THE END OF THE WORLD (1916): Apocalypse Then

THE END OF THE WORLD (1916)

aka Verdins Undergang and The Flaming Sword

Starring Olaf Fønss, Carl Lauritzen, Ebba Thomsen, Johanne Fritz-Petersen, Thorlief Lund, Alf Blütecher. Directed by August Blom. (77 min)

Essay by D.M. ANDERSON💀

My ongoing quest to see every disaster movie ever made has taken me to some interesting places. Other countries, other eras…including a film that was released back when Irwin Allen was still swimming around in his mom's womb.

Before Bruce Willis saved the world in Armageddon, before Roland Emmerich ushered in a new ice age in The Day After Tomorrow, even before George Pal revealed what happens When Worlds Collide, the tiny European country of Denmark wiped out nearly all of humankind in 1916 with The End of the World, a silent film about a comet that causes catastrophic global destruction. 

And here I thought the only cool things to come out of Denmark were pastries and Lars Ulrich.

 

Disaster was at its zenith in the 1970s with such classics as Airport, The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake and The Towering Inferno. These films popularized a reliable formula that was used time and time again: A huge cast, melodramatic subplots (with at least one sappy love story), ominous foreshadowing of the disaster to come, the expert nobody listens to until it’s too late, the greedy bad guy who denies anything is wrong (or fucks-over others in the time-honored tradition of self-preservation), and of course, those special effects money shots.

As with any popular genre, the formula was milked to death, to the point where films like The Concorde: Airport ‘79 and Meteor felt more like self-parody…a few years before a real parody (Airplane!) came along. 

While that formula was a cash cow throughout most of the decade, it didn’t start in the ‘70s. Traveling further back in time, classics like The High and the Mighty (1954), San Francisco (1936), In Old Chicago (1938) and no-less than four Titanic movies (including a German-made slab of Nazi propaganda) boast many of the same elements as Airport and The Poseidon Adventure. Older still are Deluge (1933) and the silent film, The Johnstown Flood (1926), the latter of which I initially assumed was the humble prototype for what would someday be my favorite genre.

But those crazy Danes beat everybody by ten years…

I suppose if you want to get nitpicky, The End of the World isn’t technically the “first” disaster film, either. England’s Fire!, about a family’s rescue from a burning house, was a five-minute short produced in 1901. In 1912, Germany’s In Nacht und Eis depicted the sinking of Titanic (released only four months after it sank!), but was only a 35-minute two-reeler (a pretty damn good one at that).

Something molten in the state of Denmark.

However, The End of the World is the first feature-length disaster film that contains many of the attributes associated with the genre. You’ve got your melodrama, with young Dina (Ebba Thomsen) running off to marry mining mogul Frank Stoll (Olaf Fønss), which not only alienates her entire family - eventually causing Dad to die of a heart attack - it infuriates local miner Flint (Thorlief Lund), who later seeks revenge on Frank for stealing his woman.

But don’t fear for ol’ Frank because he’s a complete bastard. In what would someday be a disaster movie tradition, he fucks over a lot of people for personal gain. Damn near everybody, in fact. For starters, the astronomer who discovered the approaching comet entrusts Frank with the grave news of impending disaster, hoping the man will use his clout to inform the press. But because he’s more concerned with selling his stock holdings, Frank demands the papers print stories assuring the public there’s nothing to worry about. 

Elsewhere, young lovers Reymers (Alf Blütecher) and Dina’s younger sister, Edith (Johanne Fritz-Petersen), miss each other terribly while he’s at sea. She spends most of the film moping around the house, lamenting her loneliness, while he’s repeatedly seen gazing sadly across the water…and occasionally up at the approaching comet. Meanwhile, Frank throws a party for his wealthy friends, with plans for he and Dina to take cover in his mine when disaster finally strikes. Fuck everybody else.

All this melodrama comprises the first two-acts, with periodic shots of the comet getting closer as people helplessly gawk upward. Frank is easily the film’s most entertaining character, mainly because he’s such a dick. Director August Blom must’ve though so, too, because Frank has the most screen time. Edith and Reymers are cute but dull, their plight dragged down by the audience’s utter certainty that these two will somehow end up back in each other’s arms. 

The comet itself causes worldwide catastrophe, though all the action centers on the mining town where everyone lives. Fire rains from the sky while buildings are wiped out by a tsunami. Those who don’t die from the disaster are killed by toxic gas or shot during a riot when oppressed miners attempt to spoil Frank’s party. For a 100+ year old film, The End of the World features pretty interesting special effects, including early examples of split-screen to show panic-stricken crowds and fiery destruction within the same shot. 

But overall, is it a good film? The story is kind of meandering and slows to a crawl whenever Frank isn’t engaged in douchebaggery, but the disaster itself is kind of fun. Later apocalyptic movies with the same premise would obviously be grander, but this one did it first. Therefore, The End of the World is an important historical milestone in the disaster genre. And it’s still better than Armageddon.

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD: Disaster Starts Here?

THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD (1926)

Starring George O’Brien, Florence Gilbert, Janet Gaynor, Anders Randolf, Paul Nicholson, Paul Panzer. Directed by Irving Cummings. (66 min).

ESSAY BY D.M. ANDERSON💀

Ever since The Towering Inferno blew by 11-year-old mind when I saw it in a theater back in 1975, I’ve been a die hard disaster movie fan. 

The seventies were a great era for the genre and I caught nearly every cinematic catastrophe cranked out during the decade…the blockbusters (Earthquake), the bombs (Meteor), the sequels (Airports 1975-79), the satires (The Big Bus), the hybrids (The Medusa Touch), the historical (The Hindenburg), the crappy (Avalanche), the cash grabs (Tidal Wave), the Canadian (City on Fire) and everything in between.

What I didn’t see in theaters I watched on TV, mostly films released before I caught the disaster bug, such as the original Airport, The Poseidon Adventure, The Neptune Factor and Krakatoa: East of Java (which it isn’t). By the time both Airplane! and Irwin Allen nearly killed the genre in the early ‘80s, I thought I had seen everything.

Even today, disaster films (and the tropes & cliches attributed to them) are largely regarded as a 1970s phenomenon, though there was a brief resurgence in the 90s with such mayhem as Twister, Deep Impact, Daylight, Volcano, Dante’s Peak, Armageddon, Hard Rain and, of course, James Cameron’s Titanic, the only disaster movie to ever win a Best Picture Oscar. They still pop-up now and then, some good (The Day After Tomorrow), some great (Greenland) and some so bad they’re great (Moonfall). There have also been some awesome ones from around the world. Norway’s The Wave, Russia’s batshit Air Crew and South Korea’s The Tower are as entertaining as anything Hollywood has dished out lately.

Still, disasters movies aren't made as frequently as they used to be. It’s easy to understand why. Unless it’s a SyFy Channel cheapie, these things are expensive, and considering they’ve never been a particularly respected genre, kind of a financial gamble. But similar to westerns, the genre never disappeared completely. Like a volcano, it just lays dormant from time to time.

Nor did it begin with Airport in the 70s. There have been a lot of disaster films throughout history, some dating all the way back to the silent era. And I’m still trying to catch them all, which has turned into a true labor of love over the years. It’s been a lot of fun going further and further back through time to discover The Devil at 4 O’Clock, The Last Voyage, Zero Hour (the initial inspiration for Airplane!), Crack in the World and no less than four movies about the sinking of Titanic (including one that’s essentially Nazi propaganda). There have been fact-based masterpieces (A Night to Remember), musical melodramas (San Francisco) and the flat-out bizarre (Deluge). 

But what was the first pure disaster movie? By ‘pure,’ I mean the one that first incorporated story elements, melodrama and subplots we still typically associate with the genre (for better or worse). The one that emphasizes destructive spectacle and perfunctory characters in equal measures. Going even further back in time, that movie might be 1926’s The Johnstown Flood, a fictionalized account of the Great Flood of 1889 in Pennsylvania. 

Someone should have prayed harder.

A 66-minute silent film, The Johnstown Flood stars George O’Brien as Tom O’Day, a handsome, charismatic logging engineer who works for powerful tycoon John Hamilton (Anders Randolf). Tom repeatedly voices his concern that clearing too many trees will not-only weaken a nearby dam, it could destroy the city of Johnstown, located just downriver. True to what would become a canonical part of the disaster formula, Hamilton ignores Tom’s warning, more concerned with fulfilling a lucrative lumber contract than something that might not actually happen. Even after agreeing to have the dam looked at by a state-appointed inspector, Hamilton ignores the report and hires guards to keep worried townspeople away…even shooting a few.

There are also personal complications, of course. What disaster movie (from any era) would be complete without them? In this case, Tom is in love with Hamilton’s daughter, Gloria (Florence Gilbert), and plans to marry her while Dad’s out of town. But there’s a potential love triangle brewing as well. Young Anna Burger (Janet Gaynor) is also madly in love with Tom, though he seems to be unaware. However, Anna’s gruff, hulking father, Joe (Paul Panzer), is convinced Tom has lecherous intentions for his impressionable daughter. This leads to a few amusing misunderstandings.

