Rating: 
Summary: Sci-fi with the sci-fi
Review: Who needs effects? Just turn up the heat, and let the script and characters move you on. This is quality doomsday fayre. I saw this many moons ago on the BBC, and has stayed in my mind ever since. Judd, Leo McKern and the georgeous Janet Munro do a fantastic turn in keeping the story close to the heart. Apparently this was made in about 4 weeks-ish, according to the interviews and Biogs on the extra features.
Keep an eye out for a very brief Michael Caine appearance as a National Guardsman.
Overall, a great film that makes you sweat just looking at the screen.
Rating: 
Summary: A disaster classic from England...
Review: With the summer hoopla of the end-of-the-world saga "The Day After Tomorrow" smashing theaters, I'm reminded of one of the great disaster films of all time. You probably haven't heard of the 1962 flick, as it was made in England of all places. But it was a brilliant little suspense drama, told from the viewpoint of a bustling London newsroom. Called "The Day the Earth Caught Fire, this terrific disaster drama did not have great box office success, but critics rightfully regarded it as a diamond awaiting discovery. The special effects are minimal, as we see littered abandoned streets, thick London fogs, a few burning buildings and drunk beatniks dancing on cars. The beauty of this film is emphasis on story and character rather than special effects. British science fiction from this period leaned towards respectability, and "The Day the Earth Caught Fire's" writer/director Val Guest was responsible for many of these films. His "The Quatermass Experiment" began the trend in 1955, and he continued with "Quatermass II: Enemy From Space" (1957) and "The Abominable Snowman" (1957). "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" has been a favorite of mine because most of the intense drama is played out in the confines of the newsroom. Edward Judd plays a down-on-his-luck reporter suffering the trauma of divorce, writer's block and alcoholism. His buddy and mentor, wonderfully played by Leo McKern, covers for him and even writes a few stories under his friend's byline. The dialog crackles in "The Day the Earth Caught Fire," and alert viewers will find themselves rewinding the film just to catch lines a second time. Witty conversations move at a quick clip, reminiscent of Howard Hawks' classic overlapping dialog in "The Thing" (1951) or "His Girl Friday" (1940). Judd stumbles upon the story of the century as he discovers a paranoid meteorological scientist attempting a cover-up. With temperatures rising to record numbers, twisters forming in London and floods wrecking havoc across the globe, Judd realizes something is amiss. It appears the Soviets and the West detonated nuclear tests simultaneously, and the double-barreled explosion knocked the earth off its axis. Our doomed planet is moving closer to the sun. Judd finds time to romance the lovely Janet Munro, a part-time phone operator at the newspaper. The scene where she and Judd consummate their attraction is surprisingly sexy. Due to an oppressive heat mist fog which shuts London down, the two fledgling lovebirds find themselves stranded at Munro's apartment. With temperatures hovering around 90 degrees, they strip to their underwear as night begins to fall. A bedside phone rings, Judd speaks to the newspaper, and the sweaty pair end up in each other's arms. I love the frantic activity of the newsroom as reporters scurry to make deadline. These British reporters go about their job with energetic professionalism, the scenes as realistic as any seen in the classic newspaper film "All the President's Men." Arthur Christiansen, an actual newspaper editor, plays himself. He has the best line when he asks a reporter for a story. The reporter snidely replies, "Isn't it too late to still be writing stories?" Christiansen answers, "It's never too late for a good news story well written." "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" predates global warming and other environmental terrors by several decades. It's a shockingly good film for those unacquainted, with some of the best dialog ever written for the genre. By most accounts, "The Day After Tomorrow" is all special effects and little dialog. With "The Day the Earth Caught Fire," you get all dialog and little special effects. It's never too late for a good film well written.
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