[5]

Earthquake is one of many disaster films that came out in the early ’70s — the kind where a rag-tag team of waning celebrities band together to get thrown around for a couple of hours. In this one, Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner headline as a married couple on the outs. She’s a pill popper and he’s seeing a young widow (Genevieve Bujold) on the side. The supporting cast includes Lorne Greene as Heston’s father-in-law/boss, George Kennedy (the king of disaster movies after appearing in all the Airport films) as a police officer rounding up the injured, and Richard Roundtree as an Evel Knievel-type daredevil. Victoria Principal, Walter Matthau, and a score by John Williams are all thrown in for good measure. But despite the pyrotechnics and then-state-of-the-art practical effects, as well as a script co-authored by Mario Puzo, Earthquake comes up short when compared to The Towering Inferno (released the same year), The Poseidon Adventure, or half the Airport lineup.

Academy Award: Best Sound, Special Achievement in Visual Effects

Oscar Nominations: Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing