User reviews

Dana Andrews plays Dr. Stephen Sorenson, a terminally ill scientist who decides to follow through on his dream project: using a missile to break through to the planet Earths' magma layer. His associate, Dr. Ted Rampion (Kieron Moore), has been preaching that this will be dangerous, and Ted is naturally proved to be correct. However, he has no time to say "I told you so", because he, Stephen, and others must race to save the world from the resulting title disaster.

Copious stock footage mixes with pretty impressive special effects, designed by Eugene Lourie, himself the director of the classic dinosaur flick "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms". Some viewers may be able to poke a lot of holes in the "science fact" aspect to the screenplay, but this shouldn't get in the way of enjoying what is a reasonably entertaining forerunner to the "disaster film cycle" of the 1970s. It's rather slow to get started, and does devote a fair amount of the running time to the love triangle. Ultimately, it delivers the goods if you stick with it. One thing about it that people should appreciate is the fact that it doesn't necessarily guarantee the viewer a happy ending. It keeps you hanging until its final frame. Among its other assets are the art direction (by Lourie), cinematography (by Manuel Berenguer), and music (by Johnny Douglas).

Andrews gives a typically solid performance in the lead, but most everybody here is fine. That includes the gorgeous Janette Scott as the female scientist caught between Ted and Stephen. Alexander Knox rounds out the quartet of top billed performers in the role of the pragmatic Sir Charles Eggerston.

This does offer a fair amount of fun if you're looking to discover sci-fi and disaster pictures from decades past.

Seven out of 10.

Reasonably intelligent, suspenseful science-fiction drama which is still worth a look despite modern science/plate tectonics theory having rendered it largely superfluous. Fine acting by Dana Andrews and Kieron Moore help elevate the proceedings.

GORGO director Eugene Lourie supervised the special effects, and there are several standout sequences of miniatures photography, along with the usual requisite stock footage, some good and some NSG. There's also a well-handled set piece of thermal-suited scientists descending into a volcanic caldera in order to place an A-bomb that generates some good suspense. (We'll overlook the subsequent post-blast scene where there is disconcertingly no shock wave.) I saw this on a double bill (it was the 2nd feature) with a Japanese giant monster flick back in the 60's; can't remember the monster (maybe Ghidrah?) but this is the picture that sticks in my mind. The denouement is audacious and thought- provoking.

Loved this movie as a kid, and even today, it stands up as great B-movie sci-fi stuff. Not a dull moment, and they even find time to throw in a sordid love triangle! Nothing else quite like it-except for modern Deep Impact/Armageddon stuff. Wish I could get it on video/DVD.

Yes, let's put this to bed right away. The scientific premise is flawed. We now know that the crust of the Earth is not a solid shell, but riddled through with many cracks. Not only are these not harmful, they are an essential component and feature of a geologically active world. It is how the Earth renews itself, builds land, and promotes life. There is little mankind can do in the way of "cracking" the Earth that the Earth has not done itself, many times over, in much greater magnitude. But, that said, this is still a fun movie.

The pace of action and buildup to the spectacular climax is first-rate. I found myself just waiting for the next disaster to make itself manifest, be it an earthquake, volcano, tsunami, or all three. The underlying message is still sound: mankind should use caution in tinkering with the forces of nature. A time-worn premise, to be sure, but no less valid today. We as a species are young and have much to learn, by being aware of the hidden forces of nature and the unintended consequences of good-intentioned tinkering.

The cast is quite good. Sci-fi stalwart Dana Andrews is the featured player, of course, but the other actors do some good work. For it's time, the special effects are well-done. Like any well-paced disaster film, as the action races to a climax, we find ourselves pulling for the "good" guys against, hey, wait a minute, there are no "bad guys", just the unleashed forces of nature, knowing no good or evil, just following their natural course. It's a fun twist and makes you think.

Overall, it's hard not to recommend "Crack in the World" for a fun couple of hours' escapism and entertainment. Just suspend the disbelief a bit and go along for the ride.

