Earthquake

When I was middle school student, I saw this moive at thearter.
At that time, this kind of movies were very shocking.
After 30years passed, I want saw this movie again and bought a DVD disc.
I was lost in memories movie, middleschool student days.
It was very old movie, but very good movie this time.

my two older brothers and i grew up in CALIFORNIA . i was eleven when we saw this film together at the time of its' theatrical release . it was shown in SESAROUND . we laughed so hard and often within the first 40 minutes or so (whenever there'd be an earthquake on screen and our seats would shake ) we left , as we were distracting the other filmgoers . sorry . looking back . i can give no stronger recommendation to a film than this one . we'd experienced some real serious quakes and aftershocks and tremors as all CALIFORIANS have and do . it's got everything you could ever want from such a film . if you love 70s disaster films and have a certain sense of humor , you've gotta clutch it .

EARTHQUAKE

(USA - 1974)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)
Theatrical soundtrack: 6-track stereo (Sensurround encoding)

Several disparate characters are drawn together in the aftermath of an earthquake which devastates Los Angeles.

Soapy addition to the 1970's disaster cycle, featuring an all-star cast going through the dreary motions (who CARES if Charlton Heston is threatening to leave wife Ava Gardner for younger woman Geneviève Bujold?) until their problems are resolved - one way or another - by an earth-shattering catastrophe. The earthquake itself is impressive in some places (collapsing miniatures, burning buildings, expansive matte paintings, etc.) and dreadful in others ('shaky-cam' inserts, animated 'blood splatter', optical distortions which LOOK like optical distortions, etc.), though some moviegoers were lucky enough to view the film theatrically in Sensurround, an ultra-deep bass enhancement which caused structural damage in a number of theaters!

Directed by industry veteran Mark Robson (BEDLAM, ISLE OF THE DEAD) and produced by Universal at a time when most of their output looked like big screen TV features, the movie was intended to give THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974) a run for its money and came off looking pretty ropey in comparison, though it DOES have a strong cast (including George Kennedy, giving the film's best performance as a disillusioned cop whose faith is restored in the aftermath of the quake). The moralistic ending is particularly hard to swallow.

This is one of the most memorable movies of the 70's, it's got everything: action, drama, infidelity, fire, floods and the "EARTHQUAKE". When I saw this movie back on 1974 I did not notice some of the cheesy visual effects I notice now. Still that does not diminish the quality and the impact that "Earthquake" leaves in you. The plot, on the part of the drama has some holes but if you focus on the earthquake and the trauma it leaves on the survivors, the movie won't disappoint you. However the DVD release has some disappointments, the SENSURROUND is missing, it is not the same shocking effect I remember from the days I was watching EARTHQUAKE in the theathers. I recall feeling like the theather was falling apart over me while watching this movie, I really felt the deep vibration like it was a real earthquake. It is the SOUND effect what made EARTHQUAKE a huge box office success and an OSCAR WINNER for Best Sound. EARTHQUAKE also won the OSCAR of Special Achievement Award for Visual Effect. On the other side, I don't really care much about the inclusion of the new footage that casts Debralee Scott and Sam Chew on an airplane trying to land during the earthquake, this footage was recorded 2 years later and was added to the theatrical release in order to be shown on television. What really disappointed me is that the 30 minutes of the original footage that were actually chopped from the original theatrical release are not included here as an UNCUT or EXTENDED version of the movie or they could at least have them included in a DELETED SCENES additional feature. All and all this is one of the most memorable and succesful movies of the 70's because of its amazing SENSURROUND sound and visual effects, and the amazing cast. For the next release of the DVD please include the 30 minutes footage that were cut before the theatrical release and the full SENSURROUND effect as it was done in 1974.

Along with "Airport'75", "The Towering Inferno", and "The Poisiodon Adventure", "Earthquake" is really the last great 1970's disaster film. Filled with former movie stars and awesome special effects, the film is engrossing and entertaining. The title basically tells you that the movie is about an earthquake, and in this instance it hits Los Angeles. Watching it one wonders if the Big One will ever strike sounthern California?
The film is clean and the sound impeccable, but there are no special features added. Sit back and enjoy, though, a great movie from one of the best decades of movie making. I really like this film.

Earthquake was 1974's other big disaster movie, but despite the big budget and the `all-star' cast it's dated much worse than The Towering Inferno. Part of the problem is the soap operatics in the foreground, with Charlton Heston torn between neurotic wife Ava Gardner and his young mistress Genevieve Bujold taking centre-stage among various minor daytime soap subplots courtesy of writer Mario Puzo. Rather than making you care about the fate of the characters, they just leave you impatient for the quake to finally hit LA, but once it does there's not much focus to the destruction: whereas the S.S. Poseidon and the Glass Tower confined their characters in one perilous structure to add a sense of claustrophobia and tension, here the cast are spread all across the city when the aftershocks that cause the real damage and start depleting the cast arrive. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if the film had any real sense of scale to it, but despite the all-star cast and the big budget, it has the feel of a backlot movie rather than being shot on location. The film has the flat 70s TV-movie version lighting and photography that was a feature of most 70s Universal films, which just adds an extra helping of cheese to the proceedings. Even John Williams' score feels at times like a lounge music variation on his work on The Towering Inferno, as if the whole film was put together with whatever was lying around the studio. The result is watchable enough if you're in an undemanding mood, but resolutely unmemorable.

Of the supporting cast, George Kennedy's cop fares best while Lloyd Nolan comes off worst, all but fluffing his lines as if he'd only been given the script seconds before the camera started rolling. Of the remainder - Lorne Greene, Richard Roundtree, Marjoe Gortner, Victoria Principal - only Walter Matthau's drunk (billed as Walter Matuschanskwyaski) makes much impression in a running gag that sees him drift through the film unperturbed by the chaos. The DVD can't replicate the Senssurround effect that made the cinema seats rumble on its original release, but it could at least have made some effort - this is one of Universal's budget titles that doesn't even bother with a menu, let alone any extras (even the UK DVD includes a trailer). With a plethora of deleted scenes from the extended TV version, maybe they're waiting for a triple dip with a special edition somewhere down the line?

a classic i never get tired of watching los angeles crumble..especially since i dont live there anymore ..shake away

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The VHS version of this film is 2 hours & 3 minutes. This version is 1 hour and 23 minutes. Universal cut a hugh part of this film out. Do NOT buy this version, make lazy universal release the FULL FILM on dvd.

This motion picture was released in the USA on November 15 1974 starring Charlton Heston as Stewart Graff, Ava Gardner Remy Royce Graff, George Kennedy as Sergeant Lew Slade, and Lorne Greene as Sam Royce. The picture starts with the usual sunny day in Los Angeles California with your busy freeway and busy life style that people live in Los Angeles. Stewart Graff is working out when he's being harassed by his wife Remy. Stewart works for Remy dad Sam Royce who owns a big contractor company. Sergeant Lew Slade is a Peace officer who's always getting in trouble and ends up being suspended for numerous reason. Now some thoughts on this picture! The only thing different between this picture and The Towering Inferno was that picture was a fire and this was an earthquake. To me this movie was boring after the earthquake because the only drama left was who was going to die and who wasn't. Based on this I give this movie only 3 weasel stars because it just wasn't that interesting.

This is one my favorite movies but Universal blew it again with the DVD transfer. They fail to realize the potential revenue that can be made from these classic films. The picture quality is pretty good for a 70's movie but the movie is still heavily edited from the original version. There are so many scenes missing I couldn't even begin to list them all. There are NO extras, not even a trailer! The DVD was so poorly authored there is not even an audio or chapter menu! The sensuuround audio track is way too low even with the subwoofers maxed out. Universal should have released a 2 disc version with all existing footage included. A very disappointing release from Universal

Despite what others have said about this DVD, the excellent quality of the video itself makes it a "5". We do have to remember that this is an old movie, but I feel that I've just seen it as it originally was in theaters. I used a 1080p hi-def TV and a blu-ray 1080p player, and I doubt that an actual blu-ray disk would be much better! The sound is fine, too, but I did not like the "sensurround" track, as it was flat except for the scenes containing earthquake noise, in which case it rattled the walls. The 5.1 track was good/loud enough, and was realistic.

