Earthquake Films for North Bay Living: A Primer

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So often we look with dismay at those who choose to reside on well-known floodplains or in the path of hurricanes and hurricanes, but here we are caught between two unpredictable fissures in the Earth’s crust: the Rogers Creek fault that runs northeast of the city and the San Andreas. It plunges into the sea to the west. So, it came as no surprise when in the fall of 2022 Mother Nature gave us a little shake that served as a reminder of her great power. This earthquake shook wine bottles on Mendocino Avenue and opened an underground geyser that caused Mark West Creek to rise several inches. The chair rocked me as I sat in front of my computer while the cats slithered and curled up, finally finding refuge under the furniture. It made me think of earthquake movies.

San Francisco (Director: WS Van Dyke)

Arguably the ancestor of all of these is the 1936 production, “San Francisco”. The film retells the story of the 1906 disaster. It’s a classic black-and-white show starring Clark Gable and Janet MacDonald as star-crossed lovers and Spencer Tracy as a priest. It is described as a “musical theatrical disaster” film. The love triangle revolves around Janet, who is wooed by Gable, and a poor but rich mama’s boy. The narrative is set against the fantastic, vulgar, fantastic, and decadent Barbary Coast. When Janet lifts up the popular anthem song, “…San Francisco Opens Your Golden Gate,” it inspires the same feelings, chills, and excitement one can get from hearing the Star Spangled Banner. The special effects aren’t bad considering there were no computers in 1936. (Available on HBOMax)

“Earthquake” (Director: Mark Robson)

Moving back to 1974, the best that can be said about “Earthquake” is that it has star power. Ava Gardner and Charlton Heston are a sad couple. Walter Matthau is a drunkard who is not pressured by anyone and one of the screenwriters is Mario (“The Godfather”) Pozzo. The feature is enhanced by Sensurround, a deceptive vibration to the soundtrack that’s supposed to add to the overall spine-tingling experience. (Amazon Prime)

San Andreas (Director: Brad Peyton)

The sight of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson speeding through the streets of San Francisco in a motorboat is both riveting and ridiculous. Set in 2015, the movie “San Andreas” hints at what will happen when the Big One finally happens. The San Andreas as previously noted is a prominent fault that spirals along most of the California coast. This show doesn’t take itself too seriously which is fortunate. As Paul Giamatti explained to his class in his role as a professor, we are overdue for the Teramotu earthquake, the Earth’s rise, a significant, meaningful earthquake. It is not a question of “if” but rather a question of “when”. The work focuses on the inevitable tsunami that followed the massive aftershock. The Rock becomes a capeless superhero, and his effects, this time computer generated (CGI), are breathtaking. (different platforms)

Something essential is unleashed when the Earth abandons the Earth to remind us how fragile our existence is. It is much more interesting and safer to watch earthquakes on screen indirectly.

Diane McCurdy can be reached at [email protected]. Born in Santa Rosa, Diane has a BA from San Francisco State and MA from SSU in English Literature and numerous teaching credentials, two adult children and three cats. Diane has a lifelong interest in film and thus does her DVD reviews on a wide range of films. This interest in creative imagination clearly extends to the print page and book reviews for those who love to read.

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