Review of The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) by Deno R — 09 Feb 2008

This is my candidate for the best disaster movie of all time, as well as the greatest "cosmic catastrophe" film ever produced (with all due respect to George Pal's WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE that was released a decade earlier).

It is an intelligent, humane film devoid of most of the lavish special effects and second-rate writing that has run amok today in Hollywood's disaster films (most notably THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW and ARMAGEDDON).

Instead of slamming right into the disaster scenes (as most directors like TOMORROW'S Roland Emmerich and ARMAGEDDON's Michael Bay did), it wisely chooses to focus on the doomsday event as it is seen and felt by people (in this case, the crew of the LONDON DAILY PRESS) who have been unwillingly caught in it, and have to cope with it the best way they can.

The event in this case is the simultaneous detonation of H-bombs by the US and USSR that have knocked the Earth off its axis, out of its orbit and hurtling day by day towards the sun. That's a pretty sketchy scientific premise (not to mention dated, as this is a Cold War film), and the special effects, when they ARE seen, are mostly models and mattes that seem to have a" bargain-basement budget" feeling.

But the direction by Val Guest (the first two QUATERMASS films) is perfect, particularly with his use of tinted scenes at the beginning and end of the film; the script is filled with some of the best dialogue I've ever heard (it was co-written by Guest with Wolf Mankiewicz); and the actors should have all been nominated for Academy Awards for their rich, biting chemistry.

Edward Judd, as the bitterly-divorced alcoholic father and writer who's looking for a comeback, would have sent George Clooney back to acting school if he was still alive. Janet Munro, as the love interest, blends natural beauty with a spunky, no-nonsense manner that echoes the tone of the narrative.

And Leo McKern is fabulous as always, as a source of knowledge and counseling in times of crisis. Adding to the power and verisimilitude of the narrative is Arthur Christensen as the EXPRESS's editor-in-chief (which he actually was in reality!), tons of classy humor that would have the Monty Pythons running for their money, a brief but significant cameo by Michael Caine trying to direct traffic through fog-shrouded streets of London, and one of the best endings in the history of cinema.

There have been other films that have attempted to follow this style (most recently Mimi Leder's DEEP IMPACT and Danny Boyle's SUNSHINE) but Val Guest did it first... and did it best.