The Day the Earth Caught Fire [Blu-ray]

Overview

Despite its come-on title, The Day the Earth Caught Fire is an intelligent, disturbing piece of speculative fiction. Through the eyes of British reporter Peter Stenning (Edward Judd), we learn that both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. have simultaneously set off nuclear explosions to test their efficiency. The twin blasts have caused the Earth to go off its axis. The result is a disastrous upheaval in the balance of nature; floods and fires being the principal plagues. With the end of the world staring everyone in the face, chaos reigns. The only hope lies in another massive nuclear explosion, which will hopefully rebalance the Earth. The film ends ambiguously, with viewers allowed to decide for themselves whether or not the world has been saved. 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.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/07/2020
UPC:	0738329247997
Original Release:	1961
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	2,806

Special Features

Audio Commentary by Co-Writer, Producer, Director Val Guest; Audio Commentary by Film Historian Richard Harland Smith; 4 TV Spots; 4 Radio Spots; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Edward Judd	Peter Stenning
Janet Munro	Jeannie Craig
Leo McKern	Bill Maguire
Arthur Christiansen	Jeff Jefferson the Editor
Michael Goodliffe	Night Editor
Bernard Braden	News Editor
Reginald Beckwith	Harry
Gene Anderson	May
Austin Trevor	Sir John Kelly
Renee Asherson	Angela
Charles Morgan	Foreign Editor
Edward Underdown	Sanderson
Geoffrey Chater	Holroyd
Ian Ellis	Michael
Jane Aird	Nanny
Robin Hawdon	Ronnie
Peter Butterworth	2nd Sub Editor
Renée Ashershon	Angela
John Barron	Sub Editor
Michael Caine	Policeman
Marianne Stone	Miss Evans
Monty Norman	Composer
Stanley Black	Composer

Technical Credits

Val Guest

Wolf Mankowitz

Les Bowie	Special Effects
Val Guest	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Wolf Mankowitz	Screenwriter
Buster Ambler	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

With no distracting special effects, no gigantic mutant creatures, no troublesome flying saucers, and not even a hideously charred body, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was certainly out of sync with the rest of late '50s and early '60s science fiction cinema. The straightforward story and hard-charging script were awarded with a British Academy Award for Best Screenplay, an indication that audiences didn't need visceral thrills to scare them -- thought-provoking dialogue could be just as chilling. Indeed, director/co-writer Val Guest lets speculation do the scaring in this one, and it works well thanks to the no-nonsense acting -- particularly by leads Leo McKern, Janet Munro, and Edward Judd -- and the realistic pace. The production does a superb job of conveying a sense of heat in every scene -- everyone sweats, everyone complains about the sweltering temperatures -- as the Earth heads for man-made disaster. There are a few scenes that are a bit arch (the whole rebellious beatnik sequence is rather camp), but the ideas imparted in the film stay with you long after you've hit "eject."