Earthquake (film)
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Earthquake is the title of a blockbuster 1974 film that was among several successful so-called disaster films of the 1970s that places an all-star cast in life and death situations. The basic plot concerns the reactions and struggles for survival after a catastrophic earthquake registering 9.9 on the Richter Scale hits the city of Los Angeles, California.
Full of large-scale destruction and violence, Earthquake was one of the most successful films of 1974, grossing over $80,000,000 USD ($300,000,000 USD, adjusted for inflation in 2005 dollars).
For the film's 1976 television premiere, additional footage was added to expand the running time of the film so it could be shown over two nights. Contrary to popular belief, this "television version" made no use of material originally left out of the theatrical release (save one small scene), but rather new footage was shot some two years after the original, using some of the stars from the theatrical version.
Directed by Mark Robson and with a screenplay by George Fox and Mario Puzo, it stars Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Lorne Greene, George Kennedy, Genevieve Bujold, Richard Roundtree, Marjoe Gortner, Barry Sullivan, Lloyd Nolan, Victoria Principal, Monica Lewis and Walter Matthau (credited as "Walter Matuschanskayasky".)
Trivia
- The 1974 theatrical release used "Sensurround", a subwoofer system to create the feeling of an earthquake. This was simply a set of large subwoofers designed to create infra-bass (felt but not heard).
- Premiered on U.S. television in 1976, with additional footage and storylines added to lengthen the film in order to expand it over a two-night showing.
- The latest Universal Home Video DVD (released May 9, 2006) features the original "Sensurround" audio track, duplicating the original theatrical "Sensurround" track, which generated low frequency, high-power sound waves which "shook" the theatre.
- On an episode of Quantum Leap, Sam Beckett leaped in as one of the stuntmen on the film (footage from which was used). "Sam" is the man hanging from a piece of debris whom Sam Royce (Lorne Greene's character) attempts to save, but loses his grip and falls.
Awards
Earthquake won an Academy Award for Best Sound, as well as a Special Achievement Award for visual effects. The film introduced a widely publicised gimmick called "Sensurround." The marketing of the film made full use of this gimmick, and provided a novelty factor to help entice people into the cinemas. It was used again for the films Midway (1976), Rollercoaster (1977) and Battlestar Galactica but had limited use and was dispensed with after this.Sequel
A script for a sequel, Earthquake II, was written in late-1975, and featured the characters of George Kennedy, Victoria Principal, Richard Roundtree, and Gabriel Dell, but was never pushed into production. Earthquake II details the main characters adjusting to new lives in San Francisco as refugees from the Los Angeles quake of the original film, when another major, more catastrophic earthquake and tsunami strikes the Bay Area. Starlog Magazine stated that preproduction was likely in early 1988; this never came to fruition.Ride
A theme park attraction based on the film, called "Earthquake: The Big One," is located at both Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Orlando Resort. Ostensibly producing a simulated 8.3 on the Richter scale, guests enter a shaking subway station, and are presented with fire, water, and demolition special effects.
External links
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