Krakatoa: East of Java (1969)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Bernard L. Kowalski

Writers:

Cliff Gould (written by) and
Bernard Gordon (written by)

Release Date:

14 May 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

The Incredible Day That Shook The Earth To Its Core!

Plot:

The Dutch East Indies, in the late 19th century. Capt. Hanson of the "Batavia Queen" is preparing to embark on a salvage expedition...

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Volcano | Disaster | Underwater | Tsunami

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

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 (also as Rob't Hall)
Victoria Young	...	Kiko
Marc Lawrence	...	Jacobs
Midori Arimoto	...	Midori
Niall MacGinnis	...	Harbor Master (as Niall Macginnis)
Joseph Hann	...	Kuan

Also Known As:

Volcano (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:PG (1996) | UK:U (1969) | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-12 | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cinerama Productions Corp.

Trivia:

Cameo: [Eugène Lourié]telegrapher

Goofs:

Factual errors: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Is There Sex After Death? (1971)

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.