Earthquake in Sensurround! (1 Viewer)

[Kevin McCorry]

Earthquake is a film to be experienced in the theatre
at 8 years of age, the first non-Disney flik one has ever seen. That's how I saw it and it made quite an impact. Though I recall getting very impatient for the earthquake to hit, once it did I was riveted to the screen, and upset by all the blood and the violence. And seeing the main characters perish at the movie's end was also quite a jolt.
That plus the benefit of Sensurround (mind, at the time I
thought Sensurround was the name of the city the Earthquake struck- Earthquake in Sensurround).
Nothing wrong with the special effects. They convinced me
utterly. Nothing else produced by Hollywood in 1974 could compare. It all looked very vivid and life-like on the big screen. And I thought that the cast all turned in decent performances, even if Ava Gardner and Lorne Greene were
miscast as father and daughter. Marjoe Gortner was menacing, Victoria Principal looked genuinely frightened, and George Kennedy was sincere as the disillusioned constable. Heston was Heston and the antagonism between him and Gardner was capably portrayed to make the affair with Bujold believable. There are also some good debates in Dr. Stockle's office about the advisability of informing the public. Way more entertaining and provocative than the bloated, melodramatic Joanna Kerns vehicle that appeared on TV in 1990.
The Goodtimes DVD is serviceable. The first time I'd seen the movie in widescreen since 1974. And yes, even though the made-for-TV sections stick out like a sore thumb (especially those with a noticeably older Gortner and Principal) and slow the movie down considerably, I'd love to see them incorporated into the film with a seamless branching feature.

 

[Eric Paddon]

At least "Airport" and "Earthquake" got widescreen treatments on DVD. I'm still furious at Goodtimes for not releasing one of the most underrated gems of the 70s disater films "Gray Lady Down" in letterboxed format.

 

[Steve Phillips]

I think all the cheesy disaster movies of the 70s should get special edition DVD treatments! All OAR of course and anamorphic, and where applicable, with extras including the sequences either shot for the TV versions or deleted scenes added to the TV versions. All titles marked with (*) had longer TV versions. Some of them were just a scene or two, others like AIRPORT 77 and BEYOND THE POSIDEON ADVENTURE, had a LOT of extra stuff, added subplots, etc. Maybe use the seamless branching feature here? Some of these are on DVD, but not in anamorphic or special editions..We've got THE SWARM already, but what about:
AIRPORT
AIRPORT 1975
AIRPORT '77*
CONCORDE-AIRPORT '79*
EARTHQUAKE*
THE POSIDEON ADVENTURE
BEYOND THE POSIDEON ADVENTURE*
THE TOWERING INFERNO*
BLACK SUNDAY*
I'd even love a double feature of the TV movies THE SAVAGE BEES and TERROR OUT OF THE SKY.

 

[Douglas R]

Don't forget the worst of the lot WHEN TIME RAN OUT, Irwin Allen's last major film in which he brought back numerous stars who had been in THE TOWERING INFERNO and THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. Called EARTH'S FINAL FURY for TV with about 20 extra minutes. Released in 1980 I think that film just about finished the crop of disaster movies of that era.

 

[Steve Phillips]

Oh yeah, I forgot about that one! Definately!

I wonder why they kept green lighting his films towards they end? I mean, BEYOND... and THE SWARM had been huge flops, so why did WHEN TIME RAN OUT even get made????

 

[Stan]

The special effects on this are hilarious and the acting, especially by Heston is so over the top.

Even as a kid, I noticed the cheap effects. Watch any section when there is debris falling from buildings and you never see it hit the sidewalk, it just vanishes at the line where the matte paintings merge with the live shot.

It's still worth a good laugh, so if a decent DVD came out, I'd buy.

 

[DeanR]

I loved this movie when I saw it as a 10 year old and in later viewings. The sensurround sound was amazing. Of course I hated sensurround when I saw other movies later on in the auditoreum next door. You could hear that damn bass constantly next door. Walter Matthau was at his comedic best in a cameo as a drunk. He used his real name in the credits. I will never forget how hot I thought Victoria Principal was I have the Goodtimes release but I would get an upgraded DVD in a heartbeat.

 

[David Von Pein]

I never realized that there was ever a Universal release of "Airport". .........