EXPLOSIVE BEHAVIOR: VOLCANIC FLATULENCE AND THE GREAT SOCIETY By

Weather Forecast

Greedy corporations seeking to tap a natural energy source…in bed with ruthless politicos… resulting in deadly inner space drilling…causing an ecological disaster that threatens the world economy and, ultimately, the planet’s survival…Sound familiar? No, we’re not regurgitating this past year’s repulsive display of humanity at its worst….This is the plot of a 1965 sci-fi thriller whose lessons still obviously have much to be learnt. By substituting magma for oil, landlocked missile blasting for oceanic rigging and a fictitious cartel of international businesses for British Petroleum…you have the comparison bare bones necessary for the now-more-eerie-than-ever events that comprise CRACK IN THE WORLD. Of course, there are major differences. For example, the meglomaniacal scientists do develop a severe case of integrity…and the non-regulatory presiding politician is genuinely sorry…and Earth leaders do congregate to attempt a viable solution…but…in the overall scheme of things…when its too late – who the “F” cares?! This nail-biting thriller was part of the ubiquitous Philip Yordan school of filmmaking that seemingly tentacled every English language movie made in Spain during the 1960s not produced by Samuel Bronston (although the delegating writer/mogul Yordan had nevertheless co-scripted several Bronston projects, including El Cid). This means that there’s gold – rather than magma - in them thar hills – speaking strictly in the narrative sense. The writing, as one might already surmise is first-rate, as is the cast – headed by Dana Andrews, Alexander Knox, Janette Scott and Kieron Moore. The direction is propelled by the professional hands of action veteran Andrew “Bundy” Marton, who co-helmed the 1950 King Solomon’s Mines and either guided or supervised a million other superb cinematic adventures during the Fifties and Sixties (he was the man unscrupulous star Charlton Heston infamously attempted to sneakily replace Nicholas Ray with on 55 Days at Peking). That CRACK IN THE WORLD’s fantastic premise could EVER become topical is frightening enough to push the title from unnerving science fiction into pure horror; indeed the underground cameras utilized in the picture to show the unstoppable flow of lethal magma so resembles the nightly news footage of spewing oil into the Gulf that cynical environmental-conscious viewers of this new Olive/Paramount release have commented about whether or not BP is actually transmitting live pictures or has just looped the SFX from this movie. As for the DVD itself – Olive Films can take a well-earned bow. The sharp imagery of the pristine 16 x 9 widescreen visuals bring back those cherished moments of Baby Boomer nabe theater-going – particularly with those rich undeniable Technicolor reds. Flesh tones are fine and grain is minimal – the only other man-made disaster being dark-haired Scott’s ill-chosen post-chemo blonde wig. Other than that, the effects are remarkably realistic – a coup not only for a movie nearly 50 years old, but for a picture of modest budget. Like its equal goose-bump-raising sibling, Val Guest’s The Day the Earth Caught Fire, this is a textbook on how to realize an all-too-real effective sci-fi nightmare. FYI, CRACK IN THE WORLD was one of those great 1960s Paramount double bills, the co-feature being Alexander MacKendrick’s vastly underrated Sammy Going South (retitled here as A Boy Ten Feet Tall, and shorn by at least a third of those measurements, or in footage count, by about 30 minutes). Would love to see this get a DVD spin as well…At the time, the MacKendrick adventure of a British youth stranded during a Middle Eastern WWII raid was virtually ignored, despite the splendid participation of Edward G. Robinson, who suffered a near-fatal heart attack during the location filming. CRACK IN THE WORLD garnered all the attention and the reviews - the lion’s share which were deservedly positive. This is yet another movie long on collector’s request lists. It couldn’t have emerged in a better form. Olive Films should be congratulated for at last “officially” making this gem available…so throw out those bootlegs! As for the scary forecast from an era where we thought that such things were still impossible…not that it matters…but, if the world *has* to be destroyed, I’d personally prefer it be at the hands of Dana Andrews and Alexander Knox than Tony Hayward and Dick Cheney. Mel Neuhaus	CRACK IN THE WORLD: Color. Letterboxed [1.85:1; 16 x 9 anamorphic]; dual layer. Olive Films/Paramount. $25.95 SRP. . Street Date: July 25th 2010.

