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The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
Director: Val Guest
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Thoroughly old-fashioned disaster film about a Daily Express reporter who learns that the earth has been tilted off its axis by the impact of two simultaneous H-bomb tests. Its 'authentic' newspaper setting looks quaint now, but there's some effective atmospheric build-up to the big one as London swelters in fog and heat. Perhaps inevitably, given the period and the film's medium budget, the ending is a cop-out.Author: DP
User reviews of this film
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- Kate Jermaine said...
- Posted on Jul 30 2007 08:35 I saw the film 40 years ago. I was a kid. I recount it to this day. What I remember most is the water ration line. How even though people knew it was over...they became aggressive and hostile rather than helping one another.
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- 3ik0ztyfla said...
- Posted on Jun 30 2007 23:21 6gf3m6hwsjm fei6qextxrt1u8d xjncq1en6e2ku
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- Jordan Erdos said...
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Posted on Jun 27 2007 12:01
The ending of this film is not a cop out, but rather a logical conclusion to the newspaper-based storyline in which journalists must adhere to their responsibilities to inform the public no matter what is happening with the Earth.
The success of this film lies in its quick-witted dialogue -- a science-fiction His Girl Friday with an ounce less screwball and an extra dose of paranoia. - Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Val Guest
Producer: Val Guest
Cast: Edward Judd, Janet Munro, Leo McKern, Michael Goodliffe, Bernard Braden, Reginald Beckwith, Arthur Christiansen, Michael Caine full cast
Genre(s): Science Fiction
Duration: 99 mins
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