Crack in the World (1965)

Director:

Andrew Marton

Writers (WGA):

Jon Manchip White (story)
Jon Manchip White (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 April 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Thank God it's Only a Motion Picture!

Plot:

Dr. Steven Sorenson plans to tap the geothermal energy of the Earth's interior by means of a thermonuclear device detonated deep within the Earth...

Plot Keywords:

Nuclear Missile | Marianas Trench | End Of The World | Nuclear | Earthquake

Cast

Dana Andrews	...	Dr. Stephen Sorenson
Janette Scott	...	Dr. Maggie Sorenson
Kieron Moore	...	Dr. Ted Rampion
Alexander Knox	...	Sir Charles Eggerston
Peter Damon	...	John Masefield
Jim Gillen	...	Rand
Gary Lasdun	...	Markov
Alfred Brown
Mike Steen	...	Steele
Emilio Carrere
Sydna Scott	...	Angela
John Karlsen	...	Dr. Reynolds
Todd Martin	...	Simpson
Ben Tatar	...	Indian ambassador

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

Spain

Company:

Security Pictures

Trivia:

'Eugene Lourie' had two models of the gantry built. The second was made of balsa wood for the explosion scene. This insured complete destruction of the gantry while avoiding the danger of the set being sprayed by shrapnel.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the end of the film, Rampion fires a pistol into the air to warn a train engineer that his train, loaded with evacuees, is unknowingly headed for the huge approaching crack erupting in the earth's surface. But it would have been impossible for the engineer to hear the pistol shots over the very loud noises of the train and the exploding earth around it. Also, Rampion is located far from the train, making it very unlikely that the engineer could see him.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. Maggie Sorenson: But Sir Charles, the project entrance is half a mile further on!
Sir Charles Eggerston: I know Mrs. Sorenson. I wanted to stop here to take a better look at *that*. That's your drill tower, isn't it?
Dr. Maggie Sorenson: Yes it is.
Sir Charles Eggerston: What's that missile doing up there? I thought that we came here to discuss with your husband the *possibility* of using an atomic warhead.
Dr. Maggie Sorenson: *Half* a missile, Sir Charles. If you look closely, you'll see it's not armed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Core (2003)

All around, crack-lin good adventure!

This is as good as it gets...adventure, handsome steely jawed heroes, beautiful dames, decent (for 1965) SPFX...this needs to be on a WS DVD, so get crack-in, Paramount!