Crack in the World ** (1965, Dana Andrews, Janette Scott, Kieron Moore, Alexander Knox) – Classic Movie Review 11,790

Director Andrew Marton’s 1965 American science-fiction doomsday disaster movie Crack in the World is based on a story by Jon Manchip White, and stars Dana Andrews, Janette Scott, Kieron Moore and Alexander Knox.

An attempt to harness the power at the Earth’s core misfires as philanthropic scientist Dr Stephen Sorenson (Andrews), terminally ill with cancer, ignores the advice of his helper, chief geologist Dr Ted Rampion (Moore), and misguidedly drills a crack into the planet with Earth-shattering results.

What starts off as an ambitious, intriguingly premised but tepidly handled yarn livens up when Alex Weldon’s Sixties special effects trick-work team gets to work and produces a number of endearingly old-fashioned but still reasonably effective set pieces.

The decent cast does its best with the caricatures and mostly dull dialogue, but it’s the backroom wizards who must take most of the credit, though, of course, it has none of today’s finesse.

It is made in Spain.

The screenplay is by Jon Manchip White and Julian Zimet. Original screenplay credit to Julian Halevy was a blacklist pseudonym for Julian Zimet.

It is made by Security Films and released by Paramount Pictures on 24 February 1965.

Shooting took place for about seven weeks in and around Madrid for lower production costs, accounting for the low budget of $875,000. The technical adviser is producer Bernard Glasser’s geologist neighbour.

Also in the cast are Janette Scott as Dr Maggie Sorensen, Alexander Knox as Sir Charles Eggerston, Peter Damon, Gary Lasdun, Mike Steen, Todd Martin, Jim Gillen, and Alfred Brown.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,790

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