Krakatoa, East of Java facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Krakatoa, East of Java |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Bernard L. Kowalski |
| Produced by | William R. Forman Philip Yordan |
| Written by | Bernard Gordon Clifford Newton Gould |
| Starring | Maximilian Schell Diane Baker Brian Keith Sal Mineo Sumi Haru |
| Music by | Frank De Vol Mack David |
| Studio | Security Pictures |
| Distributed by | Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
| Release date(s) | December 26, 1968 (Sweden) January 9, 1969 (Tokyo) May 14, 1969 (United States) |
| Running time | 131 min |
| Language | English |
| Money made | $3.7 million (US/Canada rentals) |
Krakatoa, East of Java is an American disaster film from 1968. It stars Maximilian Schell and Brian Keith. Later, in the 1970s, the movie was also known as Volcano.
The film's story is loosely based on the real events of the 1883 eruption of the volcano Krakatoa. In the movie, characters try to find a lost treasure of pearls from a shipwreck. This shipwreck is dangerously close to the erupting volcano.
The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for its amazing special effects. Interestingly, the movie's title is not quite right. Krakatoa is actually west of Java, not east. But the filmmakers thought "East" sounded more exciting.
Contents
Main Characters
Here are some of the main actors and the characters they played:
- Maximilian Schell as Captain Chris Hanson
- Diane Baker as Laura Travis
- Brian Keith as Harry Connerly
- Barbara Werle as Charley Adams
- Sal Mineo as Leoncavallo Borghese
- Rossano Brazzi as Giovanni Borghese
- John Leyton as Dr. Douglas Rigby
- J.D. Cannon as Lester Danzig
- Jacqui Chan as Toshi
- Sumi Haru as Sumi
- Geoffrey Holder as Sailor
How the Movie Was Made
Making Krakatoa, East of Java was quite unusual. The special effects scenes were filmed even before the full script was written. Then, the story was created to fit around these special effects.
Creating Special Effects
Eugène Lourié, a French film director and art director, was hired to create the special effects. He had worked on other films before.
In 1965, Lourié looked for a real ship to use as the fictional Batavia Queen. He found an old cargo ship in Spain. This ship was then changed to look like the Batavia Queen. They made its funnel and masts taller. They also added new sails and a special figurehead at the front.
For the special effects, Lourié's team built two smaller models of the ship. One was 18 feet (5.5 meters) long. This larger model was used for most of the scenes showing the Batavia Queen at sea.
They filmed these scenes in a large water tank in Rome, Italy. The tank was about 300 by 400 feet (91 by 122 meters) wide. They used special cameras that ran three times faster than normal. This made the miniature ship's movements look more realistic. To create big waves for a tsunami scene, they used huge dump tanks that released thousands of gallons of water. They also used powerful fire hoses and a wind machine.
For scenes where actors were in front of a village, they used a technique called traveling matte. This combined live actors with miniature backgrounds.
Alex Weldon was in charge of the pyrotechnic (fire and explosion) effects for the volcano. Scenes of Krakatoa erupting far away were made using a split screen. This combined real ocean footage with a miniature volcano model.
The visual effects in the movie were very impressive for their time (1969). They were so good that the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
The Movie's Title
During the making of the film, the producers realized that Krakatoa is actually west of Java. It is east of Sumatra. Even though the title was geographically wrong, they kept it. They thought "Krakatoa, East of Java" sounded more exciting than "Krakatoa, West of Java." The movie also helped make the spelling "Krakatoa" more popular.
Film Format
Krakatoa, East of Java was filmed using special cameras that created a very wide picture. It was shown in 70 mm Cinerama in some movie theaters. This was a special wide-screen format.
Facts vs. Fiction
The movie is only loosely based on the real 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. The actual eruption was a huge disaster. It destroyed most of the island and caused giant tsunamis. These waves were over 100 feet (30 meters) high. They hit the coasts of Java and Sumatra, killing about 35,000 people.
Here are some differences between the movie and real life:
- Krakatoa's Location: In the movie's title, Krakatoa is "East of Java." In reality, it is west of Java.
- Travel Time: The movie shows the ship taking days to travel between locations near Krakatoa. In real life, these places are much closer. A ship could travel between them in just a few hours.
- Palembang: The movie shows a school in Palembang very close to Krakatoa. In reality, Palembang is far away, about 228 miles (367 kilometers) from the volcano. Also, Palembang is inland, not right on the coast as shown in the movie. While the eruption was heard there, the town was not destroyed as shown in the film.
- The Ship's Experience: The Batavia Queen and its journey are made up for the movie. However, the scene where the ship survives a huge tsunami at sea is similar to what happened to a real ship, the Gouverneur-Generaal Loudon, during the 1883 eruption.
Later Versions of the Film
The movie was re-released in the 1970s under the name Volcano. It used a sound system called "Feelarama," which was like Sensurround.
The original movie was 127 minutes long. But many times, when shown on television or in smaller film versions, it was cut down to 101 minutes. Some scenes were shortened or removed.
See also
In Spanish: Krakatoa: al este de Java para niños