The mighty Leonard Cohen sung: "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in". But his beautiful anthem was one of hope, whereas the titular crack of this film represents the greatest disaster imaginable, and possible the end of the world as we know it! "A Crack in the World" is a disaster movie that predates the Irwin Allen era. In other words, it's not a massively budgeted epos that features a long list of Hollywood stars and thrives on special effects and set-pieces, but more of an intelligently scripted and rather talky drama with genuine suspense and plausible plot twists. Brilliant scientist Stephen Sorenson (Dana Andrews) suffers from a terminal illness, but refuses to tell anyone in order to complete his prestigious and ambitious life's work, namely providing the world with never-ending energy sources that are coming directly from magma of the earth's core. To bring the magma to the surface, his team launches a missile straight to the center of the earth, but like his much younger and more handsome colleague Ted predicted, the missile causes a crack in the world, and consequently earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, tsunamis and approximately 38.000 human casualties in one day! "Crack in the World" surely isn't the most exhilarating Sci-Fi/Action movie of the sixties, but the story is hugely absorbing and the scientist roles are very well-acted. After a very theoretical first hour, there's quite a lot of action. They even drop nuclear bombs into active volcanos and hundreds of poor souls fall to their deaths when a ramshackle train bridge collapses.

Crack in the World is directed by Andrew Marton and written by Jon Manchip White and Julian Halevy. It stars Dana Andrews, Janette Scott, Kieron Moore, Alexander Knox, Peter Damon and Jim Gillen. Music is scored by Johnny Douglas and cinematography by Manuel Berenguer.

Dr. Steven Sorenson (Andrews) plans to tap the energy magma source deep in the Earth's interior by exploding a nuclear device down in the core. In spite of desperate warnings by fellow scientist Ted Rampian (Moore) that it will cause a disaster, Sorenson proceeds after getting the backing of his superiors. The experiment causes a crack to form in the Earth's crust, which starts to escalate and threatens to split the Earth in two. Can the scientists come up with something to avert the catastrophe they have created?

The science might be hokey but the premise is a "cracker" in what seems to be the forgotten film of the sci-fi/disaster movie splinters. Much time is afforded to human interactions and discussions of the science involved, and of course the repercussions of man's inherent need to tamper with the world we live in. When the effects come they are excellent, aiding the drama considerably, there's even a bit of model work that nods back to a time when such a thing was a staple of genre movies. There's a tension fuelled love triangle going on between the three main protagonists, and one of them is ill, very ill, this adding spice to the human drama as the world starts to come apart. The clock ticks down and as the jeopardy rises so does the excitement, leaving us with a tense finale that rounds the film out as a more than worthy film for genre fans to enjoy. 7/10

A well-made disaster movie, featuring extremely impressive special-effects (off the top of my head, I can't recall another movie from the 60s that depicts catastrophic events as impressively). The score is above average and the performances from the lead players involved in the love triangle are strong (just a point: another reviewer mistakenly states that Scott and Moore were married in real life). Well worth watching.

What begins as a scientific disagreement ends with an event having importance for the solar system we live in. Drs. Dana Andrews and Kieron Moore a pair of well known physicists are working on a project that would crack the earth's crust. The idea is to have a controlled flow of magma from the center of the earth from which humankind can extract the mineral wealth it needs and have a never ending heating supply.

Andrews wants to drop a missile with an atomic warhead down a shaft. He feels it will bore a hole allowing for a controlled flow. Moore however thinks the explosion will shatter the crust because of the underground atomic testing that's been done. Guess who turns out to be right?

In addition to their scientific disagreements Andrews and Moore are romantic rivals as well. Janette Scott who is married to Andrews once was going out with Moore who still has a yen for her.

I'm not sure of the physics or the geology that we are given in Crack In The World, but this is a well done science fiction drama spiced with a little romantic rivalry. A Crack In The World does form and threatens to dismember the planet itself.

Well we're still here and if you want to see the miracle that saves the Earth then see Crack In The World. Good indication there is a ruling power out there.

