Crack in the World

This is the movie from the 50s that holds up well even today. The acting, production, special effects, or just a few of the exceptional parts of the movie. The storyline is gripping about an error in judgment, which causes a crack that starts to spread and could destroy the Earth.

Really great old time move. Good actors and story.

When I first saw this movie, back in 1965, I thought the plot of a little silly. I mean using a nuclear bomb to drill a hole to allow magma to come to the surface where you can use it to generate power seemed pretty farfetched. Today, with our endless search for better ways to generate ‘clean’ energy, I can almost see someone trying it. The movie has become more believable with time which is pretty rare in science fiction movies.The movie is not badly done. It has a decent cast, nice, for its day, special effects, and moves right along when you’re watching it. I thought the conversion to Blu-ray was very well done and I wish more old movies were done as well.If you like old SF movies this is a good choice, and you’ll like it.

I know the exact circumstances when I first saw "Crack in the World." The date was April 25, 1970. The place was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And it was broadcast on a local television show called "Chiller Theatre," hosted by home-towner Bill "Chilly Billy" Cardille. Today, more than 40 years later, Chilly Billy is still going strong on the radio in Pittsburgh, although "Chiller Theatre" is no more, and "Crack in the World" has finally--FINALLY--come out on DVD.I'm pleased to say it is ALMOST as good as I remember. It lives up to the strong impression it made on me the first and only time I saw it. I vividly recalled some of the scenes even after four decades, especially the one where the team lowers the atomic bomb into the volcano. There's a lot packed into its 96-minute run time, and most of it holds up pretty well, even for today's jaded audiences. There's a terminally ill scientist who wants to finish his life's work of tapping a new source of energy--the magma in the earth's core--before he dies. There's another scientist who fears that the work, if completed, will doom the earth. There's the obligatory romantic triangle among the two scientists and the beautiful (of course) woman they both love. There's a global disaster of epic proportions, and there's mass destruction as the fears of the second scientist come true (that's not a spoiler--if it didn't happen, there would be no story).It's a little slow in parts, mostly when the three-sided romantic entanglements take center stage, but elsewhere "Crack in the World" moves at a furious pace as the scientists race against time to save the earth from the cataclysm they've unleashed. The special effects range from pretty poor (in just a couple of shots) to jaw-droppingly excellent. They're mostly pretty good considering the pre-CGI state of the art in 1965. The story holds together well, the characters are interesting and the production values are great, with crisp, clear scenes in the original semi-widescreen format, vibrant color and a sound track with dialog you can actually understand (an increasingly rare attribute lately)."Crack in the World" is a great addition to any DVD library of truly classic science fiction movies. Now if only "Gog" and "The Day the Earth Moved" would come out on DVD, I'd be a very happy camper...

Crack in the world. It's one of the better SF movies from the 1960's concerning itself with Dr Sorenson's (Dana Andrews) bid to discover a way to tap the geothermal energy of the earth itself as an energy source. Seems, though, that he's reached a point where conventional drilling equipment cannot get through a layer of rock so he seeks to use a thermonuclear device mounted on a rocket to burn through this layer.Fellow scientist, Dr Rampion (Keiron Moore), disagrees with Sorenson's theory that the device will burn through the layer. He feels that it will shatter the earth's crust with the explosion because of its weakening due to previous atomic undergroud testing -- endangering the very existence of the planet.The device is fired and initially all goes well. However, soon reports of seismic activity begin to flood in from around the globe. Seems Rampion was right after all. A crack has begun forming under the sea close to the site of the explosion. Undersea earthquakes and volcanic activity begin a sharp upswing. Now the problem is how to stop the earth from spitting in two.The science for this is streched and has since been revised. However, that does not take away from the film itself. For an hour and a half, we are entertained by some superb acting and interesting special effects. The ending of the movie is unique to say the least and tickles our imagination.The DVD is crisp and clear visually and has top quality sound. This film has been on my DVD wish list for so long, I'd about given up ever seeing it released (I had an old VHS copy I recorded from television). But here it is, fresh and new.If you've never seen one of the old "B" SF or monster movies, you're in for a treat here. This is a true gem.Highly Recommended for all ages.~P~