Search - Earthquake on DVD

Content Advisory: Violence, Suitable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1974 DVD Release: 05/01/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 2 mins Studio: GT Media Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Action, Disaster Film, Ensemble Film See Also: Earthquake

Los Angeles is the natural site for a film about earthquakes: they happen there frequently, and the landscape is familiar to moviegoers from thousands of films. A huge number of ongoing vignettes which include cameos from numerous celebrities and stars are tied together by the ongoing efforts of architect Graff (Charleton Heston) to rescue his estranged spoiled-rich-girl wife (Ava Gardner), while helping out with the ongoing rescue efforts taking place around him and while trying to determine what has happened to his mistress Denise (Genvieve Bujold). The rumbling sound effect designed for this film (Sensurround) won a "Best Sound" Oscar for the film in 1975. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Charlton Heston - Graff
Ava Gardner - Remy Graff
George Kennedy - Patrolman Slade
Lorne Greene - Royce
Geneviève Bujold - Denise

Disaster movies seemed to be a dime a dozen in the 1970s. With such films as The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure flooding the market, one would have thought the world had been thrust into temporary tragic chaos. In 1974 Universal released the Mother Nature-gone-amuck movie Earthquake, starring Charlton Heston and George Kennedy. Goodtimes has done a fairly decent job on this transfer, though it's as bare bones as it gets. Sadly, Earthquake is presented in 2.35:1 non-anamorphic widescreen and suffers from some defects. Colors are bright and bold with solid blacks, though there was a good amount of edge enhancement spotted during the film. Due to its age, there was a slight amount of grain and dirt present in the image, as well as some digital artifacting. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround and sounds passable, if slightly unimpressive. Dialogue, rumbling effects, and John Williams' orchestral score are all clear and concise. Earthquake would have been a wonderful candidate for a new Dolby Digital 5.1 remix. Alas, it was apparently not to be. Also included on the disc are English, Spanish, and French subtitles.
Not unlike Earthquake, this edition of the film is a tragedy when it comes to supplemental materials. The only feature Goodtimes has seen to slap on this disc are some paltry production notes that offer little insight into the making of the movie. Maybe someday Earthquake's original distributor, Universal, will put out a better edition. Until then, this DVD of Earthquake will have to suffice. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide