THE GOLD STANDARD 3
Added 11/5/2009
my two older brothers and i grew up in CALIFORNIA . i was eleven when we saw this film together at the time of its' theatrical release . it was shown in SESAROUND . we laughed so hard and often within the first 40 minutes or so (whenever there'd be an earthquake on screen and our seats would shake ) we left , as we were distracting the other filmgoers . sorry . looking back . i can give no stronger recommendation to a film than this one . we'd experienced some real serious quakes and aftershocks and tremors as all CALIFORIANS have and do . it's got everything you could ever want from such a film . if you love 70s disaster films and have a certain sense of humor , you've gotta clutch it .
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Soap opera stuff, with variable special effects
Added 10/28/2009
EARTHQUAKE
(USA - 1974)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)
Theatrical soundtrack: 6-track stereo (Sensurround encoding)
Several disparate characters are drawn together in the aftermath of an earthquake which devastates Los Angeles.
Soapy addition to the 1970's disaster cycle, featuring an all-star cast going through the dreary motions (who CARES if Charlton Heston is threatening to leave wife Ava Gardner for younger woman Geneviève Bujold?) until their problems are resolved - one way or another - by an earth-shattering catastrophe. The earthquake itself is impressive in some places (collapsing miniatures, burning buildings, expansive matte paintings, etc.) and dreadful in others ('shaky-cam' inserts, animated 'blood splatter', optical distortions which LOOK like optical distortions, etc.), though some moviegoers were lucky enough to view the film theatrically in Sensurround, an ultra-deep bass enhancement which caused structural damage in a number of theaters!
Directed by industry veteran Mark Robson (BEDLAM, ISLE OF THE DEAD) and produced by Universal at a time when most of their output looked like big screen TV features, the movie was intended to give THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974) a run for its money and came off looking pretty ropey in comparison, though it DOES have a strong cast (including George Kennedy, giving the film's best performance as a disillusioned cop whose faith is restored in the aftermath of the quake). The moralistic ending is particularly hard to swallow.
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Great Movie, bad DVD release
Added 3/19/2009
This is one of the most memorable movies of the 70's, it's got everything: action, drama, infidelity, fire, floods and the "EARTHQUAKE". When I saw this movie back on 1974 I did not notice some of the cheesy visual effects I notice now. Still that does not diminish the quality and the impact that "Earthquake" leaves in you. The plot, on the part of the drama has some holes but if you focus on the earthquake and the trauma it leaves on the survivors, the movie won't disappoint you. However the DVD release has some disappointments, the SENSURROUND is missing, it is not the same shocking effect I remember from the days I was watching EARTHQUAKE in the theathers. I recall feeling like the theather was falling apart over me while watching this movie, I really felt the deep vibration like it was a real earthquake. It is the SOUND effect what made EARTHQUAKE a huge box office success and an OSCAR WINNER for Best Sound. EARTHQUAKE also won the OSCAR of Special Achievement Award for Visual Effect. On the other side, I don't really care much about the inclusion of the new footage that casts Debralee Scott and Sam Chew on an airplane trying to land during the earthquake, this footage was recorded 2 years later and was added to the theatrical release in order to be shown on television. What really disappointed me is that the 30 minutes of the original footage that were actually chopped from the original theatrical release are not included here as an UNCUT or EXTENDED version of the movie or they could at least have them included in a DELETED SCENES additional feature. All and all this is one of the most memorable and succesful movies of the 70's because of its amazing SENSURROUND sound and visual effects, and the amazing cast. For the next release of the DVD please include the 30 minutes footage that were cut before the theatrical release and the full SENSURROUND effect as it was done in 1974.
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"A Great "70's Disaster Film"
Added 3/11/2009
Along with "Airport'75", "The Towering Inferno", and "The Poisiodon Adventure", "Earthquake" is really the last great 1970's disaster film. Filled with former movie stars and awesome special effects, the film is engrossing and entertaining. The title basically tells you that the movie is about an earthquake, and in this instance it hits Los Angeles. Watching it one wonders if the Big One will ever strike sounthern California?
The film is clean and the sound impeccable, but there are no special features added. Sit back and enjoy, though, a great movie from one of the best decades of movie making. I really like this film.
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A less than earthshattering release
Added 1/24/2009
Earthquake was 1974's other big disaster movie, but despite the big budget and the `all-star' cast it's dated much worse than The Towering Inferno. Part of the problem is the soap operatics in the foreground, with Charlton Heston torn between neurotic wife Ava Gardner and his young mistress Genevieve Bujold taking centre-stage among various minor daytime soap subplots courtesy of writer Mario Puzo. Rather than making you care about the fate of the characters, they just leave you impatient for the quake to finally hit LA, but once it does there's not much focus to the destruction: whereas the S.S. Poseidon and the Glass Tower confined their characters in one perilous structure to add a sense of claustrophobia and tension, here the cast are spread all across the city when the aftershocks that cause the real damage and start depleting the cast arrive. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if the film had any real sense of scale to it, but despite the all-star cast and the big budget, it has the feel of a backlot movie rather than being shot on location. The film has the flat 70s TV-movie version lighting and photography that was a feature of most 70s Universal films, which just adds an extra helping of cheese to the proceedings. Even John Williams' score feels at times like a lounge music variation on his work on The Towering Inferno, as if the whole film was put together with whatever was lying around the studio. The result is watchable enough if you're in an undemanding mood, but resolutely unmemorable.
Of the supporting cast, George Kennedy's cop fares best while Lloyd Nolan comes off worst, all but fluffing his lines as if he'd only been given the script seconds before the camera started rolling. Of the remainder - Lorne Greene, Richard Roundtree, Marjoe Gortner, Victoria Principal - only Walter Matthau's drunk (billed as Walter Matuschanskwyaski) makes much impression in a running gag that sees him drift through the film unperturbed by the chaos. The DVD can't replicate the Senssurround effect that made the cinema seats rumble on its original release, but it could at least have made some effort - this is one of Universal's budget titles that doesn't even bother with a menu, let alone any extras (even the UK DVD includes a trailer). With a plethora of deleted scenes from the extended TV version, maybe they're waiting for a triple dip with a special edition somewhere down the line?
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