Many things in the world of science fiction, come from the reality of science itself. Man has always thought, if there was some way to harness the hot volcanic magma in the center of the earth, it could supply the energy needs of the entire world. In this film, a top Geo-scientist, Dr. Stephen Sorenson (Dana Andrews) plans to use a nuclear tipped missile to punch a hole into the crust of Earth's mantle and release all the energy stored therein. His colleague, a former student of his and rival for the affections of the heroine, Maggie Sorenson, (Janette Scott), is Dr. Ted Rampion (Kieron Moore) who warns emphatically that such an explosion could cause a gigantic, world-wide catastrophic 'crack' in the earth's surface which could destroy it. Alexander Knox plays Sir Charles Eggerston one of many members of the Earth's council, whom Sorenson eventually convinces of the safe feasibility of the project. The film is highlighted by magnificent explosions and dramatic action scenes which prove, this movie should have garnered more attention when it dominated the marquees of the day. All in all a great cult film for all ****

Interesting story about a dying scientist who plans to tap the geothermal energy beneath the Earth's crust, with dire consequences. Andrews, Scott and Moore, as well as Alexander Knox, all give excellent performances. Special effects are superb and very believable. I remember seeing this on TV when I was a kid, and it scared me to DEATH. Seeing it again as an adult, it is not quite as scary, but is still fast-paced and entertaining. Sadly, it is not available on video to my knowledge. Perhaps someone at Paramount will read this and take the hint.

While the science is now dated, thanks to the discovery of plate tectonics (the Earth's crust is divided into may separate "plates", and therefore already has many "cracks"), the story is still entertaining. The interaction between Dr Sorenson (Andrews), an aging scientist trying for one last victory; his young wife Maggie (Scott), a scientist in her own right; and Dr Rampion (Moore), the project's geologist and an old flame of Maggie's to boot; works very well, even if it is a bit formulaic.

All in all it is a fun movie, and definitely worth the time to see it if you can. Paramount would do well to re-release it on video and especially widescreen DVD. How about it, guys?

It's the concept that glued world audience to Hollywood and no wonder they would only improve and now have seen many such movies like core, 2012, so ONN goes the list.

This film falls into one of my favourite categories, that is to say the category " Man Tampers With Nature ". Shot in Technicolor with superb picture quality, it is a feast for the eyes ( Why can't they get the same Technicolor quality in today's films ?? ) The sci-fi films of the 50s and 60s are feasts for the eyes and visual gems ( excuse the tautology ! )The story of this one is fairly limited, but the special effects are wonderful and realistic. I put the film on a par with others such as "Invaders from Mars", "Incredible Shrinking Man" etc. Obviously, the may be scientific inaccuracies, and science has advanced since 1965 but there again, this is an entertaining film and not a technically correct documentary.

In an attempt to harness the world's magma core for heat and elements by a top scientist, Dr. Stephen Sorenson (Dana Andrews), a sort of surprise creates a crack in the world. Meantime Dr. Maggie Sorenson (Janette Scott) the scientist's wife is torn between two powerful men the scientist and his number two, Dr. Ted Rampion (Kieron Moore) also divided by the crack.

Can they join forces and save the world? They better get cracking.

This film has all the elements of 1965 science fiction. Aside from Dana Andrews, you will have fun trying to remember where you have seen the actors before.

As with most sci-fi if the time let this be a warning against being impetuous.

1964's "Crack in the World" was a British-US coproduction from producer Philip Yordan shot mostly in Spain just two years after his classic "The Day of the Triffids," but an upgrade from Allied Artists to Paramount. As expected, it's a large scale story on a modest budget that delivers the goods with fine special effects aided by expertly integrated stock footage of natural disasters, a science fiction epic without any need for giant monsters. Dana Andrews stars as Dr. Stephen Sorensen, head of Project Inner Space, an underground facility pinpointing the exact spot for a nuclear missile to penetrate the inner layer and reach the molten lava beneath, intending to divide the various minerals into new sources of energy. Opposing this idea is Dr. Ted Rampion (Kieron Moore), fearing that one misstep could literally force an earth shattering response the likes of which mankind has never seen. Influential world leaders such as Sir Charles Eggerston (Alexander Knox) give their approval after a consultation with Sorensen, recklessly going ahead rather than risk the collapse of the entire project, plus a fatal cancer he keeps hidden from even his lovely young wife Maggie (Janette Scott). As the lava spurts toward the sky it appears that Sorensen's theory was correct, only to learn soon enough that openings beneath the floor of the Indian Ocean begin a series of earthquakes that claim thousands of lives. Rampion had threatened to quit but now does all the legwork to see how another warhead can successfully halt the destruction. It was the largest indoor set built at Madrid's CEA Studios, at a cost of $100,000, a wise investment that added to the realism and achieved box office success. Moore and Scott were previously teamed as husband and wife in "Triffids" (in a separate section directed by Freddie Francis), while veteran Alexander Knox was typecast as authority figures, particularly in Hammer's "These Are the Damned." Hollywood import Dana Andrews, as effective as he was in 1957's "Curse of the Demon," shares some good moments with Janette Scott but this love triangle proves entirely predictable, his self sacrificing gesture a necessity for the exciting finale. Julian Halevy (a pseudonym for Julian Zimet) would score a double whammy in 1972 with coauthor Arnaud d'Usseau, "Horror Express" pairing Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as rival anthropologists battling a knowledge draining alien aboard the Trans-Siberian Express, and "Psychomania" offering one final role for George Sanders just before his tragic suicide, whose dark powers raise a motorcycle gang from the dead.

