Main Cast: Maximilian Schell, Diane Baker, Brian Keith, Barbara Werle, John Leyton
Release Year: 1969
Country: US
Run Time: 128 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
Volcano is the reissue title of the muddled disaster flick Krakatoa: East of Java. The name change was reportedly put into effect after thousands of filmgoers noted publicly that Krakatoa is west of Java. As might be expected, the story takes place in 1883, when the long-dormant volcano at Krakatoa erupted with A-bomb force. Since everyone knows what's coming, the filmmakers try to stir up suspense with a gratuitous subplot involving ship's-captain Maximilian Schell and his mutinous crew (a similar plot device had been used in a previous dramatization of the Krakatoa incident, 1953's Fair Wind to Java). The climactic special effects are spectacular enough to make the script, and the all-star cast (including Diane Baker, Brian Keith, Rossano Brazzi, and Sal Mineo), seem utterly superfluous. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Julio Molina - Art Director, Luis Perez Espinosa - Art Director, Laure de Zarate - Costume Designer, Jose Maria Ochoa - First Assistant Director, Bernard Kowalski - Director, Walter A. Hannemann - Editor, Warren Low - Editor, Maurice Rootes - Editor, Frank De Vol - Composer (Music Score), Heinz Roemheld - Composer (Music Score), Mack David - Songwriter, Julian Ruiz - Makeup, Eugène Lourié - Production Designer, Manuel Berenguer - Cinematographer, William R. Foreman - Producer, Antonio Mateos - Set Designer, Alex C. Weldon - Special Effects, Bernard Gordon - Screenwriter, Clifford Newton Gould - Screenwriter
The story attempts to base events around the 1883 eruption of the volcano on the island of Krakatoa. The characters are engaged in the recovery of a cargo of pearls from a shipwreck perilously close to the volcano.
Production
The film was photographed in Todd-AO and presented in 70 mm Cinerama in premiere engagements.
Some problems with the film include inaccuracy in detail. Krakatoa is, in fact, west of Java. (Mount Tambora, on Sumbawa, is the violent volcano east of Java). The film was retitled Volcano in later releases. While the film was in production, its makers became aware of the geographic error in its title but used it anyway, apparently believing that this was a more exotic title than "Krakatoa, West of Java". Furthermore, the film aided in popularizing the Krakatoa spelling of the name of the island/volcano, a spelling which is probably based upon a misconception.[2]
In pop culture
During the promotional period before the movie's release, the advertising for the film had an announcer saying "Krakatoa, East of Java" in a very urgent tone of voice, and this advertisement was aired frequently. For many people growing up at the time, the so-emphasized movie title stuck in their heads as a mnemonic element (not necessarily connected to the film itself) that has since grown into a pop culture saying.
The film is mentioned by Jerry Seinfeld in the Seinfeld episode "The Truth": "Those brave Krakatoans, east of Java, who sacrificed so much for so long!"
It is parodied in the Monty Python sketch "Scott of the Antarctic" as "Krakatoa, East of Leamington".
