Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

john_vance-20806 I've watched this a number of times and always enjoy it. I must admit that I had a crush on Janet Munro that started with the "Horsemasters" Disney series but it's more than just her.The science is by far the weakest aspect of the film. In summary it's annoyingly implausible. Nuclear weapons are indeed powerful, but that a couple of bombs could tilt the Earth and change its orbital path should elicit a "Hmmm" even for those with little science background. But that weakness is more than compensated by just about everything else. The acting is top-notch. The crusty journalist role is played by Leo McKern flawlessly. Edward Judd is believable as the talented columnist whose career and life have been derailed by marital failure and alcohol. I don't care whether Janet Munro is good or not, I'll watch her all day long - her premature death was a loss to the industry. The re-created atmosphere of the frantic newspaper business is excellent. I don't know how it really works but it sure convinced me. It was intensely demanding and competitive, portraying the kind of place where only the most talented and motivated professionals can thrive.The grimness of the deteriorating environmental conditions may be the most compelling component in this film. The matte work is sub-par, but the misery of the common people shambling listlessly through the heat and dealing with rapidly dwindling resources is captured very nicely. You can imagine yourself there trying to survive while knowing there's not much future for you. I have no complaints about this film and though it's not cinematic genius it is very well put together. Definitely worth a watch.

christopher-underwood I was in my mid teens when I first saw this film on its UK theatrical release and have always held it in high regard. Not many seemed to agree with me and it slipped away, rarely appearing on sci-fi, catastrophe or sixties favourites lists. For my part I have avoided watching it again lest it disappoint. It doesn't, watched again last night on a crisp new Blu-ray print, the film shines once more and holds the viewer transfixed from first to last frame. Stunning dialogue and central performances to match. Presumably Edward Judd and Janet Munro both so good in this went nowhere because the film went nowhere. I can only imagine now that perhaps the very real cold war events unfolding in the early sixties left the film looking a little at odds with the world. Whatever, it demands to be seen, if only to remind film makers the magic of telling a story bit by bit. There is nothing to be said for having the big reveal at the start and then spending two hours of special effects trying to match the initial promise. Here in the offices of the Daily Express, the story is gradually uncovered and we much as the reporters struggle to make sense as things go from bad to worse. Fantastic views of London and its various parks, including Battersea in full fairground mode ensure that this is very impressive and involving cinema experience.

tomgillespie2002 When Earth starts to experience strange changes in the weather and a rapidly increasing temperature, down-in-the-dumps Daily Express journalist Peter Stenning (Edward Judd) is given the investigation. Science correspondent Bill Maguire (Leo McKern) seems to think that simultaneous nuclear tests by the U.S. and the Soviet Union have knocked the Earth off it's axis, causing it to drift closer to the sun. Stenning is snooping around the Met Office looking for answers when he meets young telephone operator Jeannie (Janet Munro) who may have unwillingly stumbled upon the truth. Meanwhile, with the temperatures increasing at an unbearable rate, the government starts to ration supplies, including the nation's water.I must admit that upon getting a copy of this, I was expecting a stiff- upper-lipped and cheesy British sci-fi full of dodgy effects and predictable plot devices. How wrong I was. If this film could be compared to any other, it would have to be All The President's Men. It is very rare that a film manages to capture the sweat, stress and panic of the newsroom where the workers gather round for quick meetings and discussions before franticly typing up a new story and making those all- important phone calls. And the decision to tell the whole story from the viewpoint of the Daily Express workers is a refreshing and exciting one.The hero is not a bland, square-jawed cheeseball that was common in the sci-fi films of the 50's and 60's, but a borderline alcoholic who is struggling with the separation from his wife and the fact that his boss gives him all the bottom-shelf stories. And he is played with utter conviction by Edward Judd. In fact, the acting is impressive all-round - Leo McKern is solid as the reliable workaholic who seems to be one step ahead of everybody else, and Janet Munro is sweet, interesting and sexy as the innocent girl who seems to be somehow caught up in everything. The film has a quite shocking level of flesh on display too, and if you're perverted or simply lonely enough, I'm sure you could even catch a nipple if you freeze-frame the DVD. (Not that I did it!)As a Cold War sci-fi, the film could work as double-bill alongside the truly perfect The Day The Earth Stood Still. Although it differs in tone and subject matter, it still has the underlying feeling of paranoia that plagued sci-fi films of the time, and allowed for some of the greatest films of the genre to be produced. The threat of nuclear war was lingering in everybody's mind (I assume, I know it would if I was there) and the end of the world was all too believable and possible. This is a criminally underrated film - beautifully filmed (the sun-kissed sepia opening is simply gorgeous); a script that any Oscar-winner would be proud of; and has an ending so bleak and unresolved it deserves a place amongst the very best. Simply great sci-fi film-making.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

screenman Gosh - remember when Britain produced really great movies? 'The Day The Earth Caught Fire' is without question a classic of the sci-fi genre. If you can get your head around the scientifically preposterous lead that mighty Earth can be knocked over by 2 piddling little nuclear bombs, when the Chixulub asteroid of 65 million years ago didn't even make it flinch; then the rest is plain-sailing.The central character, Stenning, is played with amazing panache by Edward Judd for his first starring role. He's a big, handsome bloke in the classic British way, and brings a commanding, masculine presence that's not unlike youthful Richard Burton. But Stenning is a mess. He's an almost-washed-up good guy fractured by divorce and separation from a son who (as is so often the case) is being used as revenge collateral by his ex-wife. Evidently an established bruiser as a journalist, he is also a very talented writer, but who's talents are almost eclipsed by bitterness and frustration. He is teetering on the edge of alcoholism and dismissal. Actually he reminds me of the Mike Hammer portrayal in 'Kiss Me Deadly' - very much the anti-hero, but with just enough virtue left for redemption. Being big and obnoxious, like so many bad guys, he is irresistible to real women.Stenning is just about kept from falling over by Leo McKern's science correspondent. McKern surely needs no introduction, and brings a solid lump of gravitas to any role he plays. Here, he's a kind of indulgent pre-Rumpole uncle figure and a joy to watch and hear.Third of the central triumvirate is 'the girl' played with feisty zeal by Janet Munro. She will be Stenning's redeemer - if they survive.These three are core to many sound British character players that include cameos from Bernard Braden and a juvenile Micheal Caine.Climate effects are kept simple, which makes them all the more stark and harrowing. Production hasn't been dumbed-down by the usual miniature-work, buckets or water thrown over dolls' houses. At the same time, stock newsreel of equal quality has been seamlessly grafted in. The spell is never broken by crass editing.But the real topper here is the script. Val Guest has brought us a sharp and witty dialogue that never lets up. It is surely the cleverest script of any sci-fi movie ever, and compares with those of the very best film-noir.Also unusual, and more plausible, is the fact that the story unfolds from the standpoint of the media. Traditionally, Movies of this kind are presented from the view of political, scientific or military experts - who, in truth, and as the movie makes clear, would actually tell us nothing if they could.This movie is what 'The Day After Tomorrow' should have been if Hollywood hadn't sold out to blockbuster special-effects and schmaltz. As it stands, despite its modest budget and lack of jaw-dropping CGI, 'The Day The Earth Caught Fire' is superior in every way.Perhaps the most telling aspect of the adult content in this production is the fact that, despite its vintage, and despite an absence of any explicit sex, or graphic violence, it still carries the same '15' rating as the Coens' much more recent and far more bloodthirsty 'No Country For Old Men'. Very highly recommended both as a thriller and human drama.