Earthquake
All-New Digitally Remastered Picture And 5.1 Surround Sound, Plus Sensurround!
Earthquake, the ultimate disaster movie, is now available for the first time on DVD from Universal with an all-new digitally remastered picture and 5.1 Surround Sound!
Charlton Heston leads an all-star cast in an epic film about ordinary citizens who must come together in the face of an unstoppable natural disaster!
When the most catastrophic earthquake of all time rips through Southern California, it levels Los Angeles and sends shockwaves through the lives of all who live there. Now strangers must become saviors as the city struggles to get to its feet before the next terrifying aftershock hits!
Also starring Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Lorne Green, Geneviève Bujold, Richard Roundtree, and Victoria Principal. Earthquake combines outstanding performances with Academy Award-winning sound and groundbreaking special effects.
Member Reviews
More Disaster from the 1970s - MovieProf
I love the 1970s for many reasons, but none more than because it was the decade of the disaster film. "Earthquake," relased in 1974, is right there alongside the "Airport" quadrilogy, "The Towering Inferno," and "The Poseidon Adventure." It has big names, too: Charleton Heston, Ava Gardner, Lorne Greene, George Kennedy, Genevieve Bujold, and a young and hard-to-spot Victoria Principal, who four years later would move into immortality as Pamela Barnes-Ewing on the monster hit TV show "Dallas."
The effects aren't great here: at times, it's clear you're looking at models. Other scenes just look cheap: an elevator givs way and crashes to the ground, and blood is suddenly and pathetically splattered onto the lens--that one is my personal favourite. The script is as formulaic as those other disaster films I mentioned: lots of build-up to the big event, complete with cheating husbands and disgraced cops.
However, with such a big cast, it's still fun to watch. Park your brain at the door, don't expect too much, and you'll find it entertaining enough.
P.S.: Walter Matthau appears in a minor role, as a drunk in a bar, basically to add comic relief. He is billed as "Walter Matuschanskayasky," which apparently was a tounge-in-cheek joke between he and the film's producer.Lotsa blah blah blah - Chucky
About half an hour into this old turkey I began to regret renting it. Nothing but talk and a minor tremor. As the film wore on though I understood why, all of the films resources were put into the middle 20 minutes or so of the movie when the big earthquake hits and they destroy the town. The rocking and rolling and crumbling went on and on it reminded me of a Monty Python sketch where Python replays the same clip adnausium. I guess the final scene where Charlton Hesson gets swept away in the swift current of a flood and drowns wasn't all bad, I mean he could have done another "Damn you all to Hell" rant at the foot of the Statue of Liberty. To this day I'm still trying to figure out exactly why he jumped into the torrent to save his wife which he could not stand when he had a more attractive and younger woman waiting for him a few feet away. I guess they did leave a lot to the imagination back then. Of maybe they just ran out of money.
Not entertaining in the least
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More Disaster from the 1970s - MovieProf
I love the 1970s for many reasons, but none more than because it was the decade of the disaster film. "Earthquake," relased in 1974, is right there alongside the "Airport" quadrilogy, "The Towering Inferno," and "The Poseidon Adventure." It has big names, ...Lotsa blah blah blah - Chucky
About half an hour into this old turkey I began to regret renting it. Nothing but talk and a minor tremor. As the film wore on though I understood why, all of the films resources were put into the middle 20 minutes or so of the movie when the big earthquake ...