When the USA and Russia unwittingly test atomic bombs at the same time, it alters the nutation (axis of rotation) of the Earth.
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Title: The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Janet Munro | ... |
Jeannie Craig
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| Leo McKern | ... |
Bill Maguire
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Edward Judd | ... |
Peter Stenning
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| Michael Goodliffe | ... |
'Jacko' Jackson - Night Editor
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Bernard Braden | ... |
'Dave' Davis - News Editor
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Reginald Beckwith | ... |
Harry
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Gene Anderson | ... |
May
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| Renée Asherson | ... |
Angela
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Arthur Christiansen | ... |
'Jeff' Jefferson - Editor
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Austin Trevor | ... |
Sir John Kelly
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Edward Underdown | ... |
Dick Sanderson
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Ian Ellis | ... |
Michael Stenning
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
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. Written by Fernando <diamond@argenet.com.ar>
Taglines:
THE PICTURE THAT GIVES YOU A FRONT SEAT TO THE MOST JOLTING EVENTS OF TOMORROW...TODAY! (original U.S. print ad - all caps) See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
May 1962 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Day the Earth Caught Fire See more »Box Office
Budget:
£200,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Black and White (with tinted sequences)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
In an early scene Jeannie is struggling with a Roneo stencil duplicator, saying it is "over-inking". The Roneo company threatened to sue the producers for the potential damage to the reputation of their products. See more »Goofs
When Bill and his son are exiting the car on the Ghost Train dark ride, they stand there and talk to Bill's ex wife. The next car exiting the ride has two women who get up and leave the car. A few moments later, another car exits the ride, and the same two women stand up and leave the car. See more »Quotes
Bill Maguire: [reading a newswire] There's a chap in Leeds says he can extract water from the atmosphere. Oh, as you were, he's been certified.See more »
Good old-fashioned, black & white Science Fiction/disaster-movie classic that effectively emerges two giant contemporary fears at once, namely the Cold War and the rapidly evolving nuclear science. Whereas most other 60's Sci-Fi movies used the versatile side-effects of nuclear testings for grotesque apocalypse stories, involving mutated animals or even people, the premise of "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" is much more realistic and genuinely disturbing. A duo of Daily Express reporters discover, with the help of a weather girl, that the earth has been tilted off its axis because both the Russians and the Americans ignited their H-bombs simultaneously. The unusually high temperatures in Londen, as well as other inexplicable weather phenomenons, indicate that our planet is moving towards the sun very fast. Despite an obvious lack budget, director Val Guest (creator of other genre milestones such as "The Quatermass Experiment" and "The Abominable Snowman") did everything possible to make this film look like a captivating and paranoid drama. The images of a dying Londen, enshrouded in fog and heat, are truly atmospheric and there also are some very intelligent extra elements added, like new epidemics as a result of water shortness. Surprisingly enough, there's even room for an honest (and credible, for once) love-story between the cynical reporter and the overly-emotional weather-girl. Personally, I didn't really like the ending but it does typify 60's cinema greatly. The acting performances are splendid, with Leo McKern ("X-the Unknown"), Edward Judd ("Island of Terror") and the adorable Janet Munro (former child star of "Swiss Family Robinson"). The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a vastly underrated Sci-Fi gem, probably because it wasn't a Hammer production, and genre fans should urgently re-discover it. Highly recommended!