Earthquake

• Directed and Produced by Mark Robson
• November 15, 1974

After a devastating earthquake destroys most of Los Angeles, the remaining citizens struggle to survive.

As movies go this is very much a product of its time. Certain elements that would be far too sexist pop up in here, but the clear signatures of the era go beyond that. It extends to the assembled cast. Earthquake stars Charlton “Ten Commandments” Heston, Ava “The Bible…In the Beginning” Gardner, George “Airport movies” Kennedy, Lorne “Battlestar Galactica” Greene, Geneviève Bujold, Richard “Shaft” Roundtree, Marjoe Gortner, Barry Sullivan, Lloyd Nolan, Victoria Principal, and Walter Matthau not using his real name performing in a script with some help from Mario “The Godfather” Puzo.

That is quite a talented cast. This may be melodramatic schlock, but it’s performed by some of the most gifted actors of the day and turned into fine drama. They spent a great deal of time building up the storylines and getting you to care about the individuals presented. As per usual, multiple storylines intersect and diverge as the narrative goes on. Not everything overlaps but many do.

As was the norm for the time, the actors during the disaster tended to really ham it up. Spinning around and screaming like a scared dervish or just overacting in general. And in the narrative jerks get their comeuppance more often than not. We have overly horny men and an extra marital affair. And Walter Matthau dressed like he’s a pimp from the 70s who during the earthquake scene just takes it all in stride and drinks his shot of alcohol.

There was something I found shocking. Not only was it unexpected but was exceedingly violent for the genre at the time. There is the character of Jody Joad (Marjoe Gortner) who deals with bullies in his civilian life as a stock boy at a local grocery store but also serves in the National Guard. It was a given he would run across those bullies after the quake but mowing them down was unexpected. Normally the bullies would learn a lesson rather than suffer from lead poisoning.

Being that these were soap operas with heavy special effects, some of the elements such as the affair and anything outlandish that they might add to it are expected. I give 70s disaster films a pass on that. And as per usual it takes a massive natural disaster to patch up everyone’s issues. The cop finds love with a woman whose boobs he was ogling. Stewart (Charlton Heston) and Remy (Ava Gardner) patch up their issues. Things like that.

The devastation hits and then is gone and then the people must survive. If Mark Robson had been focused on spectacle alone this movie would’ve worn thin quickly. But he and others involved were smart enough to take some time out and build up the characters. Create stories. These weren’t faceless potential victims but rather individuals you got to know. And as the stories weave in and out they don’t feel forced. It was a gentle hand taken with everything. Never were the stars shoved together.

Special effects are a little hokey by modern standards. To communicate the event they shake the camera and use distorted images akin to something from a funhouse mirror. There are even matte paintings to display the devastation. There are quite a few, though I have trouble figuring out how necessarily they did. Not that it really matters.

I can’t call Earthquake the greatest disaster movie ever. I’m 90% sure at this point in my life The Towering Inferno still holds that place for me. But Earthquake hits all the right notes. There’s drama, good character building, and good world building. If you love disaster films, this is a great choice.