| At the Earth's Core | |
|---|---|
) Theatrical release poster by Tom Chantrell | |
| Directed by | Kevin Connor |
| Produced by | John Dark Max Rosenberg Milton Subotsky |
| Screenplay by | Milton Subotsky |
| Based on | At the Earth's Core 1914 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs |
| Starring | Doug McClure Peter Cushing Caroline Munro |
| Music by | Mike Vickers |
| Cinematography | Alan Hume |
| Edited by | John Ireland Barry Peters |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures British Lion Films (UK) (Sony Pictures Entertainment) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States[1] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.5 million[2] or $400,000-$500,000[3] |
At the Earth's Core is a 1976 fantasy-science fiction film produced by Britain's Amicus Productions.[4]
The film was directed by Kevin Connor and stars Doug McClure, Peter Cushing and Caroline Munro.[5] It was filmed in Technicolor, and is based on the 1914 fantasy novel At the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first book of his Pellucidar series, in token of which the film is also known as Edgar Rice Burroughs' At the Earth's Core. The original music score was composed by Mike Vickers.
Plot
Dr. Abner Perry (Peter Cushing), a British Victorian scientist, and his US financier David Innes (Doug McClure) make a test run of their Iron Mole drilling machine in a Welsh mountain, but end up in a strange underground labyrinth ruled by a species of giant telepathic flying reptiles, the Mahars, and full of prehistoric beasts and cavemen.
They are captured by the Mahars, who keep primitive humans as their slaves through mind control. David falls for the beautiful slave girl Princess Dia (Caroline Munro) but when she is chosen as a sacrificial victim in the Mahar city, David and Perry must rally the surviving human slaves to rebel and not only save her but also win their freedom.
Cast
- Doug McClure as David Innes
- Peter Cushing as Dr. Abner Perry
- Caroline Munro as Princess Dia
- Cy Grant as Ra
- Godfrey James as Ghak the Hairy One
- Sean Lynch as Hoojah
- Keith Barron as Dowsett
- Helen Gill as Maisie
- Anthony Verner as Gadsby
- Robert Gillespie as Photographer
- Michael Crane as Jubal
- Bobby Parr as Sagoth Chief
- Andee Cromarty as Girl Slave
Production
The film was made following the success of The Land That Time Forgot.[6]
Kevin Connor later recalled, "we tried to get the beasts bigger so as to interact better with the actors – more one on one. We had a somewhat bigger budget thanks to the success of ‘Land.’ The beasts were specially designed so that small stunt guys could work inside the suits in a crouched position and on all-fours. Needless to say it was very cramped and the stunt guys had to take frequent breathers. Some worked better than others – but we were experimenting and trying something different."[7]
Reception
The film was popular, becoming the 18th most profitable British film of 1976.[6]
Amongst contemporary critics, however, The New York Times was not impressed: "All the money used to make 'At the Earth's Core' seems to have been spent on building monsters with parrotlike beaks that open, close, and emit a steady squawling as if someone were vacuuming next door. Close up, the monsters look like sections of rough concrete wall and the decision to film them in closeup is only one example of the total lack of talent or effort with which the picture is made...the movie is a kind of no-talent competition in which the acting, the script, the direction and the camera-work vie for last place."[8] More recently, in more positive vein, BFI Screenonline said, "Extravagant, colourful and thoroughly preposterous, At the Earth's Core is utterly without pretension but has the exuberant charm of the best of its decade."[9]
The film was featured in the season finale of the revived Mystery Science Theater 3000, the show's eleventh season overall, released on April 14, 2017 through Netflix.
See also
- The People That Time Forgot (film)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959 film)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008 direct-to-video film) – A direct-to-DVD American film sharing similarities with this film
References
- ^ "At the Earth's Core". American Film Institute. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
- ^ Brian Trenchard-Smith on At the Earth's Core at Trailers from Hell
- ^ "Exclusive Interview With Legendary Director Kevin Connor". Horror Channel. 7 August 2012.
- ^ Gary A. Smith, The American International Pictures Video Guide, McFarland 2009 p 16
- ^ "At the Earth's Core (1976)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ a b Ed. Allan Bryce, Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood, Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 p 150
- ^ Jones-Morris, Ross (7 August 2012). "The Studio That Time Forgot – An Interview With Amicus Director Kevin Connor".
- ^ "'Earth's Core' Monstrous". The New York Times. 28 August 1976. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ Mahleb, Eric. "BFI Screenonline: At The Earth's Core (1976)". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
External links
- MGM – Official Site
- At the Earth's Core at IMDb
- At the Earth's Core at the TCM Movie Database
- At the Earth's Core at AllMovie
- At the Earth's Core at the American Film Institute Catalog
- At the Earth's Core at BFI Screenonline