EARTHQUAKE (1974)
Updated: Dec 13, 2022
A Standard Piece of 1970s Disaster Cinema
Grade: C+
The 1970s were a kind of golden age for disaster movies. Hollywood had crafted a formula of introducing characters, usually played by A-list actors like Paul Newman or Gene Hackman, and placing them in horrific situations that owe their origin to either man (The Towering Inferno), nature (Meteor) or both (The Poseidon Adventure). They are also usually dire in tone and often sacrifice solid character development in favor of thrills. In many ways, they are the opposite of the movie Greenland (2020), which focuses more on the human element than the disaster itself. Sometimes this sacrifice had little impact on the movie’s overall quality. In the case of Earthquake, released in 1974, it did have such an impact, though not quite enough to make it a bad movie.
Set primarily in Los Angeles, the first hour of Earthquake sets up the disaster and the characters. Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner play a disillusioned married couple who constantly bicker to the point where Heston’s character begins having an affair with a young mother played by Genevieve Bujold. George Kennedy plays a cop who becomes disillusioned with the system after a hit-and-run felon nearly gets away because of interference by his fellow officers. Richard Roundtree (who is unrecognizable without his iconic Shaft mustache) plays a motorcycle-riding stuntman who wants to one-up Evel Knievel. So many characters are introduced that there is little time to focus on each individual story, let alone make us care. Some of the characters, like the stuntman and his colleagues, are barely elevated above just being present in the film.
The story also contains errors that range from plot holes to unsatisfying payoffs. For example, Richard Roundtree’s character has an elaborate set constructed for his motorcycle, which one might assume will lead to an exciting stunt when the quake hits. But that is not what happens; he rides the track, and afterward the quake hits and destroys it. Near the end of the film, a dam breaks and nearby refugees are swept away by the deluge. A shocking scene, to be sure, but it occurs hours after the main quake; why are there still refugees so close to a faulty dam? And when water from the dam floods the sublevel and carries away Gardner’s character, Heston jumps into the rapids to save her. But this level of commitment has no precedent in the film; there has been little indication that the two characters genuinely care about each other during this rocky time in their marriage.
It is no surprise the real star of Earthquake is the titular disaster. When it hits, the intensity levels increase and the ensuing incidents are shocking, with people falling out of buildings, glass becomes embedded in a woman’s face, and the young mother braving live wires to save her son, who has fallen from a bridge. The special effects and matte paintings of the devastated city are not the most convincing, but the technicians definitely did the best they could for the time.
Earthquake is not the worst disaster movie you will ever see. The quake scenes are well-made and intense, and a lot of money clearly went into them. But the story and characters needed more work. Ultimately, it is a serviceable film that gives what it promises if nothing more.
Director: Mark Robson
Producer: Mark Robson
Screenplay: George Fox, Mario Puzo
Cast: Charlton Heston (Stewart Graff), Ava Gardner (Remy Royce-Graff), George Kennedy (Lou Slade), Lorne Greene (Sam Royce), Genevieve Bujold (Denise Marshall), Richard Roundtree (Miles Quade)
Rated: PG
Comments