best - and most realistic - sci-fi dramas ever made: sober, unflinching and totally absorbing (at the time, I'm sure it must have also been quite scary) - yet the script, delivered at breakneck speed as befits its journalistic milieu, is extremely witty (in an obviously darkish tone). While the film has garnered a cult reputation along the years, it hasn't been given its due in my estimation and seems mainly to be appreciated by connoisseurs - though when released it was certainly well-received, copping as it did the BAFTA award for the year's Best Screenplay! Director Guest had already dabbled in sci-fi and even then, despite the fanciful plots concerned, he gave it a ring of truth by approaching the genre more or less as semi-documentary; this time, however, with paranoia about nuclear obliteration at its highest during the early 60s, it seemed more feasible than ever before and that anything was possible! The opening and closing moments are orange-tinted (the rest of the story is told in monochromatic flashback) in order to convey the tremendous heatwave which has enveloped Planet Earth - caused to spin off its axis by a number of simultaneous nuclear blasts! - on its way towards the Sun. The film also incorporates the human element in the form of a blossoming romance (but given the appropriate tension by making it a love/hate relationship!) between maverick reporter Edward Judd (undergoing divorce proceedings from wife Renee' Asherson, who turns up for a 30-second bit!) and spirited meteorological employee Janet Munro; while both actors proved charismatic leads here, playing very well off each other, their careers faltered pretty quickly - Judd seemed to be typecast in sci-fi roles and was also something of a hellraiser, while Munro unfortunately fell prey to alcoholism and died quite young! Leo Mc Kern is simply marvelous as the burly yet dynamic Science Correspondent of the "Daily Express" who sees his pragmatic theories about Armageddon (which he still admits to being largely guesswork on his part) realized to their most horrific extent and Arthur Christiansen (Editior-in-Chief for many years of the real newspaper featured here), actually brought in as technical adviser, was persuaded to appear in it more or less as himself - which further adds to the film's striving for complete authenticity (extending also to the meticulous recreation of Fleet Street - London's famous newspaper sector - on a studio set, though some of it was shot on actual locations). All of this, then, is superbly captured by Harry Waxman's stark cinematography; also, though no official score for the film was composed, sparse use is made of appropriately ominous library cues chosen by Stanley Black (with the beat-nik rhythms of one particular scene provided by Monty Norman, who immediately afterwards became world-famous for composing the James Bond theme!). The film, too, manages some very effective crowd scenes (one featuring a pre-stardom Michael Caine as a copper!) - as are the various manifestations of catastrophe the world over (despite relying heavily, in the latter case, on the use of stock footage). Even if I was perfectly happy with Anchor Bay's R1 SE DVD - apart from the bland cover art, that is - I decided to purchase Network's R2 disc (though not before its price-tag had reasonably scaled down) due to an additional 8-minute interview with Leo McKern (recorded shortly before his death)...and a wonderful little extra it turned out to be too which, circumstances as they were, gave it added poignancy (and since then, even Val Guest himself has gone - who, of course, recorded an enthusiastic full-length Audio Commentary for the film moderated by Ted Newsom); that said, I miss the typically exhaustively-researched talent bios supplied by Anchor Bay - the biography section on the Network DVD is actually a misnomer, as it only provides filmographies for the director and the major cast members!

I find it strange this flick has gotten such over all good reviews. I just viewed it from DVD, having checked it out of the public library and found the dialog almost incomprehensible. People speak in short bursts and gush out essentially nothing. The script is horrible, the science deplorable. Yes, the flick may have some historical appeal to fears of the cold war and environmental Armageddon. However, the style was absolutely dated and campy. Although the issues addressed, may insight fears even today, especially with global warming, I have to give this film a 2 and say it was a waste of time.

British actor Michael Caine (who has a bit role in this movie) once said that a problem with the British film industry is that instead of making "moving pictures" like the Americans often make, British filmmakers quite often make "talking pictures". He added that sometimes it gets worse, with some British films more or less being "illustrated radio". Well, "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" is not illustrated radio, but for a large part it could be considered a "talking picture". After an admittedly interesting opening, the next hour or so of the movie is quite slow and talky. While it does feel like a more realistic take on a (slowly!) building crisis, I think some people will be severely bored by this section of the movie. An American movie would have thrown in some excitement and some more special effect sequences to make sure the first hour of the movie would hold the audience's attention. Personally, I wasn't really bored by this first hour, but I admit it sure seemed to be padded out at times. The last half hour does pick up considerably, adding action, tension, and some pretty good special effects. Then there is an ending (which I won't reveal) that I'm sure will frustrate some viewers. I personally didn't mind the ending that much - it was another feature about the movie that made it interesting and unlike so many Hollywood disaster films. But I'm not everybody. While I did kind of like the movie as a whole, I can see some people really hating it. I would suggest you read more about the movie before deciding whether to see it or not. Each to his own taste.

Restored by the people at Anchor Bay(the movie's bookend acts are tinted in sepia tones) this Science Fiction classic from 1961 won the British Academy Award for Best Screenplay. The movie's script is easily the best ever produced for this genre. It compares favorably with another film set in a newspaper environment, "All the President's Men." The premise of the movie concerns the two super powers testing nuclear devises in opposite hemispheres and subsequently knocking the Earth off its axis and sending it careening toward the sun. The actors are the stars of the day here. Edward Judd is excellent in his first major role. Janet Munro, hot off a three-picture deal with Disney, has a natural fresh beauty and handles the snappy dialog with keen skill. Leo McKern almost steals the the movie out from underneath the stars. Judd's character is portrayed as a heavy drinker who has trouble keeping up with his workload. McKern covers for him on more than one occasion. The scenes between Judd and Munro are simply magnificent and take on a prophetic and poignant epilogue. Sadly, Munro in real life was the drunk and died before the age of forty from heart disease caused by alcoholism. Judd, on the other hand is sober, and still working. Leo McKern had a long and rewarding career which ended last year when he died. Ultimately, I would not hesitate to show this movie to people who despise this genre. The movie is that good.

Someone said to me, 'have you seen The Day The Earth Caught Fire - it's excellent.' So I got hold of a copy and I knew in the very first 10 minutes I wasn't going to like it. First up, I didn't like the acting. The film wasn't compelling at all. And none of the characters were likable either. Particularly Edward Judd's character. He comes across as a big creep, especially when he's chasing the affections of a young Janet Munro. In one scene he manages to burst his way into Janet's flat, having begged for a date SEVERAL TIMES. But it's not a date he wants. After looking oddly at her underwear on the bed, Janet loses her senses and eventually gives into this creep. He gets his way with the girl in the most nauseating manner. What a thoroughly distasteful man. Well that had me almost vomiting. I tried to concentrate on the film, but it was so mind-numbingly boring. And it doesn't help one's concentration when the central character is nauseating. I could only stomach this rubbish for 45 minutes before switching off. It's bleak, DATED and highly overrated. Simply not for me, despite my usually liking sci-fi films from this period.