As Tom and Gloria are getting married in the town church, the dam bursts. Torrents of water take out a moving train as it cascades toward town. The train scene is especially satisfying because Hamilton happens to be on-board, finally reaping what he sowed. Anna, still concerned for Tom's safety even after realizing he loves Gloria, rides a horse into town to try and save him, shouting warnings to everyone along the way. But for the most part, it’s too late. In a lengthy sequence, Johnstown is consumed by the deluge…buildings are destroyed, thousands are killed.

Considering it was made in 1926, the climactic destruction of Johnstown is pretty spectacular, filmed in Santa Cruz, California and mostly done using miniatures and photographic effects. We have to wade through a lot of pre-catastrophe melodrama beforehand. But unlike San Francisco or In Old Chicago, which provide absolutely no foreshadowing before disaster strikes, the genuine fear expressed by Tom (and other characters) throughout the film creates underlying tension in seemingly innocuous scenes. 

Tom serves the same purpose as Doug Roberts in The Towering Inferno, Captain Harrison in The Poseidon Adventure and Walter Russell in Earthquake…the sole voice of reason whose boss is either too greedy or stupid to take him seriously. Conversely, Hamilton arguably begins the time-honored disaster film tradition of self-serving bad guys getting the poetic justice they deserve. 

Not surprisingly, most of the stars of The Johnstown Flood had their heyday during the silent era (though Janet Gaynor would later win an Oscar). But interestingly enough, the film also includes several others who’d eventually become Hollywood icons. None other than Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard appear uncredited as extras or in bit parts. If this film were being made just ten years later, the roles would probably be reversed.

Though I wouldn’t rank it among the greatest disaster films, The Johnstown Flood is a vital part of the genre’s history, and not just because of the groundbreaking scenes of destruction (though they are the best part). The narrative elements, tropes and archetypes that made me fall in love with disaster in the first place are all here in abundance.

THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) and the Shape of Things to Come

THE CAT AND THE CANARY (Blu-ray)

1927 / 86 min

FROM EUREKA ENTERTAINMENT

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Though not the first horror film - and arguably not horror at all - 1927’s The Cat and the Canary certainly laid the groundwork for Universal Studios to corner the market in the genre. Without the success of this one, would they have taken a chance on the likes of Dracula and Frankenstein?

Maybe that’s a stretch, but director Paul Leni’s unique aesthetic undoubtedly influenced a great number of films, horror or otherwise, including those which made “Universal Horror” a brand name. The film’s overall tone, however, is another matter altogether. 

It’s a story that’s been told many times over the years since John Willard wrote the original play in 1922. Eccentric millionaire Cyrus West dies, leaving explicit instructions for his will to be opened and read 20 years later. When that day arrives, several relatives gather at Cyrus’ old mansion, including niece Annabelle (Laura La Plante), who ends up inheriting everything on the proviso that a doctor certifies her to be sane.

Throughout the night, several incidents occur around Annabelle that may or may not be supernatural, prompting some in attendance to believe she’s as crazy as her dead uncle. Is it Cryus’ ghost, or is someone plotting against Annaelle for the inheritance?

Harry Potter's trippy college years.

Like another “old dark house” film Leni would make the following year (The Last Warning), The Cat and the Canary maintains a breezy, semi-comedic tone, largely due to the plethora of (intentionally?) exaggerated performances, most notably milquetoast nephew Paul Jones (Creighton Hale), the closest thing the film has to a hero. But it's Martha Mattox who steals every scene she’s in as Cyrus’ amusingly-intimidating housekeeper, Mammy Pleasant.

Storywise, it’s a fairly enjoyable film, but what makes it truly interesting are Leni’s considerable visual skills (honed during his years as a pioneer of German expressionism) and some surprisingly mobile camerawork for the time. Granted, my experience with the silent era is somewhat limited, but unlike similar films of the time, I was stricken by how much the camera becomes part of the action with tracking sequences, quick zooms and POV shots. 

This new disc from Eureka Entertainment (part of their Masters of Cinema series) features an excellent video transfer, as well as a great DTS-HD Master audio track. Additionally, the film comes with some interesting bonus features related to the history of the film and the “old dark house” subgenre. For fans of this era in film history, The Cat and the Canary is worth owning on Blu-ray.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

MYSTERIES MEAN DARK CORNERS - A pretty entertaining video essay about the early history of “old dark house” movies, with an emphasis on director Paul Muni and The Cat and the Canary.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By Kim Newman (who’s always worth listening to) & Stephen Jones; 2) By Kevin Lyons & Jonathan Rigby.

INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews with critics Phuong Le and Pamela Hutchinson.

A VERY ECCENTRIC MAN and YEAH, A CAT! - Audio clips from the original play.

LUCKY STRIKE - A cigarette ad featuring director Paul Muni.