A super quake hits L.A. everyone goes for the elevaders! The first time I saw it was in 3-D! great cast too.

By the time Earthquake came out the "Epic Disaster" films were starting to slide a little. This is a good one but, not as good as Poseidon or Towering. Lets face the facts.....these movies are not great classic movies in the traditional sense, but they are highly entertaining soap operas with tons of stars that look like a TV movie with a bigger budget. The FX range from great to laughable and the acting is about the same! I enjoy these movies, but only the ones I mentioned above and this one.....OK Airport is another good one! Did I leave any out? The DVD edition has a very good transfer,but nothing extra.....bummer! It deserved some attention...oh well........

I fell for this movie (ha,ha) because in early 1974 Universal was filming Earthquake and I was on the studio's backlot during that production.
The special effects are a bit "old" for these computer graphic times, but it's still scary to see the Capitol Records building shake and fall apart.

This version is the best to get...DO NOT buy the version by Good Times Video, their picture is widescreen tiny (on ANY TV)and the color is not as good as it is on this version.
Enjoy!

While the picture is beautiful, the new DVD of "Earthquake" completely misses the boat on the Sensurround track and special features. First of all, the so-called "3.1" Sensurround track is nothing but the same, mono, audio fed to the 3 front channels with the 25/35 Hz control tones on the .1 LFE channel - no rumble is there at all. Nothing of the sort was ever heard in theaters, so I don't know why Universal bothered. It's obvious that the Universal tech's in charge of the DVD audio transfer didn't know that the control tones are NOT the earthquake rumble and are NOT meant to be heard! The 5.1-channel remix is problimatical too. Earthquake was the first feature to use the Sensurround Special Effects System (US Patent #3, 973,839). Because, at the time, audio in theaters and on film was in such a primitive state, MCA/Universal engineers designed a sound system to run along side the theaters existing system. Two control tones, at 25 and 35 Hz, were recorded either on the main soundtrack (for optical prints) or, with stereo Magnetic prints, on the redundant optical soundtrack. Their presence and volume controlled the turning on and off of a low-frequency noise (rumble) generator to create the 'earthquake' effects - they also controlled the addition of the "Center Front" channel (or the composite optical) into the Sensurround channel to create "surround" effects. When desired, the two tones could also increase the volume of ALL the speakers in the theater by a desired amount. While the 4-track magnetic soundtrack had a standard "effects/surround" soundtrack (complete with 12kHz CinemaScope switching tone), in Sensurround equipped theaters, the surround mag track was disconnected and not used at all... instead, the Center Front mag channel was connected into the Sensurround channel to create the 'surround' effects when needed. For non-Sensurround installations that used the Magnetic soundtrack, the 4-track mag had the standard surround soundtrack available. Universal's engineers in charge of the new DVD soundtrack remix do not seem to have known this - none of the sounds from the Center Front channel are used at all in the surround channels, nor is any of the Sensurround rumble taken to the back channels as it should be. In addition to the deep rumble, Sensurround was intended to "Surround and engulf you", which the new 5.1 track does NOT do! The composite mono optical prints, or the mag stereo prints, contained all the information the mixers needed, to know when to direct the sounds, and by how much, from the Center Front into the back channels. They only had to listen to and measure the amounts of 25 and 35 Hz tones! Heck, the old MCA DiscoVision laser videodisc release has the control tones present that we can hear, so anyone could have figured it out! Also, it does not appear that Universal used a Sensurround rumble generator - the bass is nowhere near deep enough - I've measured it and it cuts off around 25 Hz! That's a whole octave higher than it should be! The cut-off frequency that was designed for Sensurround was 16Hz. The bass should be played at a level of 110-120db at those frequencies! To replicate the Sensurround soundtrack on DVD, here's what should have been done:

The "main" channels should have been recorded at a much lower level than usual onto the DVD master. The Sensurround rumble should have been recorded at, or as near as possible, to 0db as they could. This would have allowed them to duplicate Sensurround in the home. It would have required the home viewer to raise their main volume control much higher than usual to hear the soundtrack, thus, when the rumble came along, it would be at it's correct, high, level - and the extra headroom could have been used to raise the level of the main soundtrack during the quake as the original presentation called for. The Center Front should have been mixed into the surrounds as required and the original mag Surround track used too. For viewers who don't have the ability to play the Sensurround track at such high levels, the original 4-track master, without Sensurround, should have been supplied at standard volume as an alternate track. The original mono Sensurround-compatible shouldtrack should have been supplied too as a 1.0 Dolby Digital track.