Greedy corporations seeking to tap a natural energy source…in bed with ruthless politicos… resulting in deadly inner space drilling…causing an ecological disaster that threatens the world economy and, ultimately, the planet’s survival…Sound familiar? No, we’re not regurgitating this past year’s repulsive display of humanity at its worst….This is the plot of a 1965 sci-fi thriller whose lessons still obviously have much to be learnt. By substituting magma for oil, landlocked missile blasting for oceanic rigging and a fictitious cartel of international businesses for British Petroleum…you have the comparison bare bones necessary for the now-more-eerie-than-ever events that comprise CRACK IN THE WORLD. Of course, there are major differences. For example, the meglomaniacal scientists do develop a severe case of integrity…and the non-regulatory presiding politician is genuinely sorry…and Earth leaders do congregate to attempt a viable solution…but…in the overall scheme of things…when its too late – who the “F” cares?!

This nail-biting thriller was part of the ubiquitous Philip Yordan school of filmmaking that seemingly tentacled every English language movie made in Spain during the 1960s not produced by Samuel Bronston (although the delegating writer/mogul Yordan had nevertheless co-scripted several Bronston projects, including El Cid). This means that there’s gold – rather than magma - in them thar hills – speaking strictly in the narrative sense. The writing, as one might already surmise is first-rate, as is the cast – headed by Dana Andrews, Alexander Knox, Janette Scott and Kieron Moore. The direction is propelled by the professional hands of action veteran Andrew “Bundy” Marton, who co-helmed the 1950 King Solomon’s Mines and either guided or supervised a million other superb cinematic adventures during the Fifties and Sixties (he was the man unscrupulous star Charlton Heston infamously attempted to sneakily replace Nicholas Ray with on 55 Days at Peking).

That CRACK IN THE WORLD’s fantastic premise could EVER become topical is frightening enough to push the title from unnerving science fiction into pure horror; indeed the underground cameras utilized in the picture to show the unstoppable flow of lethal magma so resembles the nightly news footage of spewing oil into the Gulf that cynical environmental-conscious viewers of this new Olive/Paramount release have commented about whether or not BP is actually transmitting live pictures or has just looped the SFX from this movie.

As for the DVD itself – Olive Films can take a well-earned bow. The sharp imagery of the pristine 16 x 9 widescreen visuals bring back those cherished moments of Baby Boomer nabe theater-going – particularly with those rich undeniable Technicolor reds. Flesh tones are fine and grain is minimal – the only other man-made disaster being dark-haired Scott’s ill-chosen post-chemo blonde wig. Other than that, the effects are remarkably realistic – a coup not only for a movie nearly 50 years old, but for a picture of modest budget. Like its equal goose-bump-raising sibling, Val Guest’s The Day the Earth Caught Fire, this is a textbook on how to realize an all-too-real effective sci-fi nightmare.
FYI, CRACK IN THE WORLD was one of those great 1960s Paramount double bills, the co-feature being Alexander MacKendrick’s vastly underrated Sammy Going South (retitled here as A Boy Ten Feet Tall, and shorn by at least a third of those measurements, or in footage count, by about 30 minutes). Would love to see this get a DVD spin as well…At the time, the MacKendrick adventure of a British youth stranded during a Middle Eastern WWII raid was virtually ignored, despite the splendid participation of Edward G. Robinson, who suffered a near-fatal heart attack during the location filming. CRACK IN THE WORLD garnered all the attention and the reviews - the lion’s share which were deservedly positive.

This is yet another movie long on collector’s request lists. It couldn’t have emerged in a better form. Olive Films should be congratulated for at last “officially” making this gem available…so throw out those bootlegs! As for the scary forecast from an era where we thought that such things were still impossible…not that it matters…but, if the world has to be destroyed, I’d personally prefer it be at the hands of Dana Andrews and Alexander Knox than Tony Hayward and Dick Cheney.

Mel Neuhaus