Sci-fi films are of all types, from horror and monster films, to deep space and life in other galaxies. "King Kong" thrilled and frightened audiences when it came out in 1933. And it remained a major sci-fi scary movie for many of us in the mid-20th century who first saw it on the late night movies. Then came "Godzilla" of 1954, with a touch or Asian or Oriental humor mixed in with the scary monster and toy sets that looked real as the ancient monster long buried was brought to life by a nuclear detonation. The early Cold War years spawned quite a few sci-fi films with plots surrounding nuclear explosions.

While I have enjoyed the variety of sci-fi films over the years, I especially like those that deal with outer space or that deal with the fate of the world - the earth as we know it. Most of these films have been quite entertaining, and all usually have a good selection of scenes with tremendouos special effects. And, while the drama and acting of "Crack in the World" is somewhat lacking, it has plenty of the special effects. Those alone make this a very good, interesting and entertaining film - in the sense of keeping one on the edge of her or his seat.

And, this is one sci-fi that has a cast of some prominent actors of the past and its day. Dana Andrews is Dr. Stephen Sorenson, Kiron Moore is Dr. Ted Rampion, Alexander Knox is Sir Charles Eggerston and Peter Damon is John Masefield. Filling the obligatory female role for such films is a lesser known but very good actress of the period, Janette Scott, as Dr. Maggie Sorenson.

Anyone who enjoys sci-fi, especially with the emphasis on science and its exploration, should enjoy this film. Even these decades into the 21st century and well beyond the outer space blockbusters of the Star Wars and Star Trek films. Jules Verne first made sci-fi very popular with his 19th century novels. And, even with all kinds of space searching, research and discoveries, it seems mankind is always drawn to cataclysmic events or possibilities with our own planet. It shall probably always be that way because, after all, she is our mother earth. And our earth truly is a garden of Eden compared to anything we have discovered or learned about distant space and the universe.

No, this is not a film about drugs. That will be disappointing to some of the younger viewers. However, it is a fairly entertaining sci-fi piece that examines what would happen if the energy companies were able to drill to the magma area of the earth's core. And make no mistake, it would be the energy companies calling this tune, not international alliances. The unnecessary love triangle slows down the action, but not too badly. Andrews gives a good performance as well as the B actors, and the production values are decent. Worlh viewing on a Saturday morning.

A geothermal energy project developed with the aim of breaking through to the Earth's magma layer by means of a thermonuclear device!

The possibility of cracking the key to unlimited energy!

Or ....... Cracking Earth's crust and destroying the planet!

As a disaster sci-fi movie, Crack In The World might as a result of budgetary constraints, disappoint some fans of the genre. However, the film relies much more on its pace and sense of urgency leading up a quite impressive climax with its hellish visual feast of apocalyptic conflagration and devastation. It is supplemented with a lot of stock footage which is at least seamlessly incorporated into the disaster scenes. Also, the personal the drama between the three leads parallels and intertwines well with the continuing existential threat of annihilation being faced.

Dana Andrews is a familiar face from drama and noir films of the 1950s. He gives a good performance as the complex Sorensen who gives his all to his work even at the expense of his relationship with his wife. He tries to suppress his fears of his own mortality and misdirects his anger toward his wife to the very point of risking their marriage by shutting out Maggie and forcing her back into the arms of Rampian. On top of all the drama of the love triangle, Soresnsen has to deal with the sense of personal error and guilt at being confronted with his responsibility for what he has caused to happen. Our view of Dana Andrew's character alternates between sympathy and condemnation and that alone makes him a very real and relatable character.