Contrary to what others claim, Earthquake was the ONLY Stereophonic Sensurround release (Zoot Suit doesn't count) - after Earthquake, Sensurround was modified to place all the effects on an optical mono track with dbx Type-II noise reduction. ALL of the other "Sensurround" DVD releases from Universal get the Sensurround track wrong too - Midway, Battlestar, Rollercoaster - all WRONG! The Sensurround, because of the control tones, would pan from the front to the back of the theater, as required - none of the DVD's duplicate this - it gave them a 'surround-type' soundtrack capability from a standard mono-optical print. Hopefully, future HD-DVD relases will get this right - if Universal would only ask me about it! I have extensive documentation on the Sensurround system and am probably the foremost authority on it in the world.

The basic fidelity and seperation of the 3 front channels is quite good, as is the high-frequency response. Unlike other magnetic stereo films of the era, Earthquake was mixed with mono, meaning Center Front-only, dialogue - other films of the time panned the dialogue across each channel to follow the speaker. The DVD replicates this nicely, although I hate mono dialogue.

The image of "Earthquake" has a bit too much edge enhancement, but is otherwise OK. Sadly, there are NO special features at all, which is a pitty, as there was a wealth of material produced for Earthquake. MCA Universal made a "Sensurround Product Demo Reel" to show theater owners how the system worked and why they should install it in their theater - there were film demo reels to show the total image+sound effect - there were Sensurround encoded trailers - there was deleted footage - the LAX restraunt was actually modeled and filmed collapsing, but the footage wasn't used in the film - in addition, around 10 mintues of footage were deleted shortly before the films release - all of this should have been included on the disc along with photos of the incredible Sensurround horns.

BTW, in the Mid-1970's, MCA/Universal was attempting to sell Sensurround as a new, high-fidelity, film sound system - Dolby Stereo had just become available, and there was a general industry-wide interest in upgrading theater sound. MCA positioned Sensurround as a large increase in fidelity with special effects, all from a single, compatible, mono optical soundtrack. When the dbx Type-II noise reduction was added, the specifications of Sensurround were quite impressive:

Dynamic Range-90db
SN Ratio-80db
Frequency Response-16Hz to 16,000 kHz.

All these specs out-did Dolby Stereo at the time. SENSURROUND+PLUS, used on Zoot Suit, was merely the use of dbx Noise Reduction, WITHOUT the rumble, on a 4-track mag stereo soundtrack.

Hopefully, Universal will get it right on the HD-DVD's of the Sensurround films.

Although I enjoyed this film, where is Irwin Allen when we needed him?
A bit too short and not nearly enough death.
Still a classic!

Of the classic 3 disiater movies of the period, Poseidon adventure, Towering inferno and Earthquake. It does deserve last place. It is an action film in the biggest way but little character interaction as in the first two movies. It will complete your disaster collection. It has a good set of actor and actresses that pull off a mediocre script.
Take it for what it is and enjoy the action.

Just shows why I don't and won't ever live in California. Who needs this?

I've always liked this film even though it has often been dismissed by critics because of the marketing of the "Sensurround" sound the film contained that made you really feel the quakes. Most critics thought this was a hollow film that focused on a gimmick. I disagree strongly. The sound and other special effects were actually very groundbreaking, no pun intended, and enhanced one's experience of the film greatly. It was a huge hit when it came out. In fact, even on DVD you can enjoy this special sound device by simply upping the bass and/or sub woofer on your stereo. I have a 50 inch plasma television with 5.1 Dolby sound home theatre system and I was able to recapture much of the theatre experience I had when I first saw the film in 1974. It freaked out my kids whom I didn't warn in advance what I was doing. They loved it.

