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IMDb > The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961)

The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   555 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Mervyn LeRoy
Writers:
Max Catto (novel)
Liam O'Brien (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Devil at 4 O'Clock on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 October 1961 (USA) more
Tagline:
48 HOURS OF TERRIFIC SUSPENSE AS NATURE GOES ON A RELENTLESS RAMPAGE OF DESTRUCTION ! more
Plot:
A crusty, eccentric priest recruits three reluctant convicts to help him rescue a children's leper colony from a Pacific island menaced by a smoldering volcano. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win more
NewsDesk:
Starsky And Hutch Star Hamilton Dies
 (From WENN. 2 January 2009, 4:08 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Two men and a group of children try to escape the wrath of an island volcano more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Spencer Tracy ... Father Matthew Doonan

Frank Sinatra ... Harry
Kerwin Mathews ... Father Joseph Perreau
Jean-Pierre Aumont ... Jacques (as Jean Pierre Aumont)
Grégoire Aslan ... Marcel (as Gregoire Aslan)
Alexander Scourby ... The Governor

Barbara Luna ... Camille
Cathy Lewis ... Matron
Bernie Hamilton ... Charlie
Martin Brandt ... Doctor Wexler
Louis Merrill ... Aristide Giraud
Marcel Dalio ... Gaston
Tom Middleton ... Paul, Co-pilot
Ann Duggan ... Clarisse
Louis Mercier ... Corporal
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Additional Details

Runtime:
126 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | French
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)
Certification:
UK:PG | USA:Approved (Certificate #19964, original rating) | USA:PG (re - rating DVD) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG
Filming Locations:
Fallbrook, California, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The volcano in this film was built from scratch in farmland outside Fallbrook, California. Each shot required packing with hundreds of pounds of explosives and a carefully-orchestrated "eruption" to be filmed by the cameraman seated on the front skids of a helicopter. One eruption went off a little early and nearly took out the chopper, burning off the cameraman's eyebrows and some of his hair. Because the eruptions looked so good, this ersatz volcano provided stock footage for decades of other films, commercials, etc. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: A volcano eruption of this size (destroying an entire island) would create huge tidal waves that would swamp the boat, but it is shown sailing away in calm seas. more
Quotes:
Harry: Hey, Holy Joe, we don't owe you nuttin', so don't start pushin'.
Father Matthew Doonan: Where you from, tough guy? I hear echoes.
Harry: I've been around... What's it to ya?
Father Matthew Doonan: You spit your T's. That'd be Jersey, I guess, maybe Jersey City. Hunh! I came from just across the River - Hell's Kitchen. We used to eat punks like you.
Harry: Maybe. That's when you had your teeth.
more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Missionary: Impossible (#11.15)" (2000) more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is this film based on a book?
Who is it that gets sucked into the quicksand?
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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful:-
Two men and a group of children try to escape the wrath of an island volcano, 9 November 2006
8/10
Author: bleo-1 from Australia

This film has been firmly entrenched in my mind since i first saw it in 1974 at the age of seven. I have often thought about it, sometimes forgetting the title, but never forgetting the horror i felt at seeing the explosions and the flowing lava, and feeling the panic of the characters. Man's insignificance and helplessness against mother nature is portrayed with a sense of evil; Not unlike lord of the Flies. Every now and then, it has been replayed on TV, so i have watched it again and refreshed my memory. Even though older now, and more Desensitised to that type of stuff i have enjoyed reflecting as i watch it again. I feel that it set a standard for others to come, with a mixture of suspense, heroism and tragedy that certainly leaves no punches pulled.

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