With the character Maggie played by Janette Scott, there is also a strong feeling of relatable realism. How many of us have wound up in relationships that we perhaps shouldn't have embarked on in the first place and had done so for the wrong reasons? We may have convinced ourselves it was all for love or a chance at security, but time and what life throws at us in the form of various crisis often highlights the hollowness of such foundations in some relationships.

It is pretty clear that Maggie still had strong feelings for Rampian and all it took for her to retrace her steps in his direction was her husband's unwillingness to be open to her and his inability to respond emotionally to her. Both he and Maggie are trapped and it is no wonder that Maggie feels confused and isolated and turns to the one person who can remove that sense of confusion and isolation.

Crack In The World (1965) -

I couldn't say if there was any viability in the science of this film, because I skived off on the day that would have helped me understand this film and quite a few other days too, but I won't go in to that.

But what was clear to me was that the cast all seemed to be able to travel pretty darn fast, at speeds that might even be a struggle today, leaving London one minute and getting to Tanganyika the next and allegedly in just a few hours.

I know that these "B" movies weren't supposed to be technically accurate and that they were just meant to be enjoyed for their exaggerated plots and extreme circumstances, but sometimes the minutiae could be actually quite largely and obviously fake.

It didn't help that this was not the fun, classic, sci-fi, B Movie that I was hoping for. There were no dinosaurs or UFO's or even Neanderthals from a long forgotten civilisation. I personally didn't know what they thought they were playing at, making such omissions and I thought that they really missed an opportunity. They were drilling underground after all and the lead scientist had a rash that made him very ill, but with no explanation as to where it had come from or why it was so severe. Surely he had scratched it when he ventured too far under the earths crust and met with a poisonous plant from the Jurassic period and only just escaped from a tribe of cavemen in time? But no, it was just a rather boring story about apocalyptic earthquakes, which didn't seem to be considered very drastically by the world's governments or even the main cast, as millions of people were wiped out as a result of their foolish actions in the first place.

None of the acting was that good, but some of the supporting actors were purely awful. Even Rampion, the leading heart throb (Maybe from the side angle) had a voice that didn't seem to go with his physique in any way. It was hard to buy him as a scientist and not a security man or adventurer caught up in the chaos caused by the brainiacs.

I probably expect too much of films recorded nearly 60 years ago, but it's always so frustrating to watch ones that had so little consideration given to them and were thrown out quickly to jump on an adventure bandwagon, instead of coming up with a truly brilliant story that captured the imagination and was still factually correct and entertained, because of the well selected cast of decent actors.

Yeah, I really do expect too much, don't I?

Never mind.

I'll finish by saying that I thought that this film could have been a lot better, even with the story as it was and perhaps if remade, a decent director like J. J. Abrams could do it justice, but for me, I won't be coming back to this particular adventure, because there are others that are far more enjoyable and even more that I've yet to see.

339.04/1000.

This is an outstanding movie. The acting and direction are well above par for this genre. The cinematography and effects are truly eye-popping. The tension builds to a spectacular climax.

I am shocked to find that it is not available as video in any format!

This oldie is still watchable and has enough disaster in it to make it an enjoyable movie to give old fashioned satisfaction. The movie is rated as sci-fi, bu that is a bit of a misnomer today and should be seen as a science fantasy as the science is incorrect. Science has certainly moved on in the last 50 years!

It was pleasant to see no cellphones, no computers to speak of and no handy calculators. In a way it reminded me of the early James Bond movies which used similar equipment.

Probably not a movie for today's youth, but the older generation can still get a kick out of it! It qualifies for a solid rating of 6.

The premise of a massive underground nuclear explosion that would create a moving rift through a supposedly solid crust was quite believable in the days before plate tectonics was generally known to the public; the special effects create an air of reality that made the whole thing seem almost a certainty. However, with a knowledge of plate tectonics, the whole premise vanishes, especially with maps of this so-called crack passing through crustal plates. I taped this movie off of AMC cable a few years back, and I show it to my earth science classes after covering plate tectonics, asking them to tell me, "What's wrong with this picture?" The kids enjoy it and still see the mistakes. Overall, an enjoyable movie, if blatant disregard for science facts doesn't bother you.