In addition, the other special effects are top-notch and still hold up even today. The acting is well-done by an all-star cast of familar faces and although the script is faulty at times, it works well enough. The one aspect I really appreciate about this film is that it wasn't afraid to kill off major characters we've grown to like very much the way Deep Impact did. That makes this disaster flick rather different than most in the genre.

I highly recommend this film. Even though this film had great sound and special effects, there are no Special Features on this DVD and that is a big disappointment. In spite of that serious oversight, it's worth owning as you can view this film many times.

FUNNY NOTE: This film was double-billed with The Towering Inferno once and they called both films "Shake and Bake" --Ya gotta appreciate the humor on that!

As most people know by now, most disaster films, especially those that were so spectacularly popular at the box office in the 1970s, are for the most part soap operas or melodramas in which an all-star cast must somehow fight for survival after some outrageous cataclysm, be it natural or man-made.

EARTHQUAKE, released near the end of 1974, isn't any different. There is plenty of melodrama to be had, and a lot of soap opera theatrics to be found, not to mention a lot of dated dialogue and hair styles to go along with all that. In short, it has everything that critics learned to despise about the entire disaster movie genre.

And yet, for those of us living in Southern California, where this film is set, earthquakes and the fear of them are a basic fact of life. And those are the kinds of fears that this 1974 box office smash taps into. Admittedly it's a tough job to ignore the overblown theatrics between Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner, or Marjoe Gortner's psychotic National Guard character. But beyond that, the very likelihood of Los Angeles being hit with a cataclysmic quake, as happens here via Oscar-winning special effects work by Albert Whitlock, Frank Brendel, and Glen Robinson (which, though perhaps dated by today's standards, still work well under the circumstances) and Universal's wall-shaking Sensurround system, is a bit too frightening to sweep under the rug without a second thought. As a result, soap opera theatrics aside, EARTHQUAKE qualifies as a science fiction film much as it does a disaster pic.

There isn't a whole lot that this cast, which includes good people like George Kennedy, Genevieve Bujold, Barry Sullivan, Donald Moffat, and Kip Niven can really do with the overcooked dialogue of the George Fox/Mario Puzo screenplay; and director Mark Robson is also somewhat hog-tied as well. But when the Big One hits, the City of Angels is virtually annihilated from underneath, and the cast must find its way out of the horrible rubble, this is where EARTHQUAKE works.

So what we have is an undeniably flawed "relic" of its time in terms of dialogue, acting, and direction, but a cautionary warning of what can happen to L.A. if Mother Nature decides to roll a 7.0 or higher on the Richter scale.

the least of the big 3 of disaster movies (the others being "poseidon adventure" and "towering inferno") that hit across movie screens in the mid 1970s. the sensurround gimmick obviously doesnt work when seen on tv, the screenplay and acting are pedestrian, and the special effects now look a cut above flash gordon serials.

Dissappointed in this movie, rated PG with profanity in it. I had to throw it away.

The 70s had our favorite disaster movies: POSEIDON ADVENTURE, TOWERING INFERNO and this little classic fluff. Considering how far we've come in special effects in these 30 years, the sound and visuals for EARTHQUAKE are pretty impressive. As in all the disaster flicks, plot is secondary to the big event, and writer Mario Puzo gives us the standard assortment of characters who we know will be involved in personal danger when the big one hits. Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Lorne Greene, George Kennedy, a barely recognizable Victoria Principal, and other familiar faces go through the motions, and even though it's all pretty hokey, it still manages to shake!!!!

Any movie where you got Charlton Heston topless and lifting weights in the first scene is gonna be good. That's a known fact; I think some scientists down at NASA proved it mathematically.

Buff Heston is a construction engineer in Los Angeles and he's the best damn one in town. Hell any firm in the country would hire him and at his own terms too. Fifty-two minutes later a massive earthquake hits and it's up to Heston and his jacked up truck with a "custom transmission" (8 forward and 3 reverse gears - amazing!) to save those people in the basement of the hospital. In his spare time he also saves a bunch of people in a skyscraper and even a little puppy in a wrecked building. What a guy.

