Krakatoa: East of Java (1969)

The Dutch East Indies, in the late 19th century. Capt. Hanson of the "Batavia Queen" is preparing to embark on a salvage expedition. His mistress, Laura, knows the location of a ship ... See full summary »

Director:

Bernard L. Kowalski

Writers:

Cliff Gould, Bernard Gordon

Stars:

Maximilian Schell, Diane Baker, Brian Keith

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maximilian Schell	...	Captain Hanson
Diane Baker	...	Laura
Brian Keith	...	Connerly
Barbara Werle	...	Charley
Sal Mineo	...	Leoncavallo
Rossano Brazzi	...	Giovanni
John Leyton	...	Rigby
J.D. Cannon	...	Danzig
Jacqui Chan	...	Toshi
Robert Hall	...	Guard (as Rob't Hall)
Victoria Young	...	Kiko
Marc Lawrence	...	Jacobs
Midori Arimoto	...	Midori
Niall MacGinnis	...	Harbor Master (as Niall Macginnis)
Joseph Hann	...	Kuan

Storyline

The Dutch East Indies, in the late 19th century. Capt. Hanson of the "Batavia Queen" is preparing to embark on a salvage expedition. His mistress, Laura, knows the location of a ship belonging to her late husband, a shipwreck concealing a cargo of rare pearls. A diver and a diving bell are aboard ship. But a government agent coerces Hanson into accepting a shipment of convicts for the ship's hold. The wreck lies dangerously close to the erupting volcano on the island of Krakatoa, where Laura's young son attends the convent school...

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Plot Keywords:

ship | volcano | 70mm film | disaster | indonesia | 

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Taglines:

The Incredible Day That Shook The Earth To Its Core!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Volcano

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinerama Productions Corp., Security Pictures, American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min 147 min (BBFC submission before censorship)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Krakatoa was actually located west of Java.

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Goofs

The balloon would not be allowed to float untethered since there would be no way to steer the balloon back to the ship. It would be totally at the whim of prevailing winds. The fixed-location engine would be totally useless to steer the balloon since there would be no way to rotate it to the direction opposite of the direction they wished to travel.

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Crazy Credits

This film was shot using Super Panavision 70 and Todd-AO formats for presentation in single-strip Cinerama. The opening title sequence has the image devided into three frames just like the original three-strip Cinerama.

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Connections

Referenced in Movers & Shakers (1985)

User Reviews

Spectacular special effects in search of a plot...

If only for its Oscar-nominated special effects simulating the fireworks caused by a very active Krakatoa, the film has enough eye appeal to be worth a look. But it's a pity that with a cast of talented actors aboard ship, the script and characters are so one-dimensional that after awhile one's mind wanders to watching for the next special effects sequence--and there are plenty of them to watch.

KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA almost looks as if it was designed for the 3D camera, with objects being tossed at the camera from above or below and must have looked even more spectacular on the big theater screen. The studio certainly has spared no expense in handsomely photographing this story of a salvage expedition that turns into a search for buried pearls on a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. It includes a bevy of convicts aboard ship (a plot device that really makes no sense), while Captain MAXIMILIAN SCHELL stays at the helm of his ship steering it into one perilous situation after another and comforting his distraught passengers, including DIANE BAKER as a worried mother whose son is at a convent school near Krakatoa.

BRIAN KEITH, ROSSANO BRAZZI and SAL MINEO have cardboard supporting roles but go through their paces with conviction, never seeming to mind the one-dimensional aspect of their characters. Brazzi makes an ill-fated decision to leave the ship for shore when a tidal wave is about to approach and leaves his son (Mineo) aboard ship with the other characters who survive the storm.

There's virtually no plot to really hook the viewer into caring about the fate of these wooden characters. Even Schell seems much too calm to be amidst such dire situations involving the safety of his ship but manages to look ruggedly handsome in torn shirt as he watches the fireworks that seem to bombard the ship at various intervals throughout.

If the fireworks alone are enough to capture your interest, this is escapist adventure at best--but don't expect a plot that makes much sense. The characters all speak in modern phrases akin to 1969 rather than the late 19th century, an anachronism that gets lost in all the fiery explosions and fireworks of a raging volcano.