-
Day The Earth Caught Fire (The) AKA The Day The Sky Caught Fire (Blu-ray) (1961)
The INCREDIBLE becomes Real! The IMPOSSIBLE becomes Fact! The UNBELIEVABLE becomes TrueDirector: Val Guest
OVERALL: Draw-
-
Commentaries:(1) Audio Commentary by director Val Guest, moderated by Ted Newsom
(2) Audio Commentary by film historian Richard Harland Smith -
Extras:Four TV Spots (1:57, SD)
Four Radio Spots (2:08)
Theatrical Trailer (3:04, SD)
Trailers:
- "Quatermass Xperiment"
- "The Earth Dies Screaming" -
Subtitles:English HoH
-
Aspect Ratio:2.23:1
-
Picture Format:1080p24 AVC MPEG-4
-
Soundtrack(s):English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
-
Case type:Keep Case
-
Notes:Same BFI restoration as the U.K. disc but slightly cropped on the sides.
-
Have you spotted a mistake in these specifications? If so, let us know via our forums. -
-
-
Commentaries:Audio Commentary by director Val Guest, moderated by Ted Newsom
-
Extras:"Hot Off the Press: Revisiting The Day the Earth Caught Fire" 2014 documentary by John Kelly (33:21)
"The Day the Earth Caught Fire: An Audio Appreciation by Graeme Hobbs" (8:45)
2001 Interview with actor Leo McKern by Paul Venezis (8:56)
"The Guardian Lecture" Val Guest and Yolande Dolan interviewed by David Meeker (1998; 62:20)
Trailers:
- Theatrical Trailer (2:38)
- 4 TV Spots (1:56)
- 4 Radio Spots (2:19)
Stills and Collections Gallery (6:52)
Vintage Documentaries:
- "The H-Bomb" civil defence information film demonstrating the damage that might be expected from a ten megaton bomb (David Villiers, 1956; 21:15)
- "Operation Hurricane" a documentary exploring the work involved in, and the research behind Britain's first atomic bomb tests (Ronald Stark, 1952, 33:03)
- "The Hole in the Ground" a dramatization of a nuclear attack demonstrating the operation of Britain's warning system for atomic war (David Cobham, 1962, 29:46)
- "Think Bike" road safety film with Edward Judd (1978, 0:49) -
Subtitles:English HoH
-
Aspect Ratio:2.38:1
-
Picture Format:1080p24 AVC MPEG-4
-
Soundtrack(s):English LPCM 1.0
-
Case type:Keep Case
-
Notes:Comes with a 28-page fully illustrated booklet with extensive credits and newly commissioned essays from John Oliver and Marcus Hearn.
-
Have you spotted a mistake in these specifications? If so, let us know via our forums. -
-
OVERALL: Draw
The BFI has more extras but the Kino has an exclusive commentary. Do note the Kino uses the same master but is slighly cropped.
The cut status is unclear. The original UK cinema release is stated "cut" by the BBFC but the Chief Film Censor at the time John Trevelyan, in his memoirs "What the censor saw", states that "This could have been a very alarming film, but it seemed rather tame and we thought we could probably make it suitable for the 'A' category; but eventually we decided to pass it 'X' without cuts." There is also speculation that the "topless" scene of Janet Munro (at around 45:20) was cut for the original US release. The melonfarmers summarise the situation.
Note that differences in runtimes, e.g. between the BBFC and BFI, are likely due to different distributor logos and dead time, the BFI release contain the "topless" scene.
Thanks also to Rewind user baggish.
-
CUTS:
- Blu-ray A America- Kino Lorber - No known cuts (99:51).
- Blu-ray B United Kingdom- British Film Institute - No known cuts (99:15).
-
Do you own a release not listed? Then please visit our forums and let us know!
-
Comparison added by Eric_Cotenas on 05/11/14
Comparison last updated by Eric_Cotenas on 30/06/20UPDATE LOG:
05/11/14: Initial entry.
Please ensure you read our disclaimer.
25/12/14: Addition of DVDActive link.
15/02/15: Added discussion of cut status.
30/06/20: Added Kino.
-