The Day the Earth Caught Fire
| The Day the Earth Caught Fire | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Val Guest |
| Written by | Wolf Mankowitz Val Guest |
| Produced by | Val Guest Frank Sherwin Green |
| Starring | Janet Munro Leo McKern Edward Judd |
| Cinematography | Harry Waxman |
| Edited by | Bill Lenny |
| Music by | Stanley Black Monty Norman |
Production companies | Val Guest Productions Pax Films |
| Distributed by | British Lion Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Budget | £190,000 or £213,581 |
The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a 1961 British science-fiction disaster film directed by Val Guest and starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern, and Janet Munro. It is one of the classic apocalyptic films of its era. The film opened at the Odeon Marble Arch in London on 23 November 1961. In August 2014, a restored version was screened at the British Museum's summer open-air cinema.
The film, which was partly made on location in London and Brighton, used matte painting to create images of abandoned cities and desolate landscapes. The production also featured the real Daily Express, even using the paper's own headquarters, the Daily Express Building in Fleet Street and featuring Arthur Christiansen as the Express editor, a job he had held in real life.