Good cheesy fun.

From aircraft crashes to volcanic erruptions, disaster movies have been popular since the days of silent film--but they were particularly so in 1970s, when films like THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and THE TOWERING INFERNO broke box office records right and left. And then there was EARTHQUAKE, a 1974 release that tried to ride the tide of popularity and pretty much went bust.

The basic problem with EARTHQUAKE is the plot. There isn't any. Oh, sure, there's some stuff about Charleton Heston, who is cheating on shrewish wife Ava Gardner with youthful and very wimpy Genevieve Bujold, not to mention sundry subplots (the tough but honest cop, the stunt cyclist, and so on), but the cast is indifferent at best, the dialogue is tiresome, and it is ultimately just a very lame and very silly build up to the disaster itself.

EARTHQUAKE's big trick was a gimmicky thing that might have been dreamed up by schlock-master William Castle: "Sensurround." It was essentially a bass-heavy sound system that blasted out sub-bass frequencies serious enough to make the audience shake, rattle, and roll. Unfortunately, the system actually proved a little too successful for it's own good, causing bits of the ceiling to flake off upon unsuspecting audiences in older cinemas, and after one or two unsavory incidents a great many theatres refused to install it.

Shorn of Sensurround, EARTHQUAKE is left with a very mixed back of special effects that range from the spectacular to the ludicrously bad. In any case, it is all too little and too late, and the best thing that can be said for it is that all the characters you least like get popped before it comes to an end. The DVD release offers a sharp, clear print, but there are no extras of any kind... And as for the famed Sensurround, well, you're free to do whatever you want with your speaker system as long as you don't annoy the neighbors, and good luck to you.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

sure this is not the greatest movie ever made but it is very fun to watch and the action is great as "the big one" levels l.a. and lays waste to the cast. heston is the big hero and he handles his job well. don't expect "king lear", but if you like these kind of movies, there is a lot of cheesey fun to be had here.

Like another reviewer stated, the new digital transfer of "Earthquake" is simply amazing. Clearly, Universal stuck a new print from a new negative, which does not have all the flaws (and notable "emulsion scratch" during a certain quake scene) that were present in the 1998 Goodtimes release. The results are a much more vivid picture, with nice color saturation. The sound has been completely remixed in Dolby Surround 5.1, and features the legendary original "Sensurround" track as an option that will shake your house if you have the proper, high-power sound system (it just sounds like distorted bottom end audio if you don't). If you crank it, it's pretty impressive. The 5.1 is separated nicely, revealing many sound effects not heard in the prior Goodtimes release -- this 5.1 Surround does the Academy Award-winning sound engineers of the original film proud!

If one was interested in just seeing the film by itself -- with fantastic picture and sound -- then, this disc will be fine for you.

If you're looking for something along the lines of Fox's very well done "Sepcial Edition" DVDs of "The Towering Inferno" and "The Poseidon Adventure," you will be sorely surprised and disappointed. Universal Home Video colossally screwed up on the presentation of "Earthquake" on this DVD. No extras. No liner notes. No trailers. No still pictures. Not even chapter menus! Really, how difficult is it to make a chapter menu? Apparently, it was too difficult or time consuming for Universal to add the extras -- what makes this more frustrating is, this type of information for the DVD is out there, and easy to get: there is a fan web site dedicated to the film that has a ton of information. The lack of attention by Universal is baffling, since "Earthquake" is a film that was a huge hit for the studio in 1974. In light of the release next to the Fox "Special Editions" of their disaster films, Universal should be ashamed of this abortion of a DVD.

Whoever was responsible at Universal Home Video for the "Earthquake" DVD was clearly "phoning it in."

