Krakatoa, East of Java [DVD]

Stickers for historical (rather, geographical) accuracy will note that Krakatoa is West of Java. The island was the site of the most powerful explosion in record, a volcanic eruption that for a year altered the world's climate, turning the sky red over London. The film is a little bit of everything--special effects extravaganza, treasure hunt, suspense film, disaster film, and even a bit of a musical. It doesn't slavishly adhere to history, but it does portray some of the key events reasonably accurately (e.g., the lighthouse scene). I pondered what I would have done if, like the main characters, I was faced with the life of death choice of seeking refuge ashore or riding out the tidal wave at sea. (Won't give it away, but I would have been a goner.). I loved the movie but if you are looking for a documentary, this isn't it.

I saw this movie in 1969 with special sounds effects and a great picture in Cinerama.The story of Krakatoa is true, the volcano killed 36000 people. First off all,it is an adventure on a perilous search for sunken treasure off the island of Krakatoa, also the captain, Maximilian Schell, must deal with convicts on his ship. You have also great sequences of the Balloon around the volcano, it is spectacular and very dangerous. Of course these stories are not true but it is adventure. Unfortunately this DVD is made for a 4/3 TV, you have black bars up and down, left and right, we must adjust the 16/9 TV with the Zoom button. However the picture still a great quality. Now about the sound, it is Mono, but it is not too bad to listen. If the movie come in BLU-RAY i will buy again.

BOTTOM LINE: Harmless, family-friendly big budget disaster film with just enough danger & devastation sprinkled throughout to hopefully keep you from nodding off during the soapy operatic stretches in-between. A strapping young Maximilian Schell and a grizzled self-loathing turn by Brian Keith make this one worth watching. The rest of the cast & the damsels in distress... not so much. Fine practical F/X footage from that sadly bygone era when detailed miniatures & optical slights of hand were the rule of the day. Not great, not bad. I give this volcanic variant of The Poseidon Adventure a modest but honest 3 STARS.THOUGHTS: If you've ever seen any of the myriad of star-studded disaster films that flooded theaters in the 1970's, then you'll have this potboiler plotted from start-to-finish before the opening credits are over with. Lots of melodramatic shenanigans pad out the film until we finally get to the big whoopteedo at the climax, wherein the infamous volcano on the South Seas island of Krakatoa blows its fiery top. The meager C-level roster of stars gives it their best shot, but whether you'll care one way or the other will depend on how big a fan you are of any of the cast, and/or the genre in general. This one's inoffensive enough, and at least it's no where near as hammy as, say, METEOR or AVALANCHE. But then again, these flicks are all pretty interchangeable. It's figuring who's gonna get it (and how) that makes 'em fun to watch.THE BLU-RAY: A respectable though minimalist effort from Kino-Lorber. The transfer is mostly clean, with a smattering of dirt & debris, primarily confined to the opening title sequence. Little in the way of crush, artifacting, pixelation, edge enhancement or other video tomfoolery, and thankfully no overuse of DNR! The film's audio portion is clear and the soundmix is level. Nothing in the way of extras, save a handful of theatrical trailers for other similarly-themed titles in the KL library. The movie's busy but gorgeous poster art (courtesy of the legendary Frank McCarthy) is nicely reproduced as a splashy background for the disc's main menu screen.

This movie has always been one of my favorite disaster flicks though it was made in the sixties and before Irwin Allen set up shop in Hollywood and cranked out his own brand of disaster films (in the 70's). The movie boasts some big-name actors and actresses, Brian Keith and Sal Mineo being just a couple, and they're put through their paces for what is mostly a pretty standard and fairly predictable movie.What set's this film apart are the special effects, which are quite spectacular even by today's standards. In fact the tsunami scenes are the most terrifying (and best) I've seen in ANY movie, including the obviously digitalized wave in the George Clooney flick 'The Perfect Storm'. It's a testament to the creative geniuses in the 60's that their work can go toe-to-toe - and outpunch, the high tech gadgetry of our times.All in all this is an escapist flick replete with excellent actors given mediocre dialogue and a formulaic plot. The real stars of the film, and the reason to watch, are the volcano and tsunami.

We have debated purchasing this movie-then decided to purchase a previously owned version, very pleased with the accurated description and quality of our DVD. Thanks!!

I have never complained about the quality of a purchased video, particularly at such a relatively low price. However, I don't like being duped and this is definitely NOT a high definition transfer. I know my movies, have seen a pristine Bluray version of this film, and took Amazon at their word that I was indeed purchasing a high quality, high definition version. It is most definitely NOT such. It is obviously the exact same version also sold as standard definition. I'm a fan of Amazon in general, but I'm not an idiot, and I don't like being stung, even if it's only for $5.00. I would like the transaction cancelled, but see no other options to engage with Amazon over the issue other that the 48-hour "accidental order" scenario, which has clearly passed me by at this stage, so I have no alternative other than to leave this review and put the purchasing public on alert. Tighten up your act, Amazon. This hurts your brand.

Quaility is very good.

I have been a John Leyton fan since the 1960s. It was nice to see him in this movie after so many years.

Buena calidad de Imagen y Sonido en Stereo de esta superproducción que se Presentó en CINERAMA le falta el sonido en DTS HD 5.1 y una restauración COMPLETA se lo MERECÍA pero recomiendo su compra la copia esta CUIDADA

DA AVERE PER OTTIMI EFFETTI SPECIALI SUL VULCANOQUALITA' VIDEO E SUONO BUONA.

Très bon film mais dommage pas de version française je l ai acheté car je l adore ce film

Arrived on time in excellent condition. I had watched this movie when it first came out in the theatre. I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed it again now. Very believable photography, you felt as if the volcano was actually erupting. Very nostalgic. Definitely a keeper.

This movie is about the adventures about the voyage by the sail ship in the far East at Krakatoa. The passengers are faced with the pirates while an vulcano outburst will take on which occurs a very great nature disaster with many human casualties amongst the aboriginal of East Java.This movie is based on the true story on East of Java in 1883.