The Day the Earth Caught Fire

The apocalypse through the eyes of journalists - I don't know if anyone thought of this before, but it's a great idea anyway. The Day the Earth Caught Fire is without exaggeration a catastrophic sci-fi film in the style of Emmerich. On the one hand, of course, we have the utterly foolish situation the world has gotten itself into (this time with nuclear explosions, since the Cold War was at its "best"), which is now causing everything from heat and cold to dense fog, fires and floods (in short, like The Day After or 2012). But on the other hand, there are also very good actors in the roles of ordinary people, no superheroes who watch everything in one city. Of course, this being the UK, there's no shortage of humor, there are some decent special effects combined with real footage of the rampaging elements, and there's an urgent, oppressive atmosphere, a compelling opening and an amazing ending. And, lest I forget, Michael Caine makes a brief appearance for a few seconds. Four and a half.___P.S. It's on YouTube. (15/11/2015)

The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a terrific disaster film told sparingly but effectively through a group of journalists trying to get to the bottom of the dramatic climate changes that suddenly hit the earth with great intensity. It must have been a chilling film back then and it’s nonetheless chilling even today. It's very impressive cautionary science fiction from the UK, and its depiction of the frightening changes seems almost more relevant in today's realities than it did 60 years ago – only the originator of the problem has morphed into something else over the years. (08/06/2022)

Poster tagline: THE INCREDIBLE BECOMES REAL!!!! THE IMPOSSIBLE BECOMES FACT!!! WHAT IS HARD TO BELIEVE BECOMES THE TRUTH!!! I'm not at all surprised at the BAFTA award for Best Screenplay, because this disaster sci-fi is on another level than the genre-related films of the time. The synopsis is that as a result of massive nuclear weapons tests by both the Russians and the Americans, the Earth's axis will change, with climate disasters around the world as a tragic consequence. The idea may sound silly, but it's presented brilliantly, in a completely serious and realistic way, without being awkward, and the serious tone is balanced by a pleasantly original love line between the two main characters, which is full of sharp, sarcastic dialogue. The story is viewed through the lens of print journalists, and in order to create the most authentic atmosphere, director Val Guest (already a whizz since Quatermass) had the film shot in the Daily Express editorial offices, with the editor-in-chief even playing himself. At first you may not be able to quite follow the rapid-fire dialogue and journalist banter, but it's all excellent acting (which wasn't exactly standard in low-budget sci-fi films of the time) and a joy to watch and listen to. After half an hour, the effects come into play – an unannounced and unexpected lunar eclipse, fog over London as a result of the ocean overheating, the Thames drying up, violent and destructive storms in the streets of London, but the absolute stamp of my satisfaction was the believable demonstration of human behaviour in extreme circumstances: social unrest, queues for communal showers in Hyde Park, people buying water on the black market, and towards the end, when the final planetary destruction is imminent, the anarchy of armed citizens making a mess, who, in the face of Armageddon, have nothing left to lose and so enjoy themselves, even if someone dies violently because of it. The special effects shots, whose "believability" is simply due to the lower budget, are integrally cut into footage of real disasters, but the clever editing makes you think they just fit in perfectly and belong there. Plain and simple, great sci-fi, where I even considered a five-star rating (which I give sparsely). Yeah, and thanks for the open ending. (13/11/2020)