If there is someone from universal studios that is going to read this all i have to say is "GET IT TOGETHER UNIVERSAL" 20TH CENTURY FOX HAS RELEASED THE TOWERING INFERNO AND POSEIDON ADVENTURE " SPECIAL EDITION" and it is so incredible!!!!! it really has brought the 70s disaster movies back to its best. Now with the new movie "POSEIDON" floating into the theaters tomorrow MAY 12th, Which by the way is still an IRWIN ALLEN PRODUCTION and his Wife SHELLA MATHERS ALLEN is one of the executive producers, This movie is going to be the next "TITANIC" The special editions show so much information about every little detail that it is longer then the movies themselves. ITS SO MUCH FUN !!!. i HAVE TO ASK WHY WAS EARTHQUAKE RERELEASED ON THE SAME DAY TOWERING INFERNO S.E. WAS RELEASED. It is no big deal nothing more then better sound. WHO CARES. WE WANT TO SEE SPECIAL FEATURES GALORE. EVERYTHING ABOUT EARTHQUAKE.. So people DONT BOTHER to get the re release of EARTHQUAKE because , it is a WASTE OF MONEY BUT, DO BUY THE OTHERS AND GO SEE POSEIDON, ITS INCREDIBLE!!!!! oh by the way the ONLY reason thati gave it one star is because i still love the movie. but, if UNIVERSAL is going to spend money on put this out, THEN MAKE IT WORTH OUR WILD. BORING BORING BORING

Universal finally releases "Earthquake" in the US on dvd. The only other domestic release was from GoodTimes several years ago. It's too bad that Universal didn't take the time to include the extended and deleted scenes that appeared in the television airing of the film. The only bonus here is a better looking film transfer, and the inclusion of the original "Sensurround" soundtrack, along with Dolby 5.1. 20th Century Fox pulled out all the stops with their special editions of "The Towering Inferno" and "The Poseidon Adventure". Unfortunately, Universal doesn't seem to care about preserving cinema history. Perhaps at some point Criterion will give "Earthquake" the royal treatment... The UK release of "Earthquake" from Universal included the theatrical trailer...the US one doesn't.

For one of their most successful 70s films, I am so surprised that Universal did not get on the bandwagon and do a Special Edition of some kind, similar to the new Fox issues of Poseidon Adventure and Towering Inferno. Universal has treated this film like a throwaway, and if they took that attitude, they should have left the bad-print Good Times issue stand. Even the Region 2 UK version is better than this. It's in 5.1 and at least gives you one trailer!

The upgrades to this edition of EQ include a 3.1 Sensurround track, besides a 5.1 track, plus 2.0 Spanish track. You set your language and play the film. There isn't even a Select The Scenes menu. There are more chapter markers than the previous issue, but some are in weird places. The print of the film is fabulous. Looks like it was color-corrected and plays almost like HD. My only reason for 3 stars, or it would be less.

Still, Universal dropped the ball. Commentaries should have been included, featurettes if available, memories from cast and crew that are still with us, and even a couple of trailers and/or TV Spots. With adding the 3.1 Sensurround track, it would have been nice to see one of the "An Event" trailers for the theatrical release in Sensurround. The trailer on the UK version is one used for the post-Sensurround release of the film.
Maybe they are waiting for the 35th Anniversary in 2009 to do it up big? I doubt it.

If Universal doesn't even care to issue the last remaining Rodgers & Hammerstein movie musical "Flower Drum Song" (1961) that has yet to see a DVD issue, what can you expect on how they treat one of their biggest 70s hits?

Wake up Universal.

What better way for Eva Gardner to return to films after retirement by uttering the words "God Dammit!!!" as if she were in a traveling theater company of "Virginia Wolf". Say what you like, at least we're pleased to see them all washed away through the sewer system at the end - sort of cleans the bad taste from your mouth.

Man, without the sound system this movie is hateful. It was a blast with the HUGE speakers though. Saw in Cincinnati at an old theater - shook so hard plaster fell... or mabye that was a chunk of Ms. Gardner's makeup.... hard to tell in a dark theater.

Another reviewer says this movie employed a technology called "Surrondsound". Actually, the term used at the time was Sensurround (spelling courtesy IMDB). The gimmick was to loosen the bolts of the theatre seats and use low frequencies to cause the seats to move - as if in an earthquake. Also used, I believe, in the films Rollercoaster and Midway. I think it was being confused with Surround Sound, the ubiquitous home theatre technology. At any rate, this is a terrific example of the heyday of the Hollywood disaster movie. 80% soap opera and 20% special effects action extravaganza. Still, it's a lot of fun and worth watching - if only for the clothes. The true disaster in this film is the leisure (whatever happened to 'i' before 'e' except after 'c') suits. Those were the days!

Yowie! Here's one perfectly awful movie. It is watchable, however, and is enjoyable from the standpoint of it being rather ridiculous. The casting, for one thing, is bizarre. Having Ava Gardner cast as Lorne Greene's daughter, when in real life she was actually 2 years OLDER than him, is laugh-out-loud funny. And then there's bad toupe-wearing Charlton Heston, cast as Gardner's husband, who has little time for his wife but plenty of time for his French-accented lover (whose name I don't even want to attempt to spell right now; just look at the credits). Right-wing nut Heston isn't exactly Moses in this, is he? Evangelist Marjoe Gortner (remember him? You don't? It's just as well) plays a wacko (how fitting) who tends to get on people's nerves (especially the audience's). This is enjoyable schlock courtesy of Universal Pictures, who also gave us all those lousy Airport movies. If that sounds appealing, go for it.

The following is my review of the original release on DVD, let's hope the new one has some great DVD Extras or the scenes made and inserted for the television premiere:

Guess what, this is a film about Los Angeles being destroyed by an earthquake. The special effects are dated yet they still hold up. The film innovated a system called Surrondsound. It used low level sound waves to shake the theater seats, which was a fun gimmick that worked. When they first broadcast the film on NBC, there was a stereo simulcast that used the Surroundsound and it worked. Too bad they don't have that on the DVD.

Stewart Graff (Charlton Heston) is an ex football player turned structural engineer that is concerned with overbuilding in Los Angeles. He is married to Rene (Ava Gardner) but is having an affair with the widow of a friend, Denise Marshall (Genevieve Bujold). His boss is his father in law, Sam Royce (Lorne Green). George Kennedy plays the hard nosed street cop Lew Slade who is suspended after a high speed chase. The featured cast includes Richard Roundtree as daredevil Miles Quaid, Victoria Principal as Miles manager's sister Rosa, Marjoe Gortner as a store manager obsessed with Rosa and is in the National Guard Reserves, Lloyd Nolan as a doctor and Walter Matthau makes a cameo as drunk.

A young scientist (Geoffrey Duel) accurately predicts a minor earthquake and tells his boss that this could be a precursor to the big one but his supervisors (Barry Nelson and Donald Moffat) don't agree. When the second predicted minor quake happens, the question is what to do.

At the damn, the first quake floods the machinery shaft and drowns a watchman. After the second, a crack is noticed on the damn and the water level is rising.

As the big one hits, everyone is scattered. Denise is walking in the hills, her son is on a bridge over the LA river, Rosa is at a movie, her brother and Miles are at the stunt. Stewart and Rene are outside the office building with her father in the building.

What follows is everyone trying to find their loved ones. Stewart tries to rescue his father in law who is trapped when part of the staircase is destroyed. Denise finds her son on the bed of the LA river with downed electrical wires and approaching water. Slade tries organize survivors. Marjoe lets his activation by the National Guard go to his head. Eventually, most characters wind up at the underground parking lot at Wilson Plaza (actually Arco Towers.)

An aftershock happens, trapping the survivors in the parking lot but the damn burst and threatens to flood the parking lot. In the end, Stewart saves Denise but has to decide to risk his life for his wife.

As in most multiple jeopardy films (better known as disaster films), the star is the disaster. The cast is just decoration. For 1974, this is cutting edge. The filmmakers have never liked earthquakes on previous films. Therefore, they did two things. They built a scale model of downtown LA and Hollywood and the sets were built on springs. This created a realistic destruction of the buildings and the actors did not have to pretend the earthquake, the sets moved under their feet.

Earthquake was not a great film but it is fun. With special effects that run from awesome to cheesy. This is a great Saturday afternoon flick.

An event !!!!!
It's too bad after 30 years they haven't been able to duplicate the SENSORROUND effect on DVD. I sure hope they digitally restore the elevator scene where blood is splattered on the camera lens ! They don't